30.08.2025


The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has recently received, as a donation, the original photograph of Heghine (Yeghso) Chaush, widow of the legendary Armenian fedayee Gevorg Chaush.

The photograph was donated by Murad Uchaner, who accidentally discovered it in 2005 in one of Antep’s historic districts, concealed within the wall of an old house during restoration works.

In the image, Heghine Chaush is depicted holding a pistol in one hand and a rifle in the other, with cartridge belts draped across her chest and waist. The photo was taken in 1910, after her husband’s death, at the M. H. Halladjian photography studio in Antep. On the reverse side, a handwritten dedication reads: “Mrs. Heghine, widow of the late hero Gevorg Chaush. Our commemorative gift [illegible word] Mr. Hovhannes and Mrs. Pidania. July 21, 1910, ARF, Antep.”

The love story of Gevorg and Heghine is remembered as a profound expression of devotion. In 1905, despite many obstacles and in defiance of fedayee laws, the couple married. Following her husband’s death, Heghine and their only son were relentlessly persecuted by the Ottoman authorities, enduring severe hardships.

In 2013, Vahe Habeshian (editor of The Armenian Weekly from 1990 to 1996) published an article on this very photograph in the same newspaper: https://armenianweekly.com/2013/12/11/the-woman-in-the-wall/.