Sayfo; Village of Benebil

The Sayfo Siege of Benebil Village

The village of Benebil (also spelled Banabil, Bülbül) experienced a significant attack during the Sayfo. Benebil is situated 10 kilometers east of Mardin. Its name is derived from the Byzantine fortress of Benabelon and it was the home to 150 Syriac Orthodox families with some Syriac Catholic families and had two parish churches, Mor Quryaqos and Mort Shmuni. 

Benebil had been subjected to a pogrom on November 9, 1895

News of Christian massacres in nearby areas, specifically from Ma'sarte and Bafayya, reached Benebil in mid-June 1915, when some survivors  from these villages sought refuge in Benebil. Anticipating an attack, the villagers sent their women and children to the Za'faran monastery while the men took up arms and dispersed into their orchards and vineyards. The Christians of Benebil were known as "warriors"—tall, strong, brave, and good marksmen—which made the attackers fear them. They barricaded themselves in their homes and fired from shooting slits.

Various dates are given for the start of the siege but a large gathering of tribes surrounded the village, including Ghamrian Kurds from Mahmoudkiye and the Reshmel Muhallemi, who set up camp on a hill overlooking Benebil. Initially, the Omeran Kurdish leader, Khalil Ghazale, who had promised to protect the villagers, sent 60 Kurdish warriors to assist them. An additional contingent of 18 Ottoman soldiers also arrived, supposedly to protect Benebil. However, the Ottoman soldiers joined the aggressors when the Kurds launched their assault. The number of attackers was estimated between 5000 to 10,000 which included about 20 tribal chiefs and Bedouins.

Khalil Ghazale initially upheld his promise, fighting alongside the Christians. However, he was reportedly tricked or threatened by the mayor of Mardin, Qaddur Jalabi, who was also a leader of the militia. Khalil received a written order stating that anyone protecting Christians would lose property and be executed, while those who killed Christians would gain government favor. After this, the Christians lost his protection.

Many Benebil villagers attempted to flee to Za'faran monastery, but many were murdered en route. The Ottoman guards at the monastery initially refused entry to the refugees, though three men managed to climb over the walls. The chief of guards, Nuri Badlisi, arrested these three and sent them to Mardin for eventual execution in Diyarbekir. About 70 other men from Benebil hid in caves for several days, then returned to a building in Benebil. They were discovered and attacked by Kurds but fought their way back to the monastery, gaining entry after bribing the guards with 35 liras. They remained at the monastery for three months, paying monthly bribes. Later, a new chief of guards arrested them again and sent them to Mardin for forced labor during harvest season, after which most of them were killed. The village itself was attacked by Kurds on June 10, with heavy casualties, reportedly 60-80 dead. The Syriacs who fled from Benebil to Dayr al-Za'faran had their belongings plundered.

The siege of Benebil and the Za'faran monastery lasted until October of the same year, when it was lifted, allowing many families from Benebil to escape towards Jebel Sinjar, a traditional place of refuge. By the end of June, the villages of Ma'sarte (800 inhabitants), Bafayyâ (600 inhabitants), and Al-Ibrahimiya (400 inhabitants), all exclusively Orthodox Syriac, were entirely decimated.