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This is a photograph of my aunt (on the right) and my Greek “granny” taken in 1949 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Pontic Greek-derivation railway-woman Sapphire was one of the few people helped my grandmother, the widow of the “people enemy” (a title of millions people arrested and/or killed in the period of Stalinist terror in the Soviet Union), to withstand and survive with her children (but one of the daughters died on cold) after her husband’s arrest and execution, see tahirlazim.deviantart.com/art/… .

Sapphire whose original name was Althire lived with our family until her death in 1964. She was the closest friend of my granny Tovuz-Hanım and aunt of her children. She was also the granny of all my cousins (by my father) and had always been the same range for us as our other family members. Although Sapphire was Christian she attended the nearest mosque with my “biological” granny by Fridays. In the late 50-s of the previous century she lost her sight ability and had seen her newborn “grandkids” just after she had undergone successful eye surgery. She knew lots of card games and could prepare delicious pastries. She was one of the most important persons in our family’s history.

My Greek granny Sapphire has always been a very warm memory of my childhood.

Description

This is a photograph of my aunt (on the right) and my Greek “granny” taken in 1949 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Pontic Greek-derivation railway-woman Sapphire was one of the few people helped my grandmother, the widow of the “people enemy” (a title of millions people arrested and/or killed in the period of Stalinist terror in the Soviet Union), to withstand and survive with her children (but one of the daughters died on cold) after her husband’s arrest and execution, see tahirlazim.deviantart.com/art/… .

Sapphire whose original name was Althire lived with our family until her death in 1964. She was the closest friend of my granny Tovuz-Hanım and aunt of her children. She was also the granny of all my cousins (by my father) and had always been the same range for us as our other family members. Although Sapphire was Christian she attended the nearest mosque with my “biological” granny by Fridays. In the late 50-s of the previous century she lost her sight ability and had seen her newborn “grandkids” just after she had undergone successful eye surgery. She knew lots of card games and could prepare delicious pastries. She was one of the most important persons in our family’s history.

My Greek granny Sapphire has always been a very warm memory of my childhood.