From: sachz@montebello.ecom.unimelb.EDU.AU (SAS)
Subject: The Apostle from D'MBENI
Followup-To:  soc.culture.yugoslavia,soc.culture.europe,soc.culture.greek
Originator: sachz@montebello.ecom.unimelb.EDU.AU
Organization: Dept. Engineering Computer Resources, Melbourne Uni.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 02:03:22 GMT


THE APOSTLE FROM D'MBENI

   Lazar Pop Traykov was born in 1878 in the village D'mbeni,
in the Kostur district of the Aegean part of Macedonia. He was 
one of the supreme Macedonian apostles and revolutionaries in
the struggle for freedom and human rights of the Macedonian
nation.

   Pop Traykov, who completed his secondary education in Solun,
dedicated himself entriely to the Macedonian revolutionary
movement, which he joined when he was still at school. In it he
was instructed by Dame Gruev from 1895.

The Battle of Mounts Lokvata and Vinyary:

   During the Smilevo congress in 1903, he was the chariman of the
Kostur District Revolutionary Committee, and during the Ilinden
Uprising he was a member of the General staff.

   On 31st May (old style), 1903, Pop Traykov took part in the
battle of Mounts Lokvata and Vinyari, described in his poem
"Lokvata and Vinyari". This consists of 63 verses and tells that
in the 16 hour battle a company of 67 rebels fought against 1000
Turkish soldiers.

From the Heart and Soul of a true son of Macedonia:

   The poem appeared immediately after this historic event and
it abounds in lyricism, in feelings of pain and rapture torn from
the heart and soul of a true son of Macedonia. This is also the
first Macedonian poem of this century which expresses the feelings
and sufferings of the Macedonian people in their struggle. In his 
poem, Pop Traykov presented the ida, tactics and programme of the
Kostur revolutionary Organisation in the Ilinden struggle.

   The poem was invaluable before and during the Ilinden Uprising.
It is one of the best works of Macedonian literature of the 
beginning of the 20th century.

   during the Uprising, Lazar Pop Traykov, Manol Rozov and 
Mihail Nikolov and a troop of 650 Kostur insurgents went to the
general Headquarters in central Macedonia, in order to prepare
joint actions against the enemy.

   In a fierce fight in the village chanishte, Mariovo district,
on 15th October, 1903, Lazar Pop traykov was seriously wounded in
the head. At 5 pm. the Turks tried to continue to fight, although
many of them had been killed. But they could not advance because
rebel bombs forced them back. The sun had already sunk behind the
mountains, and the Turks stopped firing from their position near
Prilep and began to withdraw.

It was cold, snow was falling:

   On their way back to Kostur, by chance the rebels met Sarafov in
the Nidzhe Mountains. It was cold, snow was falling. Sarafov told
them to hand over their arms to the headquarters in Kostur and
then go home. He told Pop Traykov to go to Bulgaria to have his
serious wound treated.

   Because of the wound in his mouth, Pop Traykov could not talk.
He therefore answered Sarafov in writing, "No, I won't go there.
I want to go home to see what has happened to Kostur. I want to
share the pain and suffering-with my people". So he went to Kostur.

Kote Hristov informed against him to the Greek Governor 
in Kostur, Germanos Karavangelis:

   On the way to Kostur, Pop traykov was sheltered by Kote in the
Lisets Mountains. Kote Hristov informed against him to the Greek
governor in Kostur, Germanos Karavangelis. The latter promised him
50 Turkish liras for the head of Pop traykov. Evily, Kote and
Pavle Kirov, another andart servant, cut off the head of the leader,
and Pop Stavre from the village of Psoderi, in the Lerin district,
and a graecophil from Kostur, gave it to the governor. Without
wasting time, he took it to the vice vizier, who exhibited it in
the centre of Kostur to the Turkish and Greek people.

   After this repugnant act, the head was delivered to the Aposkep
village council, where it was buried in the komitaji graveyard.

   Thus, at the age of 26, he tragically lost his life, which had 
been dedicated to the highest ideals of the oppressed and tormented
Macedonian people. He died when the Macedonians of Kostur needed him
the most, because he was a great revolutionary and strategist. He knew
how to organize them, to teach them, to arouse their enthusiasm and 
to console them when times were hard.

by Atanas Bliznakov

Makedonsko Abstralisko Prijeatelstvo - DENES, 1 Sep 92.

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