Recently, Syria and Turkey suffered a devasting 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the largest in over a century for this region. At the time of this post, over 12,000 have been confirmed dead and I am sure this number will increase over time. Many innocent lives have been lost, including many Armenians.
The devastation in viewing the photos and videos online are reminiscent of the time Armenia suffered a massive 6.8 magnitude earthquake in 1988 killing tens of thousands of Armenians. Viewing such images is extremely difficult. I saw one photo of a father holding his daughters hand as she was dead under the rubble. No real words.
In recent days, we have learned that the musical community lost a well-known Armenian/Kurdish singer, Zilan Tigris along with her husband, Çağdaş Çankaya due to the destruction of their Diyarbakir home and becoming trapped in the ruble. Their bodies were finally recovered. As one news agency reported “..stating that the voice of the artist and his wife could be heard from under the rubble, but they could not do anything.” Simply heartbreaking.
Too be honest, I was not overly familiar with Zilan or her music. As I write this piece, I am listening to her music and it amplifies what a beautiful voice and soul we have all lost. It is heartbreaking to hear such a sweet voice and think the world will no longer have an opportunity to listen to her music. She released one album just three year ago called Geliver and it demonstrates the dynamic range she had as a vocalist.
Not much is written about Zilan, however I have read several social media posts by those that either knew her or had an opportunity to meet her. “I am writing with shaky hands. unfortunately we lost our beautiful sister Zilan Tigris and her husband” said Udi Yervant, an oudist and one of Zilan’s friends.
May her soul rest in peace and her music live on forever.
Their is a fundraiser to assist the Armenians suffering in Aleppo, Syria. has collected over $32.000.00. due to the generosity of many community members and friends, individuals, and families. Please consider to support this fundraiser, for the need is tremendous and every donation is needed and much appreciated. CLICK TO DONATE >>