Altıntaş, Mardin

The village of Altıntaş (Syriac: ܟܝܦܝܪܙܝ, "Keferze") is located 15 kilometers northeast from Midyat, in the Mardin Province of Turkey.It has a population of 1,622 inhabitants, about half being Kurdish and half Syriac who belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church Fact|date=February 2007. In the village, Turoyo and Kurdish are spoken. The church Mor Izozoel was established in 934 AD and is considered to be an example of ancient Syriac architecture.

Tension among the Christian Syriacs and Kurdish Muslims have had a long history in this area. In 1855, Bishop Semun wrote "The prince Asdin Shin Buqtoyo destroyed the Tur Abdin, along with our churches. They killed four ministers, monks and many Christians." Before the Sayfo of 1914-1919, Keferze had about 600 Syriacs and 300 Kurdish families. That was the last time Syriac christians had a majority in the village.

References

* Helga Anschütz, Die syrischen Christen vom Tur'Abdin, Würzburg, 1985;
* Mor Ignatius I Afrem Barsaumo, Tur'Abdin Tarihi, Holland, 1985;
* Aziz Günel, Türk Süryaniler Tarihi, Diyarbakir, 1970.