Turkish University Prepares to Offer Syriac Courses

Artuklu University in the southeastern Anatolian city of Mardin has begun preparations to offer an intensive course in the Syriac language and, in the long run, to open a department specializing in the Syriac language and Suryoyo culture. More here.

Suryoyo Return to Celebrate Pascha in SE Turkey

A number of Syriac Orthodox Christians from the Suryoyo Diaspora returned to southeastern Turkey this year to celebrate Pascha in their ancestral homeland. The Paschal celebrations, which were held at St. Gabriel's Monastery in Tur Abdin, were encouraged by the mayor of the nearby city of Mardin. More here.

Turkey Renovates Mardin Monastery

The Turkish government is renovating the ancient Syriac Orthodox Monastery of St. Jacob (Mor Yakub) in the southeastern city of Mardin, whose grounds it plans to merge with those of a nearby mosque dedicated to a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad to form a "culture and faith park complex." Another of the city's monuments, the Monastery of St. Eugene (Mor Awgin), will also be restored in the near future. More here.