Armenian women of Zeitun with rifles

The photograph shows two Armenian women from Zeitun who took up arms to defend themselves and their families against Ottoman bands. According to the source, the picture was taken in 1885, and the woman on the right is Yekhisapet Sultanian, great-grandmother of the rock musician Derek Sherinian. The women stand before a painted studio backdrop, holding rifles, with cartridge belts crossed over their chests, belts at the waist and wide trousers.

Zeitun was known for its fighting spirit. During the Armenian massacres of 1895–1896 the people of Zeitun managed to organise resistance, hold out against Ottoman troops and, after the intervention of European mediators, obtain some concessions.