HISTORY

By AsAbove_SoBelow Ever wondered what the name of your Lebanese hometown means? This article will help you discover the meaning of some Lebanese villages, the roots of their names, you may or may not be surprised because many come from Syriac Aramaic, Phoenician and Hebrew. Let’s start with one of…

RYADH — In a lecture at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Saudi scholars have revealed that the variety of scripts from ancient civilizations, including the Thamudic and Nabataean scripts, demonstrates the long-standing interaction between Arabs and neighboring societies. The scholars noted that modern Arabic script originates from the Nabataean script in…

OXFORD / JERUSALEM — A new study published in the journal PLOS ONE highlights the essential role played by non-authors like scribes, compilers, and editors in shaping ancient Syriac texts, not just in their preservation. The philological study Material philology and Syriac excerpting practices: A computational-quantitative study of the digitized…

By Dr. Amine Jules Iskandar | architect, a teacher, president of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon, and Head of External Relations of the Universal Syriac Union Party The Maronite mummies were discovered in the Qadisha Valley on July 13, 1990, by a team of speleologists from the Group…

JERUSALEM — In a study published by Oxford University archaeologist Riley Avisar, new insights have emerged about Jerusalem’s transformation into a prosperous city during its time under the Assyrian Empire. The findings, which were featured in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology and later reported by the Jerusalem Post, shed light…

Introduction Across the sprawling plains of the Syrian Gozarto (Jazeera) Region, where the sun’s rays intertwine with the green expanse of fields and rivers flow like lifelines nourishing the land, the Asfar-Najjar family carved an indelible mark in the annals of Syria’s national achievements. This Syriac family, whose journey began…

By Nurgül Çelebi Akitu, also known as Akitum, is the Mesopotamian New Year festival. Such festivals are among the oldest and the most universally observed today. The earliest known record of a New Year festival dates to about 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, where in Babylonia the new year began with…

NIMRUD, Iraq — The Iraqi government unveiled an ambitious plan to restore the ancient city of Nimrud, a historic site that dates back to the Assyrian Empire (1250–610 BCE). Heritage Minister Ahmed Fakak al-Badrani announced the discovery of 35,000 archaeological artifacts, which are set to undergo advanced restoration. Nimrud, once…

Introduction Yaqub Keryo, son of Joseph the Syriac, is not merely a name in the annals of journalism in Syria and the broader Middle East, but a symbol of intellectual commitment and the struggle through words. A bold journalist, a profound thinker, and a cultural activist, he left an indelible…

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — Marking a period of natural renewal, fertility, and abundance, the coming of spring has been celebrated by human civilizations around the world through history. In Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia), the cradle of civilization, some of the oldest spring traditions are still practiced. The Syriacs, Kurds and…