Musa Dagh Factoids
For The Week of January 30, 2000
How many Armenian villages were there in Musa Dagh?
Six, namely, Bitias (Bitius), Haji Habibli (Khablak), Yoghun Oluk (Oghluk/Keigh), Kheder Beg (Iddeir), Vakef (Maqef), and Kabusiye (Kabsak).
Haji Habibli, Yoghun Oluk, and Kabusiye were the original villages.
Bitias must have evolved from Haji Habibli sometime during 1740-1840; Kheder Beg from Yoghun Oluk sometime during mid-19th century; and Vakef from Yoghun Oluk-Kheder Beg sometime by the 1880s.
Sultumu (Surutme/Surp Tovmas) was a small farming entity between Yoghun Oluk and Haji Habibli, but affiliated with Yoghun Oluk. Amaj or Yamaj was a satellite neighborhood of Yoghun Oluk. Izzeir was a satellite neighborhood of Kheder Beg. Chevlik was a coastal neighborhood of Kabusiye.
In 1924, Nor Zeytun (New Zeytun) was established at the previous site of Ikiz Kopru, originally a Muslim village near Bitias. Nor Zeytun was established by the League of Nations for Armenian refugees from Zeytun.