Armenian Hermina Dalmazyan met Muhammet Ali Şimşek six years ago when she arrived in the Black Sea province of Trabzon’s Of district to visit her sister. Şimşek proposed to Dalmazyan soon after and she said yes. However, were unable to get married for six years due to bureaucratic obstacles. The years-long efforts of a local governor have finally paid off, and the civil marriage of the couple recently took place.
Şimşek’s first marriage ended when his wife died in a flood six years ago. He had four children from the marriage. He met Dalmazyan, who came to visit her sister, that year. Falling in love with her, Şimşek proposed to the woman and received an affirmative response. Dalmazyan moved into Şimşek’s house, where he lived with his four children and ill mother. Due to financial problems, the Armenian woman could not go back to her country to get the documents necessary for a civil marriage.
In the meantime, Dalmazyan converted to Islam, heavily affected by the sound of the azan, the call to prayer, and changed her name to Ayşe. Despite all odds, she did not leave Şimşek’s family with the support of her neighbors. The couple had two kids, named Fatma and Muhammet.
A letter changed the lives of the couple. The governor of Of, Tuncay Sonel, sent a letter to the children of Şimşek’s first marriage as part of a project focusing on children without one or both parents. When he visited their house to give the children the presents they wanted, the governor learned about the situation and initiated procedures for the couple’s marriage. Following official letters, Dalmazyan earned Turkish citizenship and took the name of Ayşe.
The wedding ceremony took place according to the local traditions. The marriage witnesses of the couple were Governor Sonel and Of Müfti Mehmet Genç.
“Ayşe sees the children as her own. We were happy to witness that. We worked for their civil marriage, and finally the bureaucratic procedures were completed and their civil marriage was executed,” the governor said during the ceremony.
The groom wept during the ceremony. “This happiness is something else. I cannot hold it in my heart. Thank God that my children have a mother now. This is a very different emotion,” he told the Anatolia news agency. When he was asked about his sorrows, he responded, “I established a family 19 years ago and 2005 was the year of destruction, but 2011 is a year of happiness and peace for me.” Şimşek said his wife decided to convert to Islam after she saw him praying. Her mother also decided to become Muslim following her one-month visit.
Dalmazyan, now Ayşe Şimşek, who had been married and divorced in her native land, said her sister introduced her to Şimşek. “I met Şimşek, who spoke honestly. I liked him and accepted his proposal,” she said.
Ayşe Şimşek said that in Armenia they do not look after the husband’s mother and do not do much work in the garden, either. She said she felt alone in the beginning but learned everything gradually.
The bride speaks Turkish with the local accent.
The four children from Şimşek’s first marriage say their mother looks after them very well and they love her.
/Today’s Zaman/
