Born in Beshiktash (Constantinople), she studied in Pera, in the Nurinyan school. After graduation she became a teacher at the Yesayan School. Beyleryan also began writing and became interested in national issues at a young age. Her articles on the social and public roles of women, “Hay Aghchkats Gyanken” (From Lives of Armenian Girls), “Narekn u Narekatsin,” as well as articles on other social issues, were published in the periodicals Arevelk (Constantinople) and Ardzagank (Tiflis).

Mari joined the Hnchak (Social Democratic) Party and participated in protest demonstrations and meetings. In 1895 the Bab Ali demonstration began with her speech addressing Patriarch Izmirlyan near the door of the main Armenian cathedral, protesting the persecution of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. She barely escaped from the police and fled to Egypt.

In Alexandria, she founded the literary publication Artemis, which was published between 200 abd 2004. Before the official opening, her husband (Hnchakian party activist Avo Nakashyan) traveled to Echmiadzin to request the blessing and permission of the Catholicos regarding Artemis. The Catholicos not only granted this request, but also submitted his own poems for publication. Beylerian wrote a beautiful preface to these and published them under the title “Verjaluysi Dzaynere” (Sounds at Dusk). At the same time she continued her pedagogic activities (in Alexandria and Cyprus).

Artemis was widely distributed and attracted contributions from leading Armenian intellectuals such as Vahan Tekeyan, E. Demirjibashian, Z. Kalamkirian, and others. The editor included on the pages of Artemis works of the giants of international literature as well (Goethe, Tolstoy, Shelly, Scott). A year after the proclamation of the Constitution in 1908 in Turkey, Beylerian returned home. On her way, in Smyrna (izmir, she was offered a position as supervisor at the Hripsimyan School, and later she taught at the Yevdokia Armenian School. At the same time she continued to write, publishing a collection of her work titled Depi Ver 9Upward) in 1914.

Beylerian was a victim of the 1915 Genocide.

Prepared by the Central State Archives, Republic of Armenia

Bibliography:

Teotig, Amenuyn  Taretsuits, 1915, 1921.

Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia, v. 9, Yerevan, 1983.

1. Stepanyan, Biographical Dictionary, v. 3, Yerevan, 1990.

Encyclopedia of the Republic of Armenia, v. 1, Yerevan, 1990.