Sayfo; Village of Mansouriya

Mansouriyah: A Sayfo History

The events that occurred in the village of Mansourieh (modern Yalım, Mardin) during Sayfo represent a tragic chapter of the systematic violence against Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Mansouriya was a village inhabited by Syriac Orthodox population located three kilometers north of the old Mardin city and about ten kilometers northeast of Deyrulzafaran Monastery, which often served as a refuge during times of unrest. 

Mansuriyeh had experienced religious tensions and conflicts even before World War I. During the Hamidian Massacres that started in November 1895, Kurdish and Dashiye tribes conspired against the Christians of Mansuriyeh and on November 10, approximately 4,000 Kurds set fire to the village. The Christians sought assistance from their Dashiye neighbors, who intervened by firing at the Kurds, causing them to leave. However, the Dashiye then extorted 20,000 gersh (currency) from the Christians as payment for this "protection"

The full scale of the Sayfo in Mansouriya intensified in 1915, referred to as the "year of the sword." While some families had premonitions and moved to Mardin in the weeks leading up to the massacres, the violence in Mansouriya began around 1915. The term "Seferberlik" (mobilization) was associated with the onset of these tragedies. The Dashiyes played a key role in the killings in Mansouriya this time. Archbishop Younana Dolabani noted that their involvement was linked to their mercenary nature. Other Arab groups from Al-Hasakah and Jezrie also participated, although they were often collectively referred to as "Dashiyes" as this group constituted the majority.

A "big murdering" began inside the village's church where according to Archbishop Dolabani, the Dashiyes "outraged against their Christians and killed forty people from among them; the others fled to the town while their properties were stolen." A young man was offered conversion to Islam to save his life but refused, stating, "life is beautiful, but there is more beauty to remain faithful to Jesus. I am staying with Jesus and will never betray him!" He was then thrown from the church roof and killed and Two other Christians reportedly threw themselves from the church roof after witnessing their mother's murder. Witnesses, including Fr. Armalet, described scenes of mass killings of men, women, and children. 

Oral traditions reflect the prejudice and humiliation faced by Christians, such as a Muslim blacksmith burning a Christian's hand and sarcastically asking how he could endure hellfire if he couldn't stand hot iron, and a Muslim calling a Christian "infidel" after sharing a meal, indicating the destruction of friendly inter-communal relations.

Unlike some other villages, no armed resistance by the Christians in Mansouriya is documented; mass killings were the primary outcome. Survivors of the Mansouriya massacres found various ways to escape and endure, some fled to Mardin which was considered a safe city due to its proximity. Old women were also able to flee to Mardin and some survived by hiding under dead bodies inside the Mar Asya church. After all the events, many Mansuriyeh survivors eventually relocated to Derbassieh in Syria, where they established a new Syriac Orthodox Church of Mar Asya to preserve the memory of their lost church. Survivors experienced immense sorrow over losing their properties in Mansouriya and had to resort to selling vegetables in their new home. 

After the the events of Sayfo, Mor Asya Church in Mansouriya was officially seized from the Syriacs around 1950 and converted into a mosque, named The Mosque of Muḥammad Al-ḥakim, by translating "Asya" (doctor) literally into Arabic "Al-hakim" Oral traditions suggest this conversion was seen as divine punishment after a horse, stabled in the church, killed the Mansuriyeh Agha's son. The history of Mansouriya, particularly its Syriac Christian presence, has faced a "Damnatio Memoriae" (erasure of memory) through the renaming of the village and a reluctance to publicly discuss the genocide. The events of  Sayfo continue to be a source of inter-generational trauma for descendants of survivors. The memory is preserved through oral traditions, proverbs, and written records, which include baptismal records and historical accounts by figures like Archbishop Dolabani.

Researchers, like Ephrem Ishac, a third-generation survivor, have undertaken case studies of Mansuriyeh to understand the Sayfo, drawing on eyewitness accounts and historical documents, some of which were previously academically dismissed

Suggested Readings:

• Ishac, Ephrem Aboud (2015),  SAYFO :1915 THE CASE OF MANSURIEH VILLAGE, 

• de Courtois, Sébastien (2013), The forgotten genocide : eastern Christians, the last Arameans, translated by Vincent Aurora

• Gaunt, David (2006), Massacres, Resistance, Protectors; Muslim–Christian Relations in Eastern Anatolia during World War I

• Shabo, Talay & Barthoma, Soner O (2015), Sayfo 1915. An Anthology of Essays on the Genocide of Assyrians/Arameans during the First World War