Calling for the revival of Syriac and making it a national, the Ehdenian Movement erects Ehden town sign in Syriac letters

EHDEN, Lebanon — After it unveiled the name of Zgharta in the Syriac letters, the Ehdenian Movement erected the name of Ehden in the Syriac letters, from the side of Father Youssef Yammine highway.

Caretaker Information Minister Ziad al-Makari, Tonya Barakat representing President of Al-Midan Association Rima Suleiman Franjieh, President of the Georges Yammine Cultural Foundation Maria Yammine, Syndicate of Construction Workers in Zgharta-Zawiya Badawi Ghalib, and members of the movement were present at the event.

“Many people ask me why I focus on Syriac language since it is extinct,” said head of the Ehdenian Movement Roy Araygi in a speech. “My answer is Syriac language is not extinct but alive because we still speak it.”

“Language is identity,” he added.

The piece of art, “Ehden” in Syriac letters, was then unveiled. The piece measured 1.2 meters in height and 2 meters in length.

Araygi thanked the mayor of Ehden, Antonio Franjieh, who apologized for his non-attendance. Araygi valued the mayor’s agreement to erect Ehden’s in the Syriac language.

Araygi called for the revival of Syriac language through prayers and schools, calling on the Lebanese state to make Syriac a national language and ensure its preservation.

He also called on other municipalities to follow the example of Ehden and display their names in Syriac letters to preserve Syriac history and heritage.