TURKEY: Hall for religious and social events inaugurated in Syriac village of Ain Wardo in Tur Abdin

AIN WARDO, Turkey — In the presence of a large crowd, the inauguration ceremony of a public hall for social and religious events was held in the Mor Had b-Shabo Church in Ain Wardo village, located in the historic Tur Abdin region in southeastern Turkey.

The 100 square meter hall established as a part of Mor Had b-Shabo Church will be dedicated to social and religious events for the residents of Ain Wardo village.

The ceremony was presided over by the Patriarchal Vicar in Switzerland and Austria Archbishop Mor Dionysius Issa Gurbuz and it was attended by people of Ain Wardo village and neighboring villages along with Syriac expatriates who came from across Europe and the US.

During the event, several speeches were delivered praising all the supporters of this important project in Ain Wardo, which was described as a fortress of steadfastness and Syriac resistance during the 1915 Sayfo Genocide.

Sources from the village reported to our news desk that some in the village were unhappy that the names of only some donor families were written on the walls of the hall. The move was inconsiderate of the rest of the donors, they said.