Tur Abdin Articles:

Giulio Paletta : Tur Abdin

Date: 30/09/2010 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

Tur Abdin

This exhibition is about the vibrant community of Syriac Christians of the plateau of Tur Abdin, between the Tigris and Euphrates. A home to a continuing Christian presence since the third century, it is a living example of ideas and practices long forgotten in the Christian West.

Giulio Paletta's Photographs of Tur Abdin

Date:30/09/2010Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

Giulio Paletta is an Italian photo-journalist who specialises in small Christian groups throughout the world.

Tur Abdin in south east Turkey has been the home of Syria Christians since the early days of Christianity, producing among others the unique St Ephraim whose theology was worked out in rich poetry rather than careful prose. It is a form of Christianity which mainly developed outside the Roman world: for most of its history this plateau in the mountains of northern Mesopotamia saw an astonishing flourishing of theology, literature and culture within first the Persian and then the Arab and finally the Turkish worlds. Today the Syrian Orthodox minority is surrounded by a population which is mainly Kurdish.

Will the Christians be driven out?

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

Tur Abdin is an area in south-east Turkey which has had a large Christian presence since the fourth century. Its centre is the town of Midyat and its heart the monastery of Mor Gabriel. Since the time of St Ephrem (died 373), Syriac-speaking Christians have flourished there, supplying the wider Church with important theologians, and the world with a link between Greek and Arabic thought. Tur Abdin has close links with the Church of England: the diocese in Europe has helped it grow over the past three decades.

Tur Abdin - Report 2004

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

I have been reporting on Tur Abdin since 1997 for the Middle East Forum of CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland). This visit was partly funded by the Church Mission Society and Lambeth Palace. Most of my previous reports are available on the Syriac Orthodox Resources website.

The Situation in Tur Abdin - Report 2002

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

This report is made at the request of the Middle East Forum of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), and has been partly funded by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church Mission Society. It is the latest in a series beginning in November 1997, some of which are available on the Syriac Orthodox Resources website. It would be helpful for readers to have these in mind when reading the following report.

The Situation in Tur Abdin - Report November 2001

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

This report is based on the last of a series on visits beginning in 1997 to the Syriac Orthodox homeland in South East Turkey. These visits were made at the request of the Middle East Forum, part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. The Report from May 2001 can be found on the Internet on the Syriac Orthodox Resources website.

This visit was made over a week in late November 2001, taking in the five active monasteries, as well as visiting a number of villages. I stayed at the Monastery of Mor Gabriel and visited the Monasteries of the Virgin at Hah, Mor Yacoub at Saleh, Deir Zafaran, Mor Malke and Mor Abraham and Mor Hobel. As well as the towns of Mardin, Midyat, Nuseibin, and Hasankeyf, I went to a number of villages: Anhel (Yemisli) Ayn Wardo (Gülgöze), Bekusyone (Alagöz), Bnebil (Bülbül), Bsorino (Haberli), Dayro Daslibo (Çatalçam), Hah (Anitli), Harabaleh (Üçköy), Kfarze (Altintas), Kfarbe (Güngören) and Urdnus (Baglarbs1).

Tur Abdin: a report - Report May 2001

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

This is the latest report on a series of visits over the last four years to the Syrian Orthodox area in South East Turkey. It attempts to give a brief account to the salient problems and changes in conditions among the small community: last November’s report can be found on the Internet on the Syriac Orthodox Resources website. The visit was made over a week in mid May 2001, taking the five monasteries, as well as visiting a number of villages. I stayed at the Monasteries of Deir Zafaran and Deir Mor Gabriel.

Tur Abdin: a short report - Report November 2000

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

This short report follows up my previous ones.. I visited the two monasteries of Deir Zafaran and Mor Gabriel between the 26th and 30th of November, visiting also the formerly Christian village of Kfarbe in order to report on the condition of the Syrian Orthodox community in SE Turkey

Tur Abdin visit 5 (corrupted) - Report

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

This Article will be posted soon

A fourth visit to Tur Abdin - Report October 1999

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

I previously visited the region of Tur Abdin at the request of the Church Mission Society, and wrote my reports in late 1997, May-June 1998 and November 1998. The aim of the visits was to report on the condition of the Syrian Orthodox people in SE Turkey

A third visit to Tur Abdin - Report November 1998

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

I previously visited the region of Tur Abdin and wrote my reports in late 1997 and May-June 1998. It seemed at that time that pressure had worked in supporting the Syrian Orthodox Community which was itself feeling threatened by the Turkish Authorities, but there are serious questions about how successful this is.

A second visit to Tur Abdin - Report May 1998

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

I visited the region of Tur Abdin and wrote my report in late 1997,  after which there had been several developments. In that report, I had said that the Governor of Mardin must allow

• teaching to take place within the Church Community;
• visitors to be allowed to come and stay freely
• the buildings to be maintained and developed

A visit to Tur Abdin - Report November 1997

Date: 01/01/2009 Posted by: The Reverend Stephen Griffith

The suggestion to visit Tur Abdin was made to me in March 1997 by the Reverend Robert Wilkes, Regional Secretary for the Middle East and Pakistan of the Church Mission Society in London. He is also on a committee concerned for the well-being of the Eastern Churches. There has been concern among the British Churches about the situation in Tur Abdin, and further interest has arisen since the publication of William Dalrymple’s From the Holy Mountain which depicts his journey in the region in 1994 and has an alarming description of the situation in Tur Abdin.