Geographic Location and Population
Avzruk is a village located 35 kilometers from the city of Zakho, along the road between Zakho and Mosul. The village is inhabited by 50 Armenian families, all of whom speak Kurdish.
A Glimpse of the Armenian Village of Avzruk
On page 138 of the book “When Miracles Happened” by Levon Shahoyan, the author describes his 1969 visit to the village as follows:
“On the way back from Zakho to Mosul lies a modest village called Avzruk, whose entire population is Armenian, all speaking Kurdish fluently. Simple mud huts, scattered beside gently rolling hills, surrounded by vast plains for growing grain. Thirty Armenian families, engaged in farming and livestock herding, live according to traditional, patriarchal, and simple customs.”
Avzruk in the Late 20th Century
On February 21, 1999, during the return trip from Zakho, His Eminence Archbishop Avak Asadourian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Iraq, visited the village of Avzruk, accompanied by Mr. Vahakn Misrobian, Chairman of the Central Administrative Committee, and Mr. Paruyr Hakobyan, a committee member.
The 1999 Easter message issued by the Diocese stated the following:
“On the return journey, the officials visited the Armenian village of Avzruk, which currently consists of 49 Armenian families. All the land in the area belongs to them. The elderly are engaged in agriculture, while the youth work in various trades in nearby cities.
The village is in urgent need of a teacher to teach the Armenian language to young children and a small church to meet their spiritual needs.
The economic situation is poor, as they do not own agricultural machinery. This forces them to rely on those who do, giving a large portion of their harvest to these machine owners, while the remaining amount is barely enough to sustain their families.”
