Oral History with Dr Ara Nahabedian

00:00 Introduction to interview

00:25 Year of birth, place of birth: Aleppo, Syria

01:02 Impact of Armenian genocide on his family- Fathers family fled to Aleppo, mothers family deported and end up in Aleppo

08:50 Childhood: growing up in Sulaymaniyah district in Aleppo, attending Protestant Armenian School, religious tolerance in Syria when growing up

12:20 Desire and options to return to Armenia or remain in Syria

14:16 Living conditions in 1950s Syria, change in education to completely Arabic which prompted an emigration to Beirut to continue education in a protestant school

17:38 Subjects studied: Science, Maths, English, Armenian, Armenian Bible, Arabic history, geography, literature, grammar, etc

19:44 Study of Armenian culture – in parallel to Arabic and English study and subjects, going to university studying biology and chemistry, starting masters in anatomy in 1974 at the American University of Beirut

21:12 Impact of 1975 Lebanon civil war including injury as the result of bombing of the American University of Beirut, having to leave their home due to bomb damage, studying to become a doctor between 1976-1981

28:01 Studying, graduation and clinical training during a civil war

31:48 Offer from University to go to Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire

32:53 Meeting (1978) and marrying wife (1981) and coming to the UK (1984) as an orthopaedic doctor, deteriorating situation in Lebanon and intervention of Syria and having to renew his Syrian documentation in the civil war and his Lebanese education not being accepted in Syria

40:19 Staying in the UK and moving to Crew hospital

42:39 Origin of his daughters names

44:29 Father worked as a blacksmith, his move into medicine and how this overlapped with what he learnt from working with his father

48:02 Biggest influence on his life: Parents particularly father

51:38 Travelling: Returning to Armenia, setting up charity to support Armenia with donations: North West Aid post 1988 earthquake

57:13 Response to the 1988 Earthquake, ongoing support for Armenia and gifts received as a result of this work

01:02:12 Importance of faith

01:05:45 Connection to the Armenian community in the UK and Armenian culture

01:11:06 British response to the Armenian genocide

01:13:05 End of interview