This writing is a bitter and documented narrative of a survivor of the historical catastrophe known as "Jiloluq" (the massacre of Azerbaijani Turks by immigrant Assyrians and Armenians) in the Salmas and Urmia region during the final years of World War I (1918 AD / 1297 SH). The narrator, relying on the oral memoirs of his father—who was an eyewitness to these events—recounts how the Jilo groups, who had previously taken refuge in Azerbaijan from the Ottoman Empire, carried out mass killings, looting, and displacement of the unarmed Turkic and Muslim population of the region, instigated by Western missionaries and Russian forces. The narrative depicts, moment by moment, the genocide in the villages of "Ayan" and "Kohneh Shahr," the terrified flight of families, the hunger, thirst, and wandering of children and women, local betrayals, and the life-saving role of "Ehsan Nouri Pasha" and the "Army of Islam" in containing this tragedy and restoring relative security. In the background of these memories lies a bitter critique of the colonial policies of the West and Russia, as well as the negligence of the then-government (Qajar) regarding border security and the lives of its people. Emphasizing the value of "remembrance" and "recording local history," the narrator considers these memoirs not merely a personal account, but the voice of an oppressed nation and a living document of betrayal, suffering, and the plight of people who were sacrificed in the vortex of the great powers' interests.
Gafuriniya,A . (2026). My Father's Memoirs of the Jiluluq Tragedies in Salmas. Studies on Azerbaijan and Turk's History
Azərbaycan və Türk tarixi araşdırmaları, 1(11), 347-363.
MLA
Gafuriniya,A . "My Father's Memoirs of the Jiluluq Tragedies in Salmas", Studies on Azerbaijan and Turk's History
Azərbaycan və Türk tarixi araşdırmaları, 1, 11, 2026, 347-363.
HARVARD
Gafuriniya A. (2026). 'My Father's Memoirs of the Jiluluq Tragedies in Salmas', Studies on Azerbaijan and Turk's History
Azərbaycan və Türk tarixi araşdırmaları, 1(11), pp. 347-363.
CHICAGO
A Gafuriniya, "My Father's Memoirs of the Jiluluq Tragedies in Salmas," Studies on Azerbaijan and Turk's History
Azərbaycan və Türk tarixi araşdırmaları, 1 11 (2026): 347-363,
VANCOUVER
Gafuriniya A. My Father's Memoirs of the Jiluluq Tragedies in Salmas. Studies on Azerbaijan and Turk's History
Azərbaycan və Türk tarixi araşdırmaları. 2026;1(11):347-363 (In Persian).
