17/10/2022

TURKEY: New Syriac school to be built in Arkah village in Tur Abdin

ARKAH, Turkey —  A new Syriac school was built in the village of Arkah in the historic Tur Abdin region in southeastern Turkey.

Earlier, Metin Cil, a resident of Arkah, provided support for building a school for teaching Turkish. The school bears the name of his father Hanna Cil.

Malke Gülseren, who hails from Arkah and lives in Germany, has financed building a school for teaching the Syriac language.

The construction of the 300 square meter school, located in front of the Church of St. Ephrem and St. Theodoros has begun and will include four classrooms for teaching Syriac.

It will be the first Syriac school in Arkah. Syriac lessons have been held so far in the church.

Gülseren’s parents still live in Arkah and many of the children in the village are fluent in Syriac thanks to the classes given at the church, and soon at the school.