At the time of the Hamidian massacres in the summer of 1896 , he led the defense of villages in the region of the current Catak district in Western Armenia ( now Turkey ) and the Van province . The following year , he was one of the leaders , along with Prince Hovsep Arghutian , who headed the Khanasor Expedition in Western Armenia , to fight against the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Kurdish Hamidiye irregulars commanded by Sharif Bey , who had a role in the Hamidian massacres with his cavalry . On 24 July 1897 , Vartan led 253 men across the Turkish-Persian border and engaged the men of Sharif Bey in the valley of Khanasor at dawn . The next day , after twelve hours of fighting , the Kurdish and Ottoman cavalry captains had been defeated and all men had been killed . Sharif Bey had fled , disguised in women 's clothing , escaped overlooked because Vartan ordered not to attack women and children . He lost twenty men in the battle . Afterward , Vartan received the honorary nickname '' Vardan Khanassori ''
Hamidian massacres
Hamidian massacres
Sargis Mehrabyan