Harutyun Artun, One of Ordu’s Armenians, Has Passed Away

Harutyun Artun, one of Ordu’s copper masters, was 101 years old and a well-known figure in the city. Artun passed away in a hospital in Istanbul where he was receiving treatment.

His life story was featured in the book titled "The Lost Identity of the Black Sea" (Karadeniz’in Kaybolan Kimliği), published by İletişim Yayınları, under the chapter titled “The History of the Unofficial in the City of Ordu: The Story of Coppersmith Master Harut.”

According to the information provided there, his father, Mıgırdiç Artun, was also a coppersmith, and his mother’s name was Hıngani. Harutyun Artun was born in their house in the Zaferi Milli neighborhood, where the city’s non-Muslim population predominantly resided. According to his own research, his family roots in Ordu date back approximately 240 years. In Zaferi Milli, an area once dense with chestnut trees, his grandfather had a wooden mansion built. His grandfather was also a timber merchant who processed timber brought from Romania and sold it to inland regions, particularly to Sivas, Erzincan, and Malatya.

In the 2004 local elections, Harutyun Artun became the first-row candidate for the municipal council from the ÖDP(Freedom and Solidarity Party) and conducted election campaigns.

In an interview with the Ordu Kent Newspaper, Artun shared glimpses of his life:

"I was born in 1924, but it says 1926 on my official records. I never had a problem among the public. Religion is one thing, nation is another, politics is another. But ignorance is very bad. In recent years, the ignorance of the people has diminished a bit. Everyone's religion is their own. Also, there has been a great struggle recently for everyone to live together. Prices were paid."

You struggled a lot as well. You worked in the Democrat Party. Now you are a member of the ÖDP. You even ran for the Municipal Council?

"Yes, in the 2004 elections, I was the first-row candidate for the Ordu Municipal Council from the ÖDP. (After searching for a while, he finds his business card from that period and gives it to us as a memento.) I worked in the Youth Organization of the Democrat Party (DP). Then they came to power and did the exact opposite of what they said. When the DP was first founded, it was very democratic. For example, when Celal Bayar came to Ordu as President, they said ‘Democracy is coming.’ It was raining so hard. No one would give them a hall to hold a speech. He gave a speech to a group of people gathered under the rain. I was one of those holding an umbrella for him there. The DP changed a lot while in power. So, I left them. I am a leftist."

The passing of Harutyun Artun, one of the city's most beloved figures, has also resonated widely in the local press across Ordu and the Black Sea region.