Mayor of Turkey’s Diyarbakir calls for fulfillment of famous Armenian ashugh

News.am, Armenia
Aug 10, 2026

The female mayor of Diyarbakir, Turkey, Serra Bucak, has once again called on Turkish authorities to allow the reburial of Aram Tigran’s body in Diyarbakir on the 17th anniversary of the death of the famous Armenian ashugh.

Bucak stated that Aram Tigran’s last wish should be fulfilled and he should be reburied with great respect and honor in Diyarbakir, according to the Kurdish website Malabadihaber.

The Armenian musician, considered the “nightingale” of the Middle East, who was born in 1934 in the Syrian city of Qamishli, had dedicated himself to music since the age of 20, singing in Armenian, Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, Greek, and Assyrian. Also Aram Tigran translated a number of Armenian folk songs, singing them in Kurdish and vice versa.

Aram Tigran’s dream of being buried in Diyarbakir was not fulfilled, as the Turkish authorities did not allow the Armenian musician to be buried in the Armenian cemetery of Diyarbakir. Nevertheless, Aram Tigran’s symbolic burial took place in the Armenian cemetery of Diyarbakir, and the soil for the grave already dug for him was taken by the then mayor of Diyarbakir, Osman Baydemir, to Brussels, where the famous Armenian musician is buried.

Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.

Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/08/10/mayor-of-turkeys-diyarbakir-calls-for-fulfillment-of-famous-armenian-ashugh/

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

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