The residents of Vakıflı are the descendants of those Armenians who resisted the Armenian genocide of 1915 on Musa Dagh . For 53 days they repelled attacks by Turkish troops until French sailors sighted a banner that the Armenians had tied to a tree on the mountain emblazoned with the words " Christians in Distress : Rescue " . After being transported to Port Said by the French , seven Armenian villages returned to their homes while Hatay was under French occupation starting from 1918 . Following an agreement between France and Turkey and a controversial Referendum , the district reverted to Turkey on June 29 , 1939 , a move still not recognized by Syria . After this move the other six Armenian villages immigrated out of Hatay settling in Lebanon 's Beqaa Valley , especially Anjar , while the residents of Vakıflı chose to stay
Armenian genocide of 1915
Armenian Genocide
Vakıflı, Samandağ