Suruç (, ku, Pirsûs, script=Latn, ''Sruḡ'') is a rural district and city of

Şanlıurfa Province Şanlıurfa Province ( tr, Şanlıurfa ili; ku, Parêzgeha Rihayê) or simply Urfa Province is a province in southeastern Turkey. The city of Şanlıurfa is the capital of the province which bears its name. The population is 1,845,667 (2014). The ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, on a plain near the Syrian border southwest of the city of

Urfa Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features e ...

History

In antiquity the Sumerians built a settlement in the area. The city was a centre of silk-making. They were succeeded by a number of other Mesopotamian civilisations. The Roman Emperor Constantine I brought the town under the control of the city of

Edessa Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city ('' polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Os ...

(modern-day Şanlıurfa). One of the most famous residents of the district is its 6th-century

Syriac Syriac may refer to: * Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

and poet-

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

Jacob of Serugh Jacob of Sarug ( syr, ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܪܘܓܝܐ, ''Yaʿquḇ Sruḡāyâ'', ; his toponym is also spelled ''Serug'' or ''Serugh''; la, Iacobus Sarugiensis; 451 – 29 November 521), also called Mar Jacob, was one of the foremost Syriac poet-the ...

. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

hold the

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

of that church, though they had little presence in the area, while the Syriac church holds a separate Bishopric in the town. Tell-Batnan was visited by

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

Julian on his march from Antioch to the Euphrates in 363. The town was surrendered to the

Rashidun The Rashidun Caliphs ( ar, الخلفاء الراشدون, translit=al-Khulafāʾ al-Rāshidūn, ), often simply called the Rashidun, are the first four caliphs (lit.: 'successors') who led the Muslim community following the death of the Isl ...

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

in 639. It was later controlled by Crusaders (in 1098), and Muslims again (in 1127). The city was then destroyed in the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

invasions, and in 1517 the area was brought into the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

. Suruç was occupied in 1918 by British and in 1919 by French troops, but was freed by a local resistance struggle. Today, Suruç is inhabited mostly by ethnic

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...

21st century

On 19 October 2014, journalist

Serena Shim Serena Shim ( ar, سيرينا علي سحيم, ''Serena Ali Suhaim''; 10 October 1985 – 19 October 2014) was a Lebanese-American journalist for Press TV.

was killed in Suruç. On 20 July 2015, at approximately 12:50 GMT, a

suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout history ...

occurred. It killed 34 people and injured over 100 others outside the Amara Cultural Center. Ahead of the

June 24 Events Pre-1600 *1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa. *109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, northwest of Rome. ...

th anticipated 2018 Turkish elections, four people were killed in Suruç while an AKP candidate toured the city's market. According to pro-Kurdish sources, AKP representative Ibrahim Halil Yıldız went to local shopkeeper Hacı Esvet Şenyaşar where a brawl started.What happened in Suruç? http://english.ajansfirat.com/anf-news-features/what-happened-in-suruc-2/ * Celal Şenyaşar, son of Haci Esvet Şenyaşar, during the initial brawl at the shop, was shot and killed there. * Mehmet Şenyaşar, son of Haci Esvet Şenyaşar, visiting the hospital following the brawl, was attacked and hit on the head repeatedly with an oxygen tank and killed. * Haci Esvet Şenyaşar, the shop keeper, was lynched at the Suruç hospital. * Mehmet Ali Yıldız, brother of MP Yıldız, died at the Mehmet Akif Inan Hospital in

. * One of his bodyguards of Mehmet Ali Yıldız, died at the Mehmet Akif Inan Hospital in

. The Suruç hospital camera were damaged. This events happened days after Erdogan was filmed encouraging identification and intimidation of opposition voters on sites.

Politics

In the

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

on 31 March 2019 Hatice Çevik was elected as Mayor. Kenan Aktaş was appointed

Kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...

, as representative of the state. On the 15 November 2019 Çevik was detained, and the next day she was dismissed and Kenan Aktaş appointed as a trustee.

Ecclesiastical history of Batnae

Batnae (or Batnæ) was important enough in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Osroene Osroene or Osrhoene (; grc-gre, Ὀσροηνή) was an ancient region and state in Upper Mesopotamia. The ''Kingdom of Osroene'', also known as the "Kingdom of Edessa" ( syc, ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܐܘܪܗܝ / "Kingdom of Urhay"), according t ...

to become a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

bishopric of its capital

's Metropolitan, yet was to fade. The most famous Bishop of the city was

– The great Syriac Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

ographer born around 451 at Kurtam on the Euphrates and educated at

becoming a priest at Hawra in the Serugh district, as a wandering pastor of several villages. At the age of 67 he was made bishop of Batnan, where he died around 521. Jacob avoided the theological controversies of his age, and is claimed with equal eagerness by

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Chris ...

and

non-Chalcedonian Non-Chalcedonian Christianity comprises the branches of Christianity that do not accept theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Non-Chalcedonian denominations reject the Christological De ...

Christians as one of their own. He wrote several Hymns, 760 homilies and the Syriac translation of Evagrius. Another Bishop was Abraham of Batnae a contemporary of Basil of Caesarea. The bishopric would be nominally restored in two different

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

rics, for different Catholic rite-specific particular churches.

Syriac titular see

Established in the early 20th century, under repeatedly changed names: Bathna(-Jarug), Bathnan(Sarugh), Bathnae''). Suppressed in 1933, restored under its present name in 1965. It has had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank : * Teofilo Gabriele Tappouni (Dionisio) (1913.01.19 – 1921.02.24), as Auxiliary Eparch of Mardin and Amida of the Syriacs (Turkey) (1912.09.14 – 1921.02.24); previously titular bishop of Danaba-orum (1912.09.14 – 1913.01.19); later Archeparch of Aleppo of the Syriacs (Syria) (1921.02.24 – 1929.06.24), Eparch of Mardin and Amida of the Syriacs (1929.06.24 – 1962), Patriarch of Antioch of the Syriacs (Lebanon) ( 929.06.241929.07.15 – 1968.01.29), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of Ss. XII Apostoli (1935.12.19 – 1965.02.11), promoted

Cardinal-Patriarch A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

(1965.02.11 – 1968.01.29) * Atanasio Behnam Kalian (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06) as Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch of the Syriacs (Lebanon) (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06), Auxiliary Bishop of Mardin and Amida of the Syriacs (Turkey) (1921.02.26 – 1929.08.06), later Archeparch of Baghdad of the Syriacs (Iraq) (1929.08.06 – death 1949.02.17) *'' Bishop-elect'' Basile Pierre Habra (1963.05.01 – 1963.07.06) * Gregorios Elias Tabé (1995.06.24 – 1996.05.25) as Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch of the Syriacs (Lebanon) (1995.06.24 – 1997), later titular bishop of Mardin of the Syriacs (1996.05.25 – 1999.05.08), Bishop of Curia of the Syriacs (1997 – 1999.05.08), Coadjutor Archeparch of Damascus of the Syriacs (Syria) (1999.05.08 – 2001.06.24), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Damascus of the Syriacs (2001.06.24 – ...) *

Grégoire Pierre Abdel-Ahad Grégoire is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname / Family name *Alexandre Grégoire (1922–2001), Haitian painter *Augustus Gregoire (1936–1972), Dominican cricketer *Christine Gregoire (born 1947), A ...

(1996.06.29 – 2001.02.16) while

Patriarchal Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Jerusalem of the Syriacs (Palestine and Jordan) (1978–1991 and 1991–2000), later

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in ce ...

of Antioch of the Syriacs (Lebanon) (

001.02.16 1. is the ordinal form of the number one in a number of European languages. 1. may also refer to: Association football Austria * 1. FC Vöcklabruck, a defunct Austrian association football club Czech Republic * 1. FC Karlovy Vary, a Czech assoc ...

2001.02.24 – 2008.01.25), President of Synod of the Syriac Catholic Church (2001.02.24 – 2008.01.25) * Grégoire Pierre Melki (2002.02.25 – ...),

Patriarchal Exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

of Jerusalem of the Syriacs (Palestine and Jordan, see in the Holy Land)

Notable people

* Abdülkadir Aygan (1958-) former PKK Member *

Ayşe Gökkan Ayşe Gökkan (born 1965 in Kulince, Sanliurfa) is a Kurdish journalist, feminist, spokeswoman of the Free Women Movement (TJA) and a former Mayor of Nusaybin. As a journalist, she has been active in news outlets such as Özgür Gündem or Azadi ...

(1965-) Kurdish Journalist *

İbrahim Halil Baran İbrahim Halil Baran ( Kurmanji: Îbrahîm Xelîl Baran born 1981 in Tionek, Suruç) is a Kurdish poet, politician, writer and designer. He is the party chairman for Partiya Kurdistani (PAKURD). Baran studied at Dicle University before receivi ...

(1981-) Kurdish

Poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic - Latin titular see with incumbent biography links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suruc Districts of Şanlıurfa Province Populated places in Şanlıurfa Province Divided cities on the Turkish-Syrian border Former populated places in Turkey Kurdish settlements in Turkey