Bardizag or “little garden” in Armenian was a town south of Constantinople, across the Bay of Izmit. The village was established in 1583 by Armenians from Sepastia (Sivas). The town with it’s surrounding settlements became a vibrant center for commerce and education in the region.

Many individuals today claim lineage to this region and the Bardizag project on FamilyTree DNA aims to help members in their genealogical journey. Town’s and place names in this region include Bardizag (Bahçecik), Adabazar, Boursa, Ovadjek, Manoushag and Jamavayr.

Should you join?

• If you can trace your lineage to Bardizag from 1800 and onwards, then this group is for you. 

• Please do not join this group if you do not have direct Bardizag ancestry in your family tree. 

• Merely having a close match, especially at yDNA 12 markers, to a project member does not meet the requirements for joining the Bardizag project. If you do wish to enquire about a close match in the project, contact the administrators.

• After you join, please also consider joining the unaffiliated Պարտիզակ - Bardizag Facebook group in order to connect with other indivuals interested in Bardizag.

How is this related to the Armenian DNA project?

The Bardizag project can is complimentary to the Armenian DNA Project and joining one project doesn't automatically include you in the other. The Armenian DNA Project is open to all Armenians with direct paternal ancestors (yDNA) or direct maternal ancestors (mtDNA) of Armenian ancestry. 

Which DNA tests should you take?

Men can test both their paternal DNA (Y-DNA) and maternal DNA (mtDNA or mitochondrial DNA). Since women do not inherit the Y-chromosome from their father, they need to recruit a male relative on their father’s side to analyse their paternal DNA line.

Here is a description of the most important DNA tests available at Family Tree DNA. Go here to place an order from the Bardizag Project or to find out the cost of these test. 

We recommend the Y-DNA37 and Y-DNA67 tests for men and the mtDNAPlus test for women (or men who want to investigate their maternal side). For men who want to investigate both the male paternal and the female maternal sides we recommend either Y-DNA37+mtDNAPlus or Y-DNA67+mtDNAPlus. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Project administrators:

• Hovhannes "Hovik" Manucharyan (Volunteer Administrator). As a lifelong student of Armenian history with a recent interest in genealogy, Hovik is very enthusiastic about advances in DNA testing and bioinformatics and the potential for helping uncover mysteries that have been mostly swept away by wars and genocide. Hovik's paternal line is from the region of Gandzak (Գանձակ), Erkej, and Chovdar in historical Artsakh, while his maternal ancestors are from Mush (grandfather) and Bardizag (grandmother) in Western Armenia. Hovik has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from California State University, Northridge and a Master's Degree in information Assurance from Norwich University. Hovik, his wife, and two daughters live in Bellevue, WA, USA. Connect with Hovik on LinkedIn and Twitter.

More information on Bardizag:

• bardizag.com - a web community and memorial to Bardizag.
• Rediscovering Armenian Bardizag (Bahchejik) in Western Turkey  by Ara Stepan Melkonian