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Midyat (, , , ) is a municipality and
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
Mardin Province Mardin Province (; ; ; ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in Turkey. Its area is 8,780 km2, and its population is 870,374 (2022). The largest city in the province is Kızıltepe, while the capital Mardin is the second largest ci ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. Its area is 1,241 km2, and its population is 120,069 (2022). In the modern era, the town is populated by
Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
, Mhallami Arabs and
Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...
. The old Estel neighborhood is about 80 to 85% Kurdish-populated. it was originally a Syriac Christian town made up of mostly Syriac Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants. The spoken language of Midyat was until recently modern Aramaic (Surayt) and the town has throughout history been considered the capital of the
Tur Abdin Tur Abdin (; ; ; or ) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the Syria–Turkey border, border with Syria and famed since Late Antiquity for ...
region, the heartland of Syriac Christianity.


History

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
n tablets from
9th century BC The 9th century BC started the first day of 900 BC and ended the last day of 801 BC. It was a period of great change for several civilizations. In Africa, Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians. In Egypt, a severe flood covers the floor of Luxor ...
refer to Midyat as '' Matiate''. During a campaign in 879 BC, the Assyrian king Assurnasirpal II and his army marched through the city, staying for two nights. His successor, the Assyrian king
Shalmaneser III Shalmaneser III (''Šulmānu-ašarēdu'', "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent") was king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 859 BC to 824 BC. His long reign was a constant series of campaigns against the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations o ...
did the same in 845 BC. The tablets also described how Assurnasirpal II erected a monument in the city, which remains to be found. The archaeological site Matiate is located below the town and is assumed to have been in use for about 1,900 years and at its peak been inhabited by up to 70,000 people. The leading Assyrian Syriac Orthodox family, the Safars, were highly placed in the Deksuri confederation, while other local Assyrians were aligned with the opposing, anti-government Heverkan confederation. In mid-1915, Assyrian Christians in Midyat considered resistance after hearing about massacres elsewhere, but the local
Syriac Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...
community initially refused to support this. Hanne Safar Pasha was persuaded to break with other Christian leaders who wanted to organize an uprising in Midyat. Shortly thereafter, Safar was killed after all male members of the pacifist Protestant Hermez family. In late June, kaymakam Nuri Bey disappeared, likely executed by Mehmed Reshid after refusing to massacre local Christian Assyrians. On 21 June, 100 Christian men (mostly
Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
and Assyrian Protestants) were arrested, tortured for confessions implicating others, and executed outside the city; this panicked the Assyrian population. Local people refused to hand over their arms, attacked government offices, and cut
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
lines; local
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
and Kurdish tribes were recruited by the Ottoman government to attack the Christians. The town was pacified in early August after weeks of bloody
urban warfare Urban warfare is warfare in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both Military operation, operational and the Military tactics, tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the p ...
which killed hundreds of Christians (
Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...
and
Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
). Survivors fled east to the more-defensible Iwardo, which held out successfully with the food aid of local
Yazidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...
.


Demographics

Midyat, in Diyarbekir vilayet, was the only town in the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
with an ethnic Assyrian majority, although denominationally divided between the
Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...
,
Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...
, and Assyrian Protestants. On the eve of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, various sources report a total population of about 8,000 people. Most of them being Syriac-Orthodox Christians, plus some Protestants, Syriac-Catholics, Chaldeans, Armenians, and Muslims (mostly
Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
). The Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Constantinople recorded 1,452 Armenians in the kaza of Midyat before the First World War. Midyat is an historic centre of the Assyrian in Turkey, and as late as the
Assyrian genocide The Sayfo (, ), also known as the Seyfo or the Assyrian genocide, was the mass murder and deportation of Assyrian/Syriac Christians in southeastern Anatolia and Persia's Azerbaijan province by Ottoman forces and some Kurdish tribes during ...
in 1915 they constituted the majority of the city's population. During the early 20th century, the Assyrian population of the city started to gradually diminish due to emigration, but the community was still very large. The Assyrian of
Tur Abdin Tur Abdin (; ; ; or ) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the Syria–Turkey border, border with Syria and famed since Late Antiquity for ...
were the only significant population of Christians outside of
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, until 1979, when panic ensued over an act of war and an exodus of local Christians overtook the city as a result, because a mayor and major Assyrian figure in Turabdin of the city of Kerboran, now named Dargecit, was assassinated and replaced with a Kurdish representative against the peoples will. The Assyrian up until then had control over the local government, and could therefore unify to resist threats. Panic ensued as the local Muslim population made a symbolic declaration of war against the Assyrian people and soon after the takeover, local Mhallami and Kurdish inhabitants started immigrating into the traditionally Assyrian areas, causing a demographic shift which – along with the start of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict a few years later in 1984 – sounded a death toll to the community not only here, but in all of
Tur Abdin Tur Abdin (; ; ; or ) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the Syria–Turkey border, border with Syria and famed since Late Antiquity for ...
. From a 1975 population of 50,000 comprising 10% of Mardin Province's demographic structure: barely 2,000 were left by the end of the conflict in 1999. Now only around 3–5,000 live in Tur Abdin, with the other 15–17,000 living in Istanbul and other still functioning Syriac Diocese like Adiyaman,
Harput Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harpu ...
, and Diyarbakir. The churches and houses belonging to the Christians have been preserved although many of them are empty, with their owners living away in Europe. At present 500 Assyrian Christians live in Midyat, and they have been joined by 100–300 Syriac refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War who have settled in the city and region according to different estimates, and comprise less than 1% of the population of Midyat. There are five churches in the city, and all are Syriac.


Composition

There are 72
neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
in Midyat District. Twelve of these (Akçakaya, Bağlar, Bahçelievler, Cumhuriyet, Gölcük, Işıklar, Ortaçarşı, Sanayi, Seyitler, Ulucamii, Yenimahalle and Yunus Emre) form the central town (''merkez'') of Midyat. * Acırlı () *
Adaklı Adaklı (, ) is a town and seat of the Adaklı District of Bingöl Province in Turkey. The town is populated by Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kur ...
() * Akçakaya *
Altıntaş Altıntaş is a town in Kütahya Province in the Aegean Region, Turkey, Aegean region of Turkey. It is the seat of Altıntaş District.
(, ) * Anıtlı () * Bağlar * Bağlarbaşı () * Bahçelievler * Bardakçı () * Barıştepe () * Başyurt () * Bethkustan * Budaklı () * Çaldere () * Çalpınar () * Çamyurt () *
Çandarlı Çandarlı is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Dikili, İzmir Province, Turkey. Its population is 8,021 (2022). Before the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). It is a we ...
() * Çavuşlu () *
Çayırlı Çayırlı () is a municipality (belde) and seat of Çayırlı District of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, w ...
() * Cumhuriyet * Danışman () * Doğançay (, ) * Doğanyazı () * Dolunay () * Düzgeçit (''Zernoka)'' * Düzoba () * Eğlence (''Zinol'') * Elbeğendi () * Erişti (''Tafo)'' * Gelinkaya () * Gölcük * Gülgoze () * Gülveren () *
Güngören Güngören is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 7 km2, making it the smallest district of Turkey in terms of land area. Its population is 282,692 (2022), down from a peak of 318,545 in 2007. It is an indus ...
() * Güven () * Hanlar () * Harmanlı () * İkizdere () * Işıklar * Izbırak () * Kayabaşı () * Kayalar () * Kayalıpınar () * Kutlubey () * Mercimekli (''Hapsenas'') * Narlı () * Ortaca () * Ortaçarşı * Oyuklu () * Pelitli (''Barbunus)'' * Sanayi * Sarıkaya (''Haldeh'') * Sarıköy () * Şenköy ( * Seyitler *
Sivrice Sivrice (), is a town of Elazığ Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Sivrice District.İlç ...
() * Söğütlü () * Taşlıburç () * Tepeli () * Toptepe () * Tulgalı () * Üçağıl () * Ulucamii * Yayvantepe () * Yemişli (, ) * Yenice () * Yenimahalle * Yeşilöz () * Yolbaşı (, ) * Yunus Emre * Yuvalı () * Ziyaret In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Midyat was divided into 12 districts (The number 12 was possibly an influence from the 12 tribes of Israel). 11 of which were Syriac districts and one Muslim. These names still exist in the old population registration. * 1. Griğovat Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܓܪܝܓ݂ܘ * 2. Kaşrovat Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܩܰܫܪܘ * 3. Çelme Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܬܫܰܠܡܰܐ * 4. Bahdovat Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܒܰܚܕܝ * 5. Saidovat Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܣܰܥܝܕܘ * 6. Melke Mire Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܡܰܠܟܶܐ ܡܝܪܶܗ * 7. Ğannovat Mahallesi ܫܰܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܓ݂ܰܢܢܘ * 8. Barlate Mahallesi ܒܰܪܠܰܛܶܐ (ܒܝܬ ܪܗܰܐܘܝ) * 9. Zabok Mahallesi ܙܰܒܘܩ * 10. Çıfçaka Mahallesi ܬܫܷܦܬܫܰܩܰܐ * 11. Protestan Mahallesi ܦ݁ܪܘܛ (Hırmız) * 12. İslam Mahallesi ܛܰܝ̈ܶܐ (Nehroz, Mehmedo) Notable Syriac leaders in Midyat were: Galle Hermez, Hanne Safer, Ibrahim Shabo (Sahho), Isa Zatte (Chalma)


Economy

Midyat is the regional center of commerce for the district, and is one of the largest cities in
Mardin Province Mardin Province (; ; ; ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in Turkey. Its area is 8,780 km2, and its population is 870,374 (2022). The largest city in the province is Kızıltepe, while the capital Mardin is the second largest ci ...
. Similarly with Mardin, the city is known for its Syriac handicrafts such as carpets, towels and other cloth goods. More specific to the city is its Syriac silver crafts called telkari, which are handcrafted filigreed ornaments. In December 2023, the Midyat Telkâri Museum was opened, exhibiting a wide variety of works from the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
,
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
,
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
and the Republican periods. To the east of the city there is a winery that makes traditional Syriac wine: a wine native to the region. Another staple in the Midyat market is its
bulgur Bulgur (; ; ; ), or Borghol (), is a cracked wheat foodstuff found in Egyptian cuisine, South Asian cuisine and West Asian cuisine. Characteristics Bulgur is distinct from cracked wheat, which is crushed wheat grain that, unlike bulgur, has ...
, which is a cereal food derived from wheat.


Climate

Midyat, part of the province of Mardin, has a
semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...
with very hot and dry summers and cold, wet, and occasionally snowy winters. Temperatures in summer usually increase to due to Mardin being situated right next to the border with Syria. Snowfall is quite common between the months of December and March, snowing for a week or two. Mardin has over 3,000 hours of sun per year. The highest recorded temperature is 48.8 °C.


Gallery

File:Midyat 1330999 1340032-33 images nevit.jpg, Courtyard of the Kasr-i Nehroz hotel File:Midyat Kardeşlik Parkı ve Atatürk Heykeli.jpg, A statue of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...
in Kardeşlik Park File:Midyat (2013) old town 1.JPG, Midyat (2013): A picture of the Assyrian old town, taken from a rooftop in the southeastern part of the old town facing north. File:Midyat (2013) mosque 1.JPG, A mosque in Midyat File:Midyat Mardin 3.jpg, The Protestant Church of Midyat, located in old Midyat- pictured prior to its renovation in 2014/2015. File:Syriac quarter in Mediyat1.jpg, Syriac Christian quarter in Midyat File:Syriac quarter in Mediyat.jpg, Syriac Christian quarter in Midyat File:Midyat (2013) overview.JPG, Panorama of the city of Midyat


See also

* Midyat guest house


References


Sources

* * * * * *


External links


Study on the spoken Arabic of Midyat, in the Arabic language
{{Portal bar, Geography, Kurdistan, Turkey Populated places in Mardin Province Districts of Mardin Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey Tur Abdin Assyrian communities in Turkey Places of the Sayfo Mhallami Kurdish settlements in Mardin Province Former Armenian communities in Mardin Province Former Yazidi communities in Turkey