Prior to the Armenian Genocide , The Armenians of Dersim lived peacefully alongside the Alevi Zazas , who partially assimilated into and had various Armenian beliefs . During the Armenian Genocide , many of the region 's Armenians were living among the Alevi Zazas of the region , with whom they had good relations . This allowed the Armenians to avoid deportation , and therefore survive the genocide unscathed , because their Alevi neighbors did n't have any negative affinity towards Armenians , and as explained before were somewhat Armenian themselves . The Armenians lived quietly in their mountain villages until 1938 , when Turkish soldiers invaded the region to put down a Dersim rebellion , and in the process blew up St Karapet 's Monastery and killed around 60,000-70,000 Alevis and Armenians alike , causing an abrupt end to any open Armenian life in the province . Armenians now were forced to assimilate fully into the Alevi population , moving from their majority Armenian villages to blend in better with the population , and therefore becoming Hidden Armenians . In modern times , many Armenians have recently tried to regain their identity with catalysts being Turkey 's EU accession bid and Hrant Dink 's murder , with the Union of Dersim Armenians being formed as an organization with their interests in mind
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Tunceli Province