Haberli, İdil

Haberli, also known by its Syriac name Bsorino (, or 'Bsorino',) is a village in the İdil District of Şırnak Province in Turkey.

With a history tracing back to ancient Mesopotamia, Haberli is known as a spot of Syriac Christian education and monastical activity, with a significant Syriac Orthodox population. However, this was disturbed by the events of Sayfo, and in recent years, the village has been reported as a site of human rights violations against the Syriac population in Turkey. In modern years, the village is populated by a mixed population of Kurds and Assyrians/Syriacs, and has a population of 162 as of 2024.

History

Early history

The oldest recorded name for the village is Sbirina, recorded from 1286 and evolving into other names such as Basibrin and Beth Sbirino (). The majority of the village's population is religiously Syriac Orthodox, but there were also a few Catholics living in the village as well.

In the 9th century BC, the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II and his successor Shalmaneser III both described passing the ''Pass of Ištarāte'' on marches with their armies, which has been identified with the pass near Haberli. The pass is now a road that connects İdil and Midyat together. It has been suggested that the village was founded by a member of the Roman limitanei (frontier militia) named Constans in the 4th century AD, alongside the village of Beth Kustan.

Throughout its history, the village of Bsbirino has been a site of monastical activity for the Syriac Orthodox Church, retaining significant Christian heritage. For example, Ignatius Aphrem I, the former patriarch of the church, states that eleven letters belonging to Mor Yakup were found on thirty large papers which are now on display in the London Museum, some of which also offering insight into theological manners such as the process of baptism. In Syriac Christian encyclopedias, there exists records of the priest Isaiah of Bet Sbirino (), who authored two poems on the ravage of Tamerlane in Tur Abdin. Today, 25 churches remain in the region where the village lies, and churches and monasteries affiliated with the SOC were the main religious sites until the first mosque was built in the 1970s.

Modern history

Haberli is a village of thirty clans who historically were under the patronage of Kurds of the Salihan tribe. Some families consider themselves members of the Salihan tribe.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Haberli was primarily an Syriac village. During the events of the Seyfo, an attack was made on the village in 1915, but it was unsuccessful. The village was attacked once again two years later, which killed most of the survivors of the 1915 attacks. Ottoman archival documents suggest that Syriac Christians in the village had revolted against authorities, however no tangible evidence of this has surfaced. Following subsequent persecution under the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey, most of the population have since migrated to Germany and the European diaspora. Only 25 households remain in the village as of 2016.

The village is also said to be where the Haydo family originates from. Shamoun Hanne Haydo, a clan leader who is well known for defending his community during the genocide, is said to have originated from Bsirino, and is where he died. The village fell under attack from a Kurdish Agha after Haydo finished his education, which caused a full scale attack to be led by a group of Kurds; however, this attack would eventually be successfully resisted by Haydo.

Since the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey, the village has previously been the site of several human rights violations against the Syriac community (ex. occupation of immovable property), and the villagers continue to receive hostility and threats from the local Kurdish and Muslim population. Minority Rights Group International reported that Assyrians originally from the village had several of their lands registered by non-Assyrian owners illegally and without their consultation, something that also affected the village of Kafro Tahtoyo. Assyrians who have shown interest in returning to the village following emigration were intimidated by village guards, with no interception from the Turkish Armed Forces. This has resulted in an increased exodus outside of the village over the years, which has in some cases reduced the economy from viticulture profits.

In 1994, Melke Tok, a priest from the village had been abducted before conducting a wedding ceremony. News of the priest's kidnapping had reached villagers who were gathering at the Mor Gabriel Monastery to celebrate the ordination of two monks. It's believed that his kidnappers were supporters of the group Hezbollah; Tok succeeded in escaping following an experience of premature burial, and stated that he was pressured to convert to Islam.

In 1990, the village was transferred from the province of Mardin to Şırnak; following Law No. 5747 enacted by the Ministry of the Interior, the village would lose its status as a sub-district.

Demographics

In 1984, there were 900 speakers of the Turoyo dialect of Neo-Aramaic.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*
*
*
*
*

External links

Assyria TV Village Tour
{{İdil District

Villages in İdil District
Assyrian communities in Turkey
Tur Abdin
Places of the Sayfo