Snow blankets the countryside along a road between Van and Dogubayazit‭, ‬Turkey‭, ‬close to the border with present-day Armenia‭. ‬The region of Eastern Turkey is where the largest population of Turkey's Armenians had been living for centuries‭. ‬The region of Lake Van was hit hard by violence during conflicts between Armenians and Turks in the late 1800s to early 1900s‭, ‬as well as during WWI‭. ‬After the deportation decree of April 24‭, ‬1915‭ ‬was issued‭, ‬almost all of the Armenian communities in the area were wiped out‭.‬