Shamoun Hanna Haydo

Shamoun Hanne Haydo () was a Syriac community leader from the village of Sare, in the Tur Abdin region of the Ottoman Empire. A respected intellectual and figure of authority among the Syriac people, he is best known for his leadership during the early 20th century, particularly in defending Syriac communities during the Sayfo.

Life

Shamoun Hanne Haydo was born in 1874 in the village of Sare near Midyat. From the 1700s onward, the Haydo family produced prominent leaders in the Sare– Basibrin region of Tur Abdin who worked to protect the lives, property, and honor of the Syriac people. Shamoun's grandfather, father, and brother were all killed by Kurds, and he personally witnessed the murder of his grandfather and father at the hands of Kurdish aghas’ gunmen. Between 1888 and 1894, Shamoun and his brother Melke studied at the American College in Mardin. He was fluent in seven languages, regarded as one of the most intellectual figures among Syriac leaders, and worked for a time as a teacher. Eventually, he succeeded in uniting his own tribe with the Syriacs of Sare, Basibrin, and neighboring villages, becoming their leader.

Following political developments through English and Turkish sources, Shamoun foresaw that the Ottoman administration, after its defeat in the 1912 Balkan War, would seek revenge on non-Muslims, including Syriacs. He anticipated that an even larger massacre might follow the atrocities of 1895–96 and the 1909 Adana massacres. With this in mind, he began working to unify the Syriac people, holding meetings with tribal leaders and representatives of influential Syriac families to prepare for the danger he believed was coming.

In July 1913, Shamoun Hanne Haydo and four Kurdish aghas—Çelebi Agha, Alike Batte Agha, Haco Agha, and Serhan Agha—were arrested by Ottoman soldiers in Tur Abdin and were chained by the neck and feet and forced to walk from Midyat to Mardin. The purpose of these arrests was to frighten the Syriacs and Yazidis by detaining those who defended them, leaving the Syriacs without leadership. This marked the first step in the preparations for Sayfo, the genocide of the Syriac people. According to the account, had these aghas and Shamoun not been arrested—had he remained free—Sayfo might not have become as bloody as it did.

After Shamoun's arrest, leadership passed to his brother Melke Hanne Haydo, who led the Basibrin resistance between 1915 and 1917. He established contact with Syriac fighters and leaders in Aynwardo, Hah, Hazak, Dayro d-Slibo, Zaz, and the Mor Melke Monastery, and gathered Syriacs from 18 surrounding villages into Basibrin, where he organized the defense. Between 1915 and 1916, he was able to save the lives of around 5,000 Syriacs. In June 1917, however, he was ambushed and killed by Ottoman soldiers and the chief of the Salihi tribe, and a large massacre followed in Basibrin.

In November 1917, Shamoun Hanne Haydo escaped from Harput Prison together with Alike Batte. He returned to Sare, Basibrin, and the surrounding villages, rallied the remaining Syriacs, raised their morale, and gave them renewed strength to survive. He continued to serve as a respected leader of the Syriac people in Tur Abdin until his death in 1964.

Legacy

A book about Shamoun's life and legacy was written and published by Turkish author Kemal Yalcin around 2020. The book was also translated into several other languages, namely English, German, Dutch, and the Turoyo dialect of Neo-Aramaic.

In 2023, historic photos of Shamoun and his brother Melke were rediscovered by a French researcher, Matin Damart, where it was then part of a handover ceremony. The photo of Melke was also discussed at a presentation in the Netherlands, with a speech delivered by Bishop Polycarpus Augin Aydin recounting the life of Melke and Shamoun.

The following year, in 2024, descendants of Haydo built a memorial for him in preparation for a commemorative event in the village of Sārī as well as in Germany and the Netherlands. The documentary aired in November of that year in Enschede, and the event was broadcast by numerous TV broadcasters.

In 2025, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Haydo's birth, some of his descendants offered a tribute plaque featuring Haydo's picture and €8,000 to Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yusuf Çetin as gratitude for supporting Syriacs in Turkey and the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church's establishment in Istanbul.

References

External links

MARDIN 1915 Yves Ternon, Book 1, Part 4, Chapter 2 "Deïr el-Omar Mar Gabriel, Kefarbé, Bâsabrina"Şemune Hanne Haydo In The Context Public Hero2024 Documentary Recording from Assyria TVBook Discussion in Turoyo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haydo, Shamoun Hanna
1870 births
Syriac Orthodox Christians
Turkish Christians
Turkish people of Assyrian descent
Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire
Sayfo
Assyrian military leaders
1964 deaths