TUR ABDIN

KFARBE, Turkey — Over the weekend, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Tur Abdin Mor Timotheus Shmuel Aktaş officially reopened the Mor Stephanos Church in the village of Kfarbe following its restoration. The reopening ceremony was attended by a large gathering of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) community from Tur Abdin and the diaspora…

MEDYAD, Turkey — Emmanuel Onishi, a 76-year-old member of the Syriac community in Medyad (Midyat), Turkey in the historic Tur Abdin region, has become the victim of a significant fraud. Living alone and reliant on financial aid from his brother Kanaan in Sweden, as well as income from his small…

AIN EBEL, Lebanon — In a stark departure from tradition, members of the Syriac Maronite Church in Ain Ebel, a city in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, were unable to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary as they usually do. The city, typically filled with…

MEDYAD, Turkey — Every year, Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) Christians around the world gather to celebrate the feasts of their saints. This year was no exception as many of the faithful celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Medyad…

URHOY, Turkey — The Kurtuluş area in Urhoy (Şanlıurfa), Turkey, once a vibrant home to the Syriac Orthodox community until 1924, has seen its historical heritage under threat. In a recent controversial move, Turkish authorities have converted a historic priest’s house belonging to the Syriac Orthodox Church into a hotel…

MEDYAD, Turkey — The Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in Medyad (Midyat), Turkey, in the historic region of Tur Abdin, have long been aware of the existence of underground caves. Recently, a new discovery revealed an entire underground city. This research began when archaeologists accidentally found one of the gates leading to…

TUR ABDIN, Turkey — The Syriac Orthodox Church lost one of its priests in a painful incident in Zaz village in Tur Abdin, Turkey. Father Aykurt, who served the church in Istanbul, went to Zaz village to renovate a house there, so that he could return to the village. While…

TUR ABDIN — The sacred monasteries and churches of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in Turkey are facing increasing attacks, neglect, and a lack of proper care. The Monastery of Mor Jacob in Nisibis in southeastern Turkey stands as one of the ancient and historical sites of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people.…

MEDYAD, Turkey — Commemorations of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide extended to the historic Tur Abdin region in southeastern Turkey, where the atrocities were originally committed by the Ottomans. In Medyad (Midyat), a dialogue symposium was held at the headquarters of the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu,…

KAFRO, Turkey — The 14th anniversary of the martyrdom of Matay Rabo Iskender Alptekin, a founding member and former President of the European Syriac Union (ESU), was commemorated at the cemetery in his hometown of Kafro, Turkey, in the historic Tur Abdin region. The event saw participation from various institutions…