Hrayr Dzoghk

Hrair or Hrayr Dzhoghk ("The Hell", real name - "Armenak Ghazarian", 1860 - 1904) was an Armenian military leader, fedayee and teacher.

He was born in Aharonk, a village in the Western Armenian Taron province, in a priest's family. He graduated from the Surb Karapet Monastery school in the late 1880's, then studied at the United Armenian College and worked as a teacher in Sasun and Taron. He always wore the traditional hat of the people of Moush.

Hrair and Dzhoghk were his two pen-names, that he used when he contributed articles to Droshak Journal. He worked closely with Mihran Damadian, Hampartsoum Boyadjian, Serop Pasa, Kevork Chavush and Andranik Ozanian. He believed in rebellion with the participation of the masses, and was one of the leaders of Sassun resistances in 1894 and 1904. He was killed during the self-defension of Geliguzan village (near Sasun). Hrair's and his comrade's bodies were burried by Andranik's soldiers, who came to help local population.There are a number of folk songs that Armenian people dedicated to Hrair's memory.

ources

*S. Kirak, Hrair-Dzhoghk, Asbarez daily, Nov. 27, 1981, p. 3
*Dr. A. Chalabian, Gen. Andranik and the Armenian Revolutionary Movement, USA, 1988, pp. 106-107.