Tur Abdin Jacobites Attractions

"Mountain of the Servants of God" is the name that is sometimes given to this highland region (900-1,400m/2,950-4,590ft) east of Mardin. It is bordered to the east and north by the Tigris, in the west by the Mazdagi-Curbe and to the south lie the Syrian plains. Between the fourth century and the Arabic conquest countless monasteries were established here and the Tur Abdin developed into a center for the Syrian Jacobites. In the Middle Ages the area was divided into four bishoprics with more than 80 monasteries. The decline began with the Crusaders whose pillaging raids extended into the prosperous villages of Tur Abdin. In the First World War, most of the Christian minorities were expelled after the French emerged as the Jacobites' protectors. In the 1970s more Christians emigrated. Now about 25,000 Syrian Orthodox Christians (Jacobites) live here, some of whom speak Aramaic, the language of Christ, although a modern Aramaic dialect known as Türöyö is more likely to be heard. Only six of the monasteries are now used by monks.