The language of the Syriacs, one of the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia, is facing the danger of extinction. According to UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, there are 18 languages/dialects in Turkey that are extinct or under threat of extinction. Syriac is one of them.

 

It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 Syriacs live in Turkey. Approximately 15,000 Syriacs live in Istanbul and surrounding cities, while the others reside in the Tur Abdin Region in Mêrdîn (Mardin) and Şirnex (Şırnak).

 

20 THOUSAND SYRIACS AND A SINGLE SCHOOL

 

 

The last Syriac school was closed in Mêrdîn in 1928. The Istanbul Syriac Ancient Virgin Mary Church Foundation applied in 2013 to open a kindergarten. However, this initiative was blocked by the Ministry of National Education.

 

The 13th Administrative Court of Ankara annulled the ministry’s decision that did not permit Syriacs to open a school. Thereupon, the Syriacs opened the Mor Efrem Syriac Kindergarten in 2014 and began education in Syriac.

 

There is no other school where Syriac is taught. However, Syriac lessons are given in some churches and monasteries.

 

The only organized body of Syriacs is the Syriac Associations Federation (SÜDEF), located in Mîdyat. However, the federation, established by the coming together of 8 associations, does not provide language education either.

 

Evgil Türker, who serves as president of the federation, evaluated the state of Syriac and solution proposals to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) on the occasion of the anniversary of 21 February International Mother Language Day.

 

SYRIACS ARE BECOMING ARABIZED!

 

 

Emphasizing that Syriac is one of the ancient languages, Türker said: “Syriac had spread across Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and almost every part of Turkey. It also served as a source for many languages. It made significant contributions to Arabic. But unfortunately, when we look today, Syriac is facing a serious danger.”

 

Stating that with the dominance of Arabic, many who spoke Syriac began to speak Arabic, Türker stated: “Whether in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq or in some parts of Turkey; the language (Syriac) has been replaced by Arabic. Unfortunately, today many Syrian Syriacs, I can say 80 percent, speak Arabic. In other words, their mother language has turned into Arabic.”

 

‘IT BEGAN TO WEAKEN AFTER MIGRATION’

 

“When we consider the geography of Turkey, it was the strongest spoken language in the Botan (Şırnak) region. From the mid-1980s onwards, as Syriac migration increased, the language gradually weakened,” he said. “I remember well in Midyat; there were Kurds with a 150–200-year history. Even they spoke Syriac. Syriac was the dominant language of Midyat, but unfortunately that is no longer the case today. We used to speak Syriac in schools. It was a dominant language in the bazaar and on the streets, but today it has unfortunately lost that importance. In the past there was the madrasa system. We all learned there. That also weakened. There were also monasteries. Theology, philosophy, mathematics, language, literature… the monasteries carried this language to the present day. After migration, they too began to weaken. Today it is spoken in Midyat and its surroundings, and in Syria.”

 

‘OUR CHILDREN SPEAK TURKISH’

 

Stating that Syriacs were subjected to massacre during the period when the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, Türker said, “They were killed, many people migrated elsewhere. Some also lost their identity. With the treaty, non-Muslims in Turkey were granted minority status. There were Syriac schools until 1928. They were also closed. After that, we did not have any official school left in Turkey. No one went and asked. We had no one to research this or demand this right. Until 2013. A decision was made in Ankara that Syriacs also have minority status and a school was opened. We have no other school in Turkey.”

 

‘IF WE DO NOT OPEN SCHOOLS, WE WILL DISAPPEAR’

 

Noting that a struggle must be waged for Syriac not to disappear, Türker said: “This struggle was waged in Rojava. In Turkey, in fact, there were some initiatives; it is not that there were none. We also sat and discussed. We could not put it into a certain plan or program. We must do this sooner or later. The region where Syriac is strongest is the Tur Abdin Region. Unfortunately, our children speak Turkish among themselves. When I started school in 1972, I did not know a single word of Turkish.”

 

Expressing that church foundations, civil society organizations and Syriac institutions abroad must conduct joint work, Türker said: “This must be one of our foremost duties. Otherwise, even in the place where Syriacs use Syriac most intensely there is a serious danger. Either we will establish a school in Midyat center. By creating such a school, we must ensure that our children receive education in their mother language. Otherwise, we will disappear.”

 

CALL TO LOCAL ADMINISTRATIONS

 

Stating that certain responsibilities also fall to the state and local administrations in this regard, Türker said, “There are things the state must do. It must finance these schools. This is also one of our problems. If a budget is allocated to the Ministry of National Education, they must allocate a budget for this as well.”

 

Türker concluded: “Local administrations also have duties. They must support this as well. For example, in 2014–2015, ‘multilingual municipalism’ was a good slogan. Perhaps in some places certain steps were taken. Later these stopped. Of course, different situations developed. Trustees were appointed. If they had not been, perhaps there could have been more progress. The Kurdish movement, or rather the municipalities of the DEM Party, must focus on this. Multilingual municipalism is important. Our region is multilingual. Four languages are spoken in Midyat.” 

 

MA / Azad Altay