Village of Basibrin

Basibrin: Syriac Resistance and Survival During the Sayfo

The Syriac Orthodox community in Basibrin (also known as Basibrino, Beth Sorino, or Besorino, and the Turkish name Haberli), a village located halfway between Midyat and Azakh and east of Mor Gabriel (Qartmin) monastery, experienced severe attacks and resistance during the Sayfo.

Before the massacres, Basibrin had approximately 250 Syriac Orthodox families. Its twin village, Sare, also had 200 Syriac Orthodox families. The Mor Dodo church in Basibrin was fortified with high walls and towers, serving as a potential fortress.

When news of the massacres spread, the people of Sare squeezed into Basibrin for safety. Initially, 40 Turkish soldiers were quartered in the village, ostensibly to provide protection. However, upon learning of the murder of the Hermez family in Midyat in late June or early July, the Syriacs in Basibrin seized the rifles of these soldiers. The village also became a refuge for Syriac villagers from Miden, Tamarz, Bashok, Zinawrah, Qanaq, and Bazar, who fled there after local attacks. According to Hinno, a total of 2,000 well-armed Syriacs assembled in Basibrin.

The Syriacs in Basibrin were led by Malke, a villager from Sare, who was the son of Hanne Haydo and brother of the prominent Syriac warrior Shemun Haydo (who was then imprisoned). Initially, friendly Kurds from Araban and Yezidis from Gali brought food and sold it to the defenders. However, Malke seized a food delivery without paying for it, causing the supplies to stop. Subsequently, Malke stole sheep from Araban and distributed the spoils unequally, which led to a deep internal split among the Syriac defenders.

The opposition to Malke was led by the Kamsho family from Basibrin, who secretly conspired with the Salihan Kurds to eliminate Malke and promised them a share of the booty. Malke escaped their trap but killed three members of the Kamsho family. The remaining Kamsho family members then left Basibrin and joined the Kurdish forces in besieging the village. A large number of Kurdish tribes, along with Turkish troops under the command of Ömer Naji Bey and a German officer, surrounded Basibrin. The Syriacs rejected Naji Bey's ultimatum to surrender, and heavy fighting ensued.

The defenders initially mounted a successful counterattack outside the walls, but they became cut off from the village and suffered significant casualties, including the leader of the Salihan Kurds, Muhammed Amar. The Kurdish attackers temporarily dispersed to bury their dead, but hostilities resumed and continued until November.

A general amnesty was eventually negotiated with the government for Basibrin and other remaining defended villages and the Syriacs began to return to their villages weeks later. However, in the spring of 1917, the authorities took revenge for the Syriacs having seized the soldiers' weapons: Malke, the Syriac leader, was captured and burned alive. Three months after Malke's death, half of the remaining Syriacs in Basibrin were massacred by their neighbors, led by Awgin and the Kurdish tribes Salihan and Dumanan. Only twenty families survived by placing themselves under Awgin's patronage.

The historical events in Basibrin, particularly the massacres, were remembered and interpreted within the Syriac Orthodox community. Bishop Giwargis Azkhoyo's poem, which was recited by the people of Basibrin, connected these experiences to the Sayfo and was used to understand God's chastisement. This oral tradition played a role in preserving the memory of these atrocities.