Faith Matters

Arameans were among the first followers of Christ and still today speak the language used by Jesus of Nazareth. In their home territory, Tur Abdin in southern Turkey, they have been persecuted for centuries. A once great nation is dying out - its culture and language - silently, and almost unnoticed. Tur Abdin is a lonely, barren landscape in south-east Anatolia, not far from the Syrian and Iraqi borders. This is where Mor Gabriel, one of the oldest monasteries in the world, is located. The entire region was predominantly Christian well into the Middle Ages. Then, with the spread of Islam, Christians became a minority here. During World War I, the Arameans were persecuted, partly because of their religion, and hundreds of thousands fell victim to genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Mor Gabriel is still today, however, the Arameans’ most important monastery, although only 2,000 Christians live permanently in the region around the Mount of the Servants of God. Our film documents this cradle of Christian community life - the Arameans’ spiritual centre and part of the world’s cultural heritage.