Altıntaş, Midyat

Altıntaş (Classical Syriac: ܟܦܪܙܗ‎, romanized: Kfarze,[1][nb 1] Kurdish: Kevirzê‎)[5] is a village in Mardin Province in southeastern Turkey. It is located in the district of Midyat and the historical region of Tur Abdin.

Altıntaş
Altıntaş Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 37.444°N 41.527°E / 37.444; 41.527
Country	Turkey
Province	Mardin Province
District	Midyat
Population  (2013)
• Total	275

In the village, there are churches of Yoldath Aloho, Mor Yohannon, Mor Abrohom, and Mor Izozoel.[6] There is also the ruins of the churches of Mor Eliyo and Mor Malke.[7]

Etymology

The Turkish name of the village comprises two words, "altın" ("gold" in Turkish) and "taş" ("stone" in Turkish), therefore Altıntaş translates to "gold stone".[4] The Syriac name of the village is derived from "kfar" ("village" in Syriac).

History

It was alleged that the church of Kfarze was constructed by Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus, however, this was fabricated to add historicity.[8] The Church of Mor Izozoel in Kfarze was likely constructed in the late 7th century AD.[6] The village is first mentioned in 935 AD, and was looted by Yazidis and Kurds in c. 1413.[7] Kfarze was attacked in 1855 by Prince Asdin Schin Buqtoyo and resulted in the death of many Christians.[7] Gertrude Bell visited the village in 1909 and 1911.[6]

In 1914, Kfarze was inhabited by approximately 160 Syriac Orthodox Christian families and 70 Muslim families.[9] During the Assyrian Genocide, upon receiving news of an impending Kurdish attack, most of the village's Assyrian population fled to Inwardo whilst those who remained were killed.[10] The Assyrians later returned to Kfarze in 1922.[10] Part of the nave vault of the Church of Mor Izozoel collapsed during the First World War or immediately after, and was restored in 1936.[4]

Kurds of Kfarze belong to the Dermemikan clan, and the village acts as the centre of the tribe.[11] The Kurdish poet Şivan Perwer is a descendant of the Muslim population of Kfarze.[11] In 2005, the village was populated by 12 Syriac Orthodox Christian families and 35-40 Kurdish families.[12] The Syriac Orthodox Christian population of Kfarze speak Turoyo.[7]

References

Notes

1. Alternatively transliterated as Kferze,[2] Keferze,[3] or Kefr Zeh.[4]

Citations

1. Kfarze. The Syriac Gazeteer.
2. Biner (2019), p. x
3. "Bu köylerin isimleri değişecek!". Sözcü (in Turkish). 14 February 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
4. Sinclair (1989), p. 246
5. Sediyani (2009), p. 255
6. Sinclair (1989), p. 248
7. Geschichte von Keferze. Keferze. (in German)
8. Palmer (1990), p. 52
9. Gaunt et al. (2006), p. 234
10. Kfarze. Foundation for Conservation and Promotion of the Aramaic Cultural Heritage. (in German)
11. Altıntaş. Index Anatolicus. (in Turkish)
12. Csató et al. (2005), p. 182

Bibliography

• Biner, Zerrin Ozlem (2019). States of Dispossession: Violence and Precarious Coexistence in Southeast Turkey. University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Csató, Éva Ágnes; Isaksson, Bo; Jahani, Carina (2005). Linguistic Convergence and Areal Diffusion: Case Studies from Iranian, Semitic and Turkic. Psychology Press.
• Gaunt, David; Bet̲-Şawoce, Jan; Donef, Racho (2006). Massacres, Resistance, Protectors: Muslim-Christian Relations in Eastern Anatolia During World War I. Gorgias Press.
• Palmer, Andrew (1990). Monk and Mason on the Tigris Frontier: The Early History of Tur Abdin. Cambridge University Press.
• Sediyani, İbrahim (2009). Adını arayan coğrafya. Özedönüş Yayınları. ISBN 9786054296002.
• Sinclair, T.A. (1989). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III. Pindar Press.