original_query: What were the living conditions like for the Armenian population in the Mush valley during the second half of the 19th century?
query: What were the living conditions like for the Armenian population in the Mush valley during the second half of the 19th century?
answer: During the second half of the 19th century, living conditions for Armenians in the Mush valley were intolerable.  They faced heavy taxes from the Ottoman government and Kurdish chieftains, and Kurdish tribesmen, incorporated into the Hamidiye cavalry,  extorted tributes. This resulted in thousands of Armenian farmers losing their land and living in poverty as hired laborers or migrating to cities like Constantinople.