No matter how much I have read about Diyarbakir before the trip, what actually turns up once I am there still caught me by surprise. It was not exaggeration at all when I said that what had happened during my visit to this ancient Mesopotamian city on the Tigris is truly beyond my imagination.
After a prolonged stay in Gaziantep, finally I decided to move out of my comfort zone and board the bus from Antep to Diyarbakir. The bus was almost 2 hours late, and after another 5 hours on the road, I arrived at the inter-city bus station of Diyarbakir, a few kilometers outside the city centre. It was another 20-30 minutes of ride - depending on the traffic en route - on one of the mini-buses before I reached Dagkapi, formerly called the Harput Gate (the gate was located on the main road leading out from Diyarbakir to Elazig, hence the name) when the city of Elazig was still known by the name of Harput. Most of the budget and mid-range hotels of Diyarbakir are located around Dagkapi, as it is considered the starting point of the older parts of the city centre, therefore of great interest to both tourists and some price-conscious business travellers.
On the big square in front of Dagkapi is a Tourist Information centre where you can get free maps and tourist brochure with details of all the major sights of Diyarbakir. For anyone interested in visiting the old churches within the old town, it is strongly recommended to visit the tourist office and obtain a pamphlet by the name of 'Mosques and Churches in Diyarbakir' and a free city map before venturing out into the labyrinth-like back streets and narrow alleys of Diyarbakir's old town. I am not joking, but unless you know the old city really well, it is very likely that you would lose your way within 5 minutes and could never find the churches indicated on the brochure.
The first two churches, the Surp Giragos Armenian Orthodox Church and the Mar Petyun Chaldean Catholic Church, both situated in the Ozdemir neighbourhood on a side street just a stone's throw away from the Four-Pillared Minaret, are not too difficult to find. Locating the Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church, however, proves to be much more of a challenge. The easiest way to reach the church is to enter Ana Sokak - the street on which the church is located - from the direction of the Urfa Gate. If you are coming from the direction of the Hasan Pasha Han or the Ulu Camii, it would take more effort to find the church (on my first attempt I actually walked way too far beyond the church and had to turn back again). The annoying thing about searching for an address in the old town of Diyarbakir is, as a foreigner and a tourist, you are bound to attract a lot of unwanted attentions from kids who would run around you in groups, follow your every move and even asking you for money.
The first two churches, the Surp Giragos Armenian Orthodox Church and the Mar Petyun Chaldean Catholic Church, both situated in the Ozdemir neighbourhood on a side street just a stone's throw away from the Four-Pillared Minaret, are not too difficult to find. Locating the Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church, however, proves to be much more of a challenge. The easiest way to reach the church is to enter Ana Sokak - the street on which the church is located - from the direction of the Urfa Gate. If you are coming from the direction of the Hasan Pasha Han or the Ulu Camii, it would take more effort to find the church (on my first attempt I actually walked way too far beyond the church and had to turn back again). The annoying thing about searching for an address in the old town of Diyarbakir is, as a foreigner and a tourist, you are bound to attract a lot of unwanted attentions from kids who would run around you in groups, follow your every move and even asking you for money.
After I finally found the church tucked away in a rather rundown neighbourhood inside the old town, I rang the door bell several times before the Father answered the door. He explained to me that usually they do not answer the door after just one ring, as it is not unusual for the kids in the neighbourhood to fool around with the door bell. He speaks some English and offers to show me around the interior of the church, which is normally locked except during the Sunday Service.
Built in the 3rd Century A.D. on the site of a former sun-worshippers' temple, this church counts among one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, even older than some of the much better known big-name churches such as Hagia Sofia in Istanbul or the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. And in spite of all the hardship, prosecution and difficulties encountered by the Assyrian Christian populations in the 19th and the 20th century, this church is still in active use (a rarity in this part of the world) and is fully functional as a place of worship. Parts of the altar dated from the original building constructed in the 3r century A.D. The dome is built during the Byzantine era, while one of the portals inside the church dates from the Roman times. Throughout the centuries the church underwent major renovations, the last of which was in the 18th century.
The Father, a very gentle and sincere person, asked me if I would like to join them for the Sunday church service next morning. I immediately accepted his invitation. After all, one does not come across the possibility of attending Sunday service inside a church with almost 1800 years of continuous history and still using the language of Jesus throughout the rituals very often. Yes, the liturgy and the whole service is still conducted in Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language spoken during the lifetime of Jesus and early Christanity, and the native tongue of Assyrians living in the Mesopotamian region for more than two millennia. Unfortunately the continuous existence of this ancient language has come under threat due to the diminishing size of its speakers' population. It is estimated that the number of native speakers of Aramaic languages worldwide is less than half a million, mostly amongst scattered small groups of Christians still living in West Asia. In present day Turkey, most of the remaining ethnic Assyrians minorities who have not emigrated following the prosecution aimed at them in the late 19th and early 20th century concentrate in parts of Southeast Anatolia (Mardin, Midyat) as well as in Istanbul.
So I turned up next morning to attend the service. It took a while before one of the little girls answered the door, because the Aramiac sevice has already started. Females are required to cover their head with a simple headscarf while inside the church, so it is advisable to take a silk neck scarf with you and it can double as a headscarf when needed. First part of the Sunday service ritual involves singing hymns and prayers in Aramaic, followed by sermon in Turkish. It simply feels amazing to be able to sit inside such an ancient church, listening to hymns and prayers in such an ancient tongue, and observe the rituals of the Assyrian Church in such proximity. The ambience is divine. The number of people attending the service was small, not more than 15 on that day (the Father had already told me their community in Diyarbakir is a very small one, not more than 30 people in all), but everyone smiled at me when they see a stranger in their midst.
After the church service, everybody gathers outside in the central courtyard for some tea and biscuits. Although Aramaic is the language of liturgy, the common lingua franca amongst the majority of church-goers is actually Turkish.
In front of the central courtyard is a small garden with a fountain, some fruit trees and a small compound for storage purposes. As usual, I faced a barrage of questions with regard to where I come from, how long I had been and would be in Turkey, my martital status and occupation, as well as the places I have visited so far. It seems it is not so common for them to have visitors from East Asia who have some degrees of decent understandings of their history and tradition.
In case anyone is interested in visiting this church, please kindly bear in mind that this is a place of worship, not a tourist sight and it is always appreciated to dress in a modest way (no shorts, no mini-skirts, no tank-tops or other revealing clothing). In addition, as the church receives no financial assistance from the current Turkish government, given the extreme small size of the Syriac Christian communities in Diyarbakir, all expenses for its upkeep and operation are dependent on public donations from the Assyrian diasporas living abroad or in Istanbul. It would be a nice gesture if some donations can be made after your visit. Bearing in mind all the oppression and hardships the Assyrians had to endure in the previous hundreds of years in their own native lands, their faith and preserverence are truly worth commending.
The Father, a very gentle and sincere person, asked me if I would like to join them for the Sunday church service next morning. I immediately accepted his invitation. After all, one does not come across the possibility of attending Sunday service inside a church with almost 1800 years of continuous history and still using the language of Jesus throughout the rituals very often. Yes, the liturgy and the whole service is still conducted in Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language spoken during the lifetime of Jesus and early Christanity, and the native tongue of Assyrians living in the Mesopotamian region for more than two millennia. Unfortunately the continuous existence of this ancient language has come under threat due to the diminishing size of its speakers' population. It is estimated that the number of native speakers of Aramaic languages worldwide is less than half a million, mostly amongst scattered small groups of Christians still living in West Asia. In present day Turkey, most of the remaining ethnic Assyrians minorities who have not emigrated following the prosecution aimed at them in the late 19th and early 20th century concentrate in parts of Southeast Anatolia (Mardin, Midyat) as well as in Istanbul.
So I turned up next morning to attend the service. It took a while before one of the little girls answered the door, because the Aramiac sevice has already started. Females are required to cover their head with a simple headscarf while inside the church, so it is advisable to take a silk neck scarf with you and it can double as a headscarf when needed. First part of the Sunday service ritual involves singing hymns and prayers in Aramaic, followed by sermon in Turkish. It simply feels amazing to be able to sit inside such an ancient church, listening to hymns and prayers in such an ancient tongue, and observe the rituals of the Assyrian Church in such proximity. The ambience is divine. The number of people attending the service was small, not more than 15 on that day (the Father had already told me their community in Diyarbakir is a very small one, not more than 30 people in all), but everyone smiled at me when they see a stranger in their midst.
After the church service, everybody gathers outside in the central courtyard for some tea and biscuits. Although Aramaic is the language of liturgy, the common lingua franca amongst the majority of church-goers is actually Turkish.
In front of the central courtyard is a small garden with a fountain, some fruit trees and a small compound for storage purposes. As usual, I faced a barrage of questions with regard to where I come from, how long I had been and would be in Turkey, my martital status and occupation, as well as the places I have visited so far. It seems it is not so common for them to have visitors from East Asia who have some degrees of decent understandings of their history and tradition.
In case anyone is interested in visiting this church, please kindly bear in mind that this is a place of worship, not a tourist sight and it is always appreciated to dress in a modest way (no shorts, no mini-skirts, no tank-tops or other revealing clothing). In addition, as the church receives no financial assistance from the current Turkish government, given the extreme small size of the Syriac Christian communities in Diyarbakir, all expenses for its upkeep and operation are dependent on public donations from the Assyrian diasporas living abroad or in Istanbul. It would be a nice gesture if some donations can be made after your visit. Bearing in mind all the oppression and hardships the Assyrians had to endure in the previous hundreds of years in their own native lands, their faith and preserverence are truly worth commending.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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