CULTURE

Karamles (AsiaNews) – Christians in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain are preparing to live “a Lent of solidarity”, the “key word” that “inspires” deeds and actions, this according to Fr Paul Thabit Mekko, head of the Christian community in Karamles (Karemlash), Nineveh plain (northern Iraq), The Chaldean priest has helped…

MOSUL, Iraq – Two years after the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the reconstruction of Al-Tahira, the Catholic Church in Mosul’s oldest neighborhood, which was destroyed by ISIS during the liberation. The first recorded mention of…

Zalka, Beirut – On the occassion of International Mother Language Day, the Tur Levnon Syriac Maronite Union of Lebanon stressed the importance of the Syriac language for Maronites and for Lebanon. In an interview on Lebanese tv channel MTV, chairman of the Tur Levnon Syriac Maronite Union Amin Iskandar elaborated…

MOSUL, Iraq – Restoration work on the Church of St. Thomas in Mosul, Iraq is set to begin by April, reported Agenzia Fides. The Syriac Catholic church suffered major damage during the occupation of Mosul by the Islamic State from June 2014 to July 2017. The restoration work will be…

On International Mother Language Day, HDP Member of Turkish Parliament Tuma Çelik submitted parliamentarian questions and a request for investigation by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the danger of extinction of the Syriac language in Turkey to be put on the agenda of the Turkish parliament. His questions…

QAMISHLI, Syria – On 21 February, people around the world celebrate International Mother Language Day. The celebration of mother tongues holds special significance to those peoples who languages have been criminalized, stigmatized, and are in need of revival. It is for these reasons that the day is an important one…

Original publication www.endangeredalphabets.net It hard to think of another endangered alphabet that has been used to write as many languages, and over as wide a geographical area as Syriac. The Syriac language is a variety of Aramaic, the lingua franca of much of the Near East from about 7th century…

Ankawa – In a press release the Catholicos-Patriach of the Assyrian Church of the East Gewargis Sliwa III said his health condition forces him to stop his duties as patriarch and has called for a Holy Synod to convene to elect a new patriarch. The Synod will take place 22-29…

Dubai – Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Mar Ignatius Ephrem II celebrated the Divine Liturgy in memory of Patriarch Ignatius Elias III in the Cathedral of Saint Ignatius in Dubai. The Divine Liturgy was attended by a number of bishops and priests and a large number of believers. In his sermon His…

By Yusuf Beğtaş Some cities are cornerstone cities of cultures. Pivots in the rise and decline of humans and their civilizations. Mardin is such a city. It is a city much spoken of, but less researched and explored. But Mardin is not only a city. It is the name of…