The Dedication

To my father and mother, Khoodan and Haygoui (Nazik), and to my ancestors, who survived the impossible so that I could live. To my wife Anahid, and to my children, Vana (Katia) and Ani. To my grandchildren, and to the future descendants who will live to tell our story.

This digital archive was built in the year 2026. It was a labor of love, pieced together from fading papers, old photographs, and the memories of our elders.

I did not create this history; I simply gathered it before the winds of time could blow it away. In doing so, it was my duty to restore the whole picture: to finally include the names of the women—our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters—who were missing from the old charts, and to build upon the work of those who kept the record before me, including Andranik Begijanian (1970s) and my cousin Adriana Karapetian.

I built this place because I know that life brings storms. There will be days when the road ahead feels dark or uncertain. In those moments, I want you to look back here and remember:

"You come from a people who do not break."

Our roots were not planted in easy soil; they were forged in the fire of survival. Through forced marches, through the poverty of the village years, and through the rebuilding of life from nothing, this family held on to each other. That strength runs in your blood. It is the quiet inheritance that keeps us standing when the world shakes.

So, 100 years from now, when you search for who you are, I hope you find this light left on for you.

My only request is that you keep it burning. Add your own branch. Tell your own story. And never forget that you are part of a long line of people who knew how to build, how to endure, and how to love.