Kevork Chavush

Kevork Chavush
Kevorg Chavush's only photo, taken in 1904 by Vahan (Koms) Papazian in Aghtamar Island, just before the meeting of fedayees.
Native name	Sarhad Atamian
Birth name	Kevork Aroyi Ghazarian
Nickname(s)	The Lion of Mountains (Սարերու Ասլան)
Born	1870 Bsanats, Bitlis Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	27 May 1907 (aged 36–37) near Solukh, Bitlis Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Allegiance	Dashnaktsutyun
Years of service	1890—1907
Battles/wars	Armenian National Liberation Movement 1894 Sasun Resistance Battle of Arakelots (1901) 1904 Sasun Uprising

Kevork Aroyi Ghazarian (Armenian: Գէորգ Արոյի Ղազարեան) (1870 – 27 May 1907) commonly known as Kevork Chavush or Gevorg Chaush (Armenian: Գէորգ Չաւուշ), was an Armenian fedayee in the Ottoman Empire.

Kevork Chavoush was a legendary fedayee whose main goal was to ameliorate the plight of the Armenian peasantry in the face of harassment by marauding Turks and Kurds. To this end, he advocated armed resistance. Chavoush's extraordinary daring and valor inspired his men as he led the resistance in the region of Daron-Sasun from 1904 until 1907, when he was killed in battle. Kevork Chavush was known to have good relations with some Kurdish leaders of the region. He would openly meet and dine with them and at the same time, try to persuade them to not obey orders by the Sultan, who had hired the Kurds as part of his Hamidieh guards. This was in vain as the Kurds ended up not joining the Armenian revolutionaries. Kevork Chavush, is called "the man with the dagger who was always ready to punish those who molested the defenseless people."

Kevork Chavush was born to a family of hunters in Sasun, in the village of Mktink in the Bsanats region. He received his education in Mush's Arakelots monastery's school. He left school to join Arabo, a leading fedayee at the time. After Arabo was arrested, Chavush tracked down Arabo's traitor and assassinated him. From 1885 to 1888, he travelled to and found residence in Aleppo. He worked to raise enough money to buy a rifle. He returned to Taron in 1890 to join his friend's, Hampartsoum Boyadjian's, group of Armenian fighters with the aim to defend Armenian-populated villages from Hamidian persecutions.