Arsons in Tur Abdin: Aramean Zahfaran monastery (St. Hananyo), Midun (Öğündük) and villages in Izlo mountain

Aramean people: Aramean people (not to be confused with ‘Armenians’) speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. They are the indigenous people of what was called in ancient times Aram- Nahrin, in our days it is called ‘Mesopotamia’.

Some Arameans today identify themselves with “Assyrians”, because of the spiritual colonial hate generating activities of the Western missionaries and diplomats in the Middle-East in 16th and 19th centuries. Other Arameans became known as “Chaldeans”. However all of them are Arameans.

In Turkey, the Arameans are called: Süryani. In Arabic they are called Al- Suryan.

Dutch version

1. Introduction

2. Aramean monastery Zahfaran and 7 Arameans villages in fire, Midın (Öğündük), Kafro Tahtayto (Elbeğendi), Hbob/Ehwo (Güzelsu), Badibe (Dibek) , Arkah/Harabale (Üçköy), Sederi (Üçyol), Harabemishka (Dağiçi)

3. Who is responsible for the fires?

3.1 Is there a possible relation between the fires and laying of foundation stone on 3^rd of august 2019 for the construction of the Syrian Orthodox St. Afrem Church in Istanbul?

1. Introduction

Intense fires raged in the Tur Abdin region in July 2019. A lot of economic damage was done. Olive trees, grape trees and nut trees were completely burned down. Aramean (fake: “Assyrian”) property was mainly affected by these fires.

Tur Abdin is an area in southeastern Turkey where many Aramean monasteries and churches are located. It forms part of the Biblical Paddan Aram (Genesis 24). 40 years ago there were around 40,000 Arameans in Tur Abdin. Due to flaring battle between the PKK and the Turkish army and the fanaticism of the Muslim Kurdish neighbors, a large majority of the Aramean people were forced to leave the lands of their forefathers, where they have inhabited for thousands of years, and fled to the Western countries

Fires are more frequent in Tur Abdin, sometimes deliberately caused and sometimes due to a fault such as a short circuit in an electricity network/ transformer. The climate is dry, very hot in the summer and little rain falls, so a small spark can set fire to the bone-dry grass.

The Kurdish separatist movement PKK is active in the area. There are regular fights with the Turkish army. In such a dry climate, an exploding grenade can easily trigger a fire that spreads in all directions without distinguishing between the Aramean and Islamic villages.

In this case, the Aramean villages in particular seem to have been hit by the fires. And that raises questions.

In addition, in their fight against the PKK, the Turkish army has more often set fire to the Tur Abdin area, to prevent the rebels from hiding between tall grass and trees. That thereby the Aramean vineyards, grain fields, nuts and fruit trees catch fire is only a side issue for the army. It is strange however to note that such fires often occur just before the harvest is brought in.

In the case of the village of Midın (Öğündük) and Zahfaran monastery (St. Hananyo), the fires seem deliberately to have been ignited. In case of the six villages in the Izlo Mountain however, part of the fires may have been caused by the fighting between the army and PKK. Another part of the fires are probably deliberately started.

The impression is as if the PKK deliberately entrench itself in the vicinity of the Aramean villages in order to provoke an attack by the Turkish army which then led to fires. The Arameans (fake “~~Assyrians~~”) experience the fires as threat.

The fires that raged in July 2019 raise many questions, also in some Turkish-language media. Some examples of headlines are given below as an explanation.

27-7-2019: Sputnik Turkish News and T24: “Following the fire of the olive trees of the monastery, now the vineyards of the Syrians”

27-7-2019: Amerika’nin Sesi: “Suspicious fires of the Syrian properties”

28-7-2019: Independent Turkish: “First olive trees of the monastery and subsequently vineyards…. What is the reason behind the fires of the Syrian villages of Mardin and Sirnak?”

29-7-2019: Tv Turk: “What is the reason behind the fires of Syrian villages in Mardin? Are these threats aimed at the Syrians?”

More in the Turkish media:

26-7-2019: Tarihi Deyrulzafaran Manastırının ciğerini yaktılar (https://www.hurses.com.tr)

27-7-2019: Mardin'deki tarihi manastırın bahçesinde yangın: Yüzlerce zeytin ağacı zarar gördü (https://www.independentturkish.com)

28-7-2019: Mardin'in Bagok Dağı’nda büyük yangın: 6 Süryani köyü ve Botaş İstasyonu tehdit altında (https://tr.sputniknews.com)

28-7-2019: Mardin’de Deyrulzafaran Manastırı ve Bagok Dağı’nda yangın: 10 hektarlık arazi yandı, 6 Süryani köyü tehlikede (http://haber.sol.org.tr/)

28-7-2019: Mardin'de Süryanilerin yaşadığı köylere yakın dağda yangın (http://www.hurriyet.com.tr)

28-7-2019: Mardin'in Bagok Dağı’nda büyük yangın! (http://www.haberdukkani.com)

28-7-2019: Bagok Dağı’nda yangın: Süryani köyleri tehdit altında (https://gazetekarinca.com)

28-7-2019: Mardin'de Süryanilerin yaşadığı köylere yakın dağda yangın (https://www.cnnturk.com)

28-7-2019: Mardin’in Bagok Dağı’nda büyük yangın: 6 Süryani köyü ve Botaş İstasyonu tehdit altında (https://www.birgun.net)

29-7-2019: Süryani yerleşim yerlerinde peşpeşe yangınlar (http://www.agos.com.tr)

31-7-2019: Tarihi manastırın bahçesinde çıkan yangının nedeni belli oldu (http://www.rupelanu.org)

31-7-2019: Kilise arazileri kundaklanmış (https://www.hristiyanhaber.net)

31-7-2019: İtfaiye: Manastırın ağaçları kundaklanmış olabilir (https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr)

1-8-2019: Deyrulzafaran Manastırı yangını raporu: Kundaklama (https://ahvalnews.com)

2-8-2019: Video: Deyrulzafaran Manastırı Zeytinliklerinde Yangın: 700’e Yakın Ağaç Kül Oldu

First fire (26^th of July 2019): Aramean monastery Zahfaran (St. Hananyo)

The Aramean (fake “~~Assyrian~~”) monastery Zahfaran (St. Hananyo) is located in Mardin, southeast of Turkey. The monastery was built in 493 AD. and is still in use.

(Source photo)

The first fire broke out on 26^th of July 2019 at 3:00 a.m. in the "Gancurun" area around the Zahfaran monastery. “Gancurun” is a large arable around the monastery that contained many olive, nut and grape trees. Major damage was done by the fire. More than 700 olive trees and almond trees were destroyed. The irrigation system was also destroyed by the fire. The olive, fruit and nut trees were an important source of income for the monastery.

Fires in the garden of monastery Zahfaran

(Source photo)

According to the abbot of the monastery, brother Gabriel Akkurt, the fire was started by strangers around 3:00 hour in the morning. The fire department of Mardin was informed. Three fire engines came to the monastery to extinguish the fire. Due to rugged terrain however, they were unfortunately unable to extinguish the "Gancurun" area, where the fire was raging. No other means were used by the fire brigade to extinguish the fire, such as deployment of fire helicopters.

The narrative of brother Gabriel Akkurt was also confirmed by the report of the fire department of Mardin, namely that there is arson. The fire was started in three different places.

Second fire (27^th of July 2019): Midun (Öğündük)

(Source photo: youtube)

The second fire was started in the Aramean village Midun (Öğündük) on 27^th of July 2019.

Sputnik Turkish News reported on 27^th of July 2019 in an article entitled “Manastır zeytinliklerinden sonra bu kez de Süryanilerin üzüm bağlarında yangın”: “As a result of fire in the Syrian village in Idil province, the vineyards and pistachio trees were destroyed. The fire destroyed thousand hectares. Two weeks ago a fire broke out in the same area, and the Syrians suspect that the fire was deliberately started ……….”

………………………………

Fire broke out in the vineyards of the Syrian village of Midin (Öğündük) in the İdil district of Şırnak. Last night fire broke out in the olive groves of the Deyrulzafaran monastery in Mardin and nearly 700 olive trees were burned down. Today fire broke out in the fields of one of the villages of the Syrian countrymen, which are located between Idil-Midyat, the village of Midın (Öğündük). The fire that ravaged the grape trees and pistachio trees finally laid a thousand hectares of land in the ashes…..

“The Syrian countrymen say that fire broke out in the same area 2 weeks ago and they suspect that the fire was intentionally started.”

It is very likely that the fire was indeed deliberately started. As far as is known, nothing has happened to the surrounding Islamic fields/ lands. In addition, there is an army post in Midun. You would expect the village to be better protected. But apparently the arsonists were not bothered by the army post to set fire to the Aramean fields. Last year, fields in Midun were also set on fire.

The feeling is that the arsonists seem to want to give a signal to the Aramean people (fake “~~Assyrian~~”) that they are unwanted. It is unknown to us whether the government has started an investigation to find the perpetrators.

Third fire (28^th of July 2019): Izlo mountain

Aramean villages at Izlo mountain in Tur Abdin, southeastern of Turkey.

In total, 6 Aramean (fake “~~Assyrian~~”) villages in the Izlo Mountain were hit by fires:

Kafro Tahtayto (Elbeğendi),

Hbob/Ehwo (Güzelsu),

Badibe (Dibek) ,

Arkah/Harabale (Üçköy),

Sederi (Üçyol),

Harabemishka/Harpso (Dağiçi)

Aramean villages in Izlo mountain in Tur Abdin set in fire

(Source: Youtube)

The fires were lit on 28^th of July 2019 and stopped on 2^nd of august 2019. The fires are thought to have originated in three locations and have spread over the area of the 6 villages. The fires started in the vineyards of Sederi (Üçyol), spread to Harabemishka / Harpso (Dağiçi) and further to Arkah / Harabale (Üçköy). Help came from the surrounding villages and the local municipality of Nisbin to extinguish the fires. Unfortunately, due to strong wind and dry grass, it was insufficient.

The Arameans have suffered damage from these fires in the form of fruit / nut trees. Part of the fires originated as a result of the struggle between PKK and the Turkish army and part of the fires are very likely deliberately started.

3. Who is responsible for the fires?

The situation in Turkey is very complex and therefore very difficult to identify the culprits behind these fires. And those who ignited the fires know this reality!

There are several power blocks in Turkey that may have started these fires to blacken their opponents and to give the Arameans the feeling that they are undesirable.

What we can say is that since the coup of 2016, President Erdogan has made a lot of enemies. These enemies will use all means to drive him away.

In addition, the Turkish government is the first responsible for security in the country. That is why it was the task of the government to extinguish the fires as quickly as possible by using heavy equipment, certainly in the case of Zahfaran monastery. Unfortunately this did not happen.

It certainly cannot be ruled out that part of the fires in the Izlo Mountain were indeed caused by the struggle between the PKK and the Turkish army. But that cannot explain the fires in other villages of Izlo Mountain, Midun (Öğündük) and in Zahfaran Monastery in Mardin. The hot question is this one: why have the fires been limited mainly to the Aramean Christian villages?

Moreover, it is unknown to us whether the government immediately started investigation to find the perpetrators of these criminal fires. As explained, the residents of Midun stated on 27^th of July 2019 that two weeks earlier there had also been fires in the same area. Last year, fires had also been raged in Midun. We have not been informed that the government investigated the fires to find the perpetrators. Also we are unaware of the security measures taken by the government in cooperation with the Arameans of Midun to prevent such fires in the future. In addition, the complains of the villagers of Midun seem to have been ignored by the local government.

Who is now responsible for these fires? The PKK, Turkish government or someone else?

PKK:

The PKK / YPG Kurds together with their slaves, the criminal "Assyrian" terrorists (here, here), have clearly demonstrated in Syria what they are capable of with their unprecedented terror against the Aramean (false: "Assyrian") nation (here , here) of Syria. They commit this terror under the protection of the colonial Western powers, in particular the Americans.

Of course one cannot exclude anything, however we cannot imagine that the PKK in Turkey would be so stupid as to set fire to the Aramean properties. The reason we consider it unlikely is as follows: If the PKK had ignited these fires, this would be a grain on the mill of the Turkish government and media to utterly wiping the floor with the PKK.

What they are capable of, however, is that they deliberately settle in the vicinity of the Aramean villages to provoke burning of the villages by the Turkish army. They also used similar criminal technology to ethnically purify Tur Abdin in the 1990s.

In our analysis of 23^rd of April 2018 we wrote this about it:

In Turkey the PKK made a misery of the life of Arameans. They invaded the Aramean homes, demanding food by threatening them with weapons. The defenseless Arameans had no choice but to give the PKK soldiers food to spare their own lives. Following that, the Kurdish fellow villagers of Arameans, many of whom were working for the Turkish secret service (MIT), filed a complaint against them with the local police because of their “support” to the PKK. The next day the Arameans were visited by the units of Turkish army, were heavily beaten and thrown in jail. The most Kurdish imams in the villages were friends with the Turkish government and considered Arameans as “unclean ones” and “infidels.”

The Arameans were living in hell sandwiched between the weapons of PKK and Turkish army. They were on their own and got support from no one! The Aramean were terrorized, persecuted, threatened and harassed until they had no choice but to leave. The fanatical Kurds threatened to kill them if they would not leave and used perverse/ vulgar language against their women to humiliate them.

In doing so, the Arameans were forced out of their villages in Tur Abdin which they had been inhabiting since thousands of years.

After this, the Islamic Kurdish fellow villagers confiscated the Aramean lands, vineyards, homes and properties. In few instances they paid a meaningless small amount of money, but in the most cases they confiscated without any meaningful payment.

The Turks and Kurds worked together to expel the majority of Aramean out of Tur Abdin. The Kurds received the Aramean properties as rewards for their cooperation with the Turkish government.

In Syria, the Kurds are repeating exactly the same tactic of harassments, terrorizing, expelling and confiscating.

In other words: plundering, stealing, confiscating properties of others is the trademark of the Kurds.

…………………………………….

The PKK knew very well that their blackmail and oppression of the Aramean people to provide them met food would provoke the horrific and merciless terror of the Turkish army and their Kurdish Islamic supporters against the defenseless Arameans. They also knew very well that their Kurdish Islamic brothers, among whom many were working for the Turkish secret service (MIT), would lay a complaint against their fellow Aramean villagers with the Turkish army and in addition threatened them.

The PKK clearly contributed to the ethnic cleansing of the Arameans of Tur Abdin.

3.1 Is there a possible relation between the fires and laying of foundation stone on 3^rd of august 2019 for the construction of the Syrian Orthodox St. Afrem Church in Istanbul?

President Erdogan with the Christian leaders during the ceremony on 3^rd of august 2019.

(Source photo)

There is indeed a possible relation between them. On 26^th of July 2019 fire was lit in the garden of Zahfaran monastery in Mardin, on 27^th of July 2019 fire was ignited in Midun and on 28^th of July 2019 fires started in the Izlo mountain.

On 3^rd of August 2019, an important ceremony was held in Istanbul, laying the foundation stone for the construction of the first Syrian Orthodox St. Afrem church in the Yesilkoy district. The ceremony was attended by President Erdogan, all Christian leaders and other dignitaries.

President Erdogan used the opportunity, during the ceremony, to present himself to the world as a president who respects all religions in Turkey.

The question is: What would President Erdogan have gained, a week before the start of this important ceremony, by burning down the Aramean properties and consequently defiling the ceremony? Did he perhaps wanted to underline his arrogance and convey a message like: "We are the boss and your life is in our hands?" Were the fires intended as a "gift" for the Christian leaders? Did he perhaps wanted to use the ceremony to cover the fires? Does that all seem plausible and credible? To us it certainly does not, we don’t believe that!

In these complex times, of course, we cannot exclude anything, but we consider it highly unlikely that President Erdogan was aware of these fires beforehand or that someone from the government ordered them or was informed in advance.

On the other hand, the logic dictates that the government should have immediately started a large-scale investigation to find and punish the perpetrators of this crime. As far as we know, that has not happened.

We bring this matter under the attention of our reader, because the criminal “Assyrian” terrorists are eager, in these sort situations, to blindly point the finger to the Turkish government.

As previously mentioned, since 2016, President Erdogan has made many enemies in Turkey, powerful enemies within the army, security apparatus, media, education and judiciary. We therefore consider it certainly possible that some of these power blocks have joined forces to start the fires in order to defile the ceremony of 3^rd of august 2019 where President Erdogan has presented himself as a statesman.

It is of course also possible that an Islamic group has ignited the fires in response to the upcoming ceremony of 3^rd of august 2019.

On the other hand, we may not have to look that far. Perhaps these fires have been initiatives by local Muslim neighbors, especially Kurds, to cause economic damage to the Arameans (fake “Assyrians”) and to give them an uneasy feeling that they are unwanted.

It also cannot be excluded that some individuals from local government/ municipality might have been behind these fires.

It is not the first time that these fires have been started. To ignite a fire in such a dry climate as in Tur Abdin, you only need a burning cigarette butt. That is why investigation into these fires would have been very important! Unfortunately, no adequate investigation have taken place! Consequently, the criminal perpetrators of these fires are free to repeat their crimes over and over again without the risk being caught and punished.

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27-7-2010: Aram-Nahrin Organisation sends a letter to the Turkish minister of Interior Affairs on the plastering of the Aramean St. Jacob Church of Nisibin

20-5-2009: Aramean Organizations sent a letter to the President and Prime Minister of Turkey on the Aramean Monastery St. Gabriel and recognition of the Aramean indigenous people as a distinct ethnic minority.

7-5-2009: Arameans of Turkey, the Aramean monastery St. Gabriel