This volume contains the contributions presented at the First
International Syriac Symposium organised by the newly established Artuklu
University in Mardin (April 2012). A substantial number of papers are
devoted to the history of Syriac Christianity in Mardin itself, or more
generally in Eastern Turkey, with contributions by both Turkish and
international scholars. The importance of this Symposium should not be
underestimated. Not so many years ago, Syriac and Turoyo were forbidden
languages in Turkey and were only allowed in the private sphere, not in
public. With this publication, the Artuklu University and the Turkish
academic world acknowledge the importance of Syriac culture and Syriac
language as elements for understanding the history and present-day
situation of Eastern Anatolia.
