List of Syrian Armenians

This is a list of some famous Armenians in Syria.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Politics and military

• Jacobo Harrotian (fl. 19th century, Aleppo – 1929 Dominican Republic), Mexican General officer of Armenian descent who participated in the Mexican Revolution.
• Sarkis Soghanalian (1929, Alexandretta – 2011, Hialeah, Florida), Lebanese-American international private arms dealer from Syria, nicknamed The Merchant of Death.
• Levon Ter-Petrossian (1945, Aleppo), President of Armenia between 1991 and 1998.
• Sarkis Assadourian (born 1948, Aleppo), former member of Canadian Parliament .
• Samuel Der-Yeghiayan (born 1952, Aleppo), United States federal judge, noteworthy for being the first Armenian immigrant to become a federal judge in the United States.
• Varoujan Garabedian (born 1954, Qamishli), former member of the ASALA, linked with the Orly airport attack of 1983.
• Vartan Oskanian (born 1955, Aleppo), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia between 1998 and 2008.
• Garo Kahkejian (1963, Aleppo – 1993, Magauz near Martakert), Armenian military commander and participant of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, buried in the Yerablur Pantheon

Religion

• Zareh I Payaslian (1915, Marash – 1963, Beirut), catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia from 1956 to 1963 who served as Primate of Aleppo between 1943–1956.
• Karekin I Sarkissian (1932, Kesab – 1999, Vagharshapat), catholicos of All Armenians between 1995–1999, and catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia between 1983–1994 as Karekin II.

Literature, history and journalism

• Rizqallah Hassun (1825, Aleppo – 1880, London), Syrian-Armenian poet and the founder of the first newspaper written solely in Arabic, Mirat al-ahwal, in 1855.
• Vahan Kurkjian (1863, Aleppo – 1961, New York), Armenian author, historian and teacher, publisher of Loussaper Armenian newspaper in 1904 in Cairo.
• Antranig Dzarugian (1913, Gürün – 1989, Beirut), famous Armenian Diasporan novelist and poet of the 20th century, raised and educated in Aleppo.
• Simon Simonian (1914, Ayntab – 1986, Beirut) Aleppo-raised and educated Armenian writer, public activist and teacher, founder of the Spurk Journal in 1958 in Beirut.
• Moushegh Ishkhan (1914, Sivrihisar – 1990, Beirut), famous Armenian Diasporan poet of the 20th century, raised and educated in Damascus.
• Antranig Chalabian (1922, Kesab – 2011, Southfield, Michigan), US-based Armenian historian, medical illustrator and cartographer.
• Garnik Addarian (1925, Aleppo – 1986, Beirut), renowned Armenian Diasporan poet.
• Manvel Zulalyan (1929, Aleppo – 2012, Yerevan), academic Armenian historian, Armenologist, and professor of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, Ph.D. in Oriental studies.
• Harry Koundakjian (1930–2014), Syrian-born American news photographer, photojournalist and photo editor
• Kevork Ajemian (1932, Manbij – 1998, Lyon), prominent writer, journalist, novelist and public activist, one of the founders of ASALA.
• Bedros Hadjian (born 1933, Jarabulus), Buenos Aires-based Armenian contemporary writer and journalist.
• Hagop Barsoumian (1936, Aleppo – 1986, Beirut), was an Armenian scholar and Armenologist, Ph.D. in Ottoman History.
• Harut Sassounian (born 1950, Aleppo), Armenian-American writer and political analyst, publisher of The California Courier.
• Hrag Vartanian (born in Aleppo), Brooklyn-based Armenian-American contemporary writer, critic and cultural worker.
• Seta Dadoyan (born in Aleppo), Lebanon-based Armenian scholar, Doctor of Sciences in Philosophy focusing on the history of Armenian philosophy.

Sciences

• Roger Altounyan (1922, Aleppo – 1987), Syrian-born Anglo-Armenian physician and pharmacologist who pioneered the use of sodium cromoglycate as a remedy for asthma.

Sports

• Kevork Mardikian (born 1957, Latakia), football trainer and one of the best Syrian footballers of all time, played during the 1970s and 1980s.
• Mardik Mardikian (born 1992, Latakia), current member of Syria national football team, son of trainer Kevork Mardigian.

Music, theatre and drama

• George Tutunjian (1930, Aleppo – 2006, Montreal), renowned Armenian patriotic songs performer.
• Aram Tigran (1934, Qamishli – 2009, Athens), famous Armenian singer among Kurds who sang primarily in Kurdish and Armenian.
• Karnig Sarkissian (born 1953, Aleppo), renowned contemporary performer of Armenian revolutionary songs.
• Paul Baghdadlian (1953, Aleppo – 2011, Glendale, California), worldwide Armenian singer.
• Haig Yazdjian (born 1959, Aleppo), Greece-based Syrian-Armenian composer, vocalist and an Oud player.
• Avraam Russo (born 1969, Aleppo), born as Apraham Ipjian, famous Syrian-Armenian singer in Russia.
• Raffi Ohanian (born 1989, Aleppo), contemporary singer, the 2009–2010 winner of Hay Superstar TV hit show of the Idol series in Armenia.

Visual arts

• Jean Carzou (1907, Aleppo – 2000, Marsac-sur-l'Isle, Dordogne), renowned French-Armenian painter from Syria.
• Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002), Armenian Canadian portrait photographer
• Shahen Khachatrian (born 1934, Aleppo), artist and art expert, founding director of Arshile Gorky Museum in Vagharshapat.

Business and public activism

• Giovanni Anastasi (1780, Damascus – 1860, Alexandria), wealthy merchant and antiquarian, served as Swedish-Norwegian consul-general in Alexandria from 1828 until his death.
• Charles A. Agemian (1909, Aleppo – 1996, Neptune City, New Jersey), nationally known Armenian-American banker.
• Albert A. Boyajian (born 1940, Aleppo), American business leader and activist for Armenian causes.
• Vatche Arslanian (1955, Aleppo – 2003, Baghdad), member of the Canadian Red Cross and head of logistics for the ICRC in Iraq during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
• Jack Kachkar (born 1964, Damascus), Armenian Canadian businessman.

Entertainment

• Arto Der Haroutunian (1952, Aleppo – 1987, England), celebrated British-Armenian cook, restaurateur, architect, painter, poet and translator.
• DJ Sedrak (1963, Aleppo – 2008, Yerevan), TV presenter and the first radio-DJ in Armenia, born as Setrag Davidian.
• Charla Baklayan Faddoul (23 July 1976, Aleppo, Syria), reality star who appeared on The Amazing Race 5 and The Amazing Race: All-Stars with her cousin Mirna.

See also

• Armenians in Syria
• List of Armenians