NORTH AND EAST SYRIA: The Suraye village of Tal Masas in the Khabur region… another witness of displacement and exodus

TAL MASAS, KHABUR REGION, Syria – The Khabur region has experienced many tragedies and has been the subject of displacement over the past decade. The number of villagers in the Syriac village of Tal Masas has declined drastically since then. Before the start of the Syrian Civil War, the invasion of the Khabur region and subsequent kidnappings by the Islamic State, and the Turkish invasion of North and East Syria, the expansion and construction of a new church had begun to accommodate the large number of believers.

The village church is named after Saint George. It was founded in 1949 and renovated in 1963. Construction work has been halted due to the crisis in the area. One of the Suraye residents of the village spoke to our news desk about the recent history of this church and its religious and educational activities, in which he was actively involved.

“This church was founded in 1949. Because of the many cracks in the walls, it was renovated in 1963,” says the villager.

“Before the Suraye residents emigrated, we had decided to build a new church with a contemporary design. We started construction but were unable to complete it due to the security conditions at the time.”

“We used to celebrate many holidays and saints’ days in the church,” adding that each village had a church named after a Syriac saint. “When a saint’s patron day was celebrated in a particular village, Suraye from other villages would gather to celebrate it with them,” he concluded.

Attempts to make the area of the Khabur Region a separate canton for the Suraye people have so far been unsuccessful.

For Arabic see SyriacPress Arabic