THE SECRETS OF THE CHIEF SWORD MAKER ACEMOĞLU (ACEMIAN/ACEMYAN) SARKİS
Many museums around the world (Topkapı Palace Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Benaki Museum) display swords that are attributed to Acemoğlu. Until today the identity of the Armenian Chief Sword-maker Sarkis Acemoğlu was known, but thanks to the documents we discovered and also to finding his grave, the irrefutable evidence has come to light.
Sarkis Adjemian was born in Istanbul, probably in 1797 and died in 1862. He was voted 16th member of the Civilian Assembly of the Armenian Patriarchate, elected on 9 May 1847. Here, his family name was not mentioned and he was recorded as “Sarkis, Chief Sword-maker.”
The headstone of the grave, ordered by his wife Tensuf, displays two crossed swords.
On the four corners of the grave, there are embossed vases with flowers.
The epitaph here is composed of three quatrains composed by his wife.
Translation of the epitaph is as follows:
Gravestone
In memory of
Venerable Sarkis Agha Acemian, the Chief Sword-maker
By Madame Tensuf, his wife
Full of nobility and goodness in all men
And successful in royal work
How could you die and leave me alone, and how were you buried in this tomb?
My great sir, as you lay under the ground in this tomb, you are not abandoned
My longing for you turned to mercy
And accompanied you
As our endless desires flew to the Sky
May they be in peace on the Judgement Day
I wish we could see you there, in Heaven.
In the year 1862, at the age of 65.
The epitaph in Armenian is as follows:
ԱՐՁԱՆ ՇԻՐՄԻ
ԳԸԼԸՃՃԸ ՊԱՇԸ ԱՃԷՄԵԱՆ
ՄԵԾԱՊԱՏԻՒ ՍԱՐԳՒՍ ԱՂԱՅԻ
ԱՐԿԵԱԼ Ի ԹԷՆՍՈՒՖ ՏԻԿՆՈՉԷ ԻՒՐՄԷ
ՎԵՀԱԶՆԴ Ի ՅԱՐՍ ԵՒ ԼԻԴ Ի ԲԱՐԻՍ
ԵՒ ԱՐԴԻՒՆԱՒՈՐԴ Ի ԳՈՐԾՍ
ԱՐՔՈՒՆԻՍ
ԶԻԱՐԴ ՎՃԱՐԵԱԼ ԵԴԱՐ Ի ԴԱՄԲԱՆՍ
ԱՆՕՔ ԹՈՂԵԱԼ ԶԻՍ
ԱՅՐԴ ԳԵՐԱՊԱՆԾ ՈՐ ՀՈՂԱԽՇՏԻ
ԵՍ ԱՍՏ՛ Ի ՇԻՐՄԻՍ ԱՅԼ ՉԵՍ ԱՄԱՅԻ
Ի ՔԷՆ ԱՌ ԿԱՐՕՏՍ ԵՂԵԱԼ ԳՈՒԹՔ,
ԱՆԿԱՆ
ԸՆԴ ՔԵԶԻ Ի ՅՈՒՂԻ
ԻՂՁՔ ԱՆՀԱՏՔ ՅԵՐԿԻՆՍ Ի ՄԵՆԶ
ՍԸԼԱՆԱՆ
ԼԻՆԵԼ ՀԱՇՏ ԸՆԴ ՔԵԶ ԷԻՆ ՅՕՐ
ԴԱՏՄԱՆ
ԻՑԻՒ ՏԵՍԱՆԵԼ ԵՒ ՄԵԶ ԱՆԴ ԶՔԵԶ
Ի ՅԱՌՔԱՅՈՒԹԵԱՆ
ՅամիՏեառն 1862 փոխեալ ի 65 հասակի
