Sayfo: The Unforgotten Tragedy of the Syriacs

08/06/2026

Human lives, histories, activities, and achievements are shaped and defined over time. For this reason, time has often been described as a remedy for all things. It is said that people’s pain fades with time, that disasters are forgotten, difficulties overcome, and various forms of suffering eventually come to an end. However, such sayings and proverbs hold little meaning for the Syriacs regarding the Sayfo Genocide of 1915, nor have they healed the trauma they endured. Although 111 years have passed since Sayfo, neither the pain has diminished nor the tragic stories been forgotten.

As awareness and enlightenment increased, Syriacs began to better understand their own history, the challenges they faced, and the injustices they suffered. Consequently, as they became more conscious of the weight of the catastrophes they endured over centuries, deep wounds were left in their collective psyche.

For more than a century, the policy of denial, forced forgetting, and assimilation pursued by ruling powers carrying a genocidal mentality has only intensified Syriacs’ feelings of suspicion and insecurity, continuing to deepen their suffering and trauma. Wherever Syriacs seek to explore their roots, they inevitably encounter the dark memory of the 1915 Genocide.

The Syriac people experience the mourning of the genocide collectively, across all layers of society. Their grief and trauma are shared. From Urmia to Sivas and from Kars to Holeb (Aleppo), the brutality and inhumane treatment inflicted upon Christians followed similar patterns. Thus, the tragedy experienced by those who lived through that era has transmitted fear, sorrow, and resistance from one generation to the next.

Today, as Syriacs investigate their past, they strive to reconnect with their roots in every village, town, and city. They search among the ruins of burned and destroyed settlements for the remains and ashes of their ancestors. In doing so, they continue to uncover new realities. These discoveries shed light on previously unknown aspects of the genocide.

Intellectuals, academics, journalists, and politicians are approaching this truth more actively with a sense of responsibility, while families who continue to carry the social burden of Sayfo fulfill their duty through commemorative activities and research. Studies concerning Adıyaman, Malatya, Urhoy (Urfa-Edessa), Omid (Diyarbakır), Van, Hakkâri, Tur Abdin, and other regions are becoming increasingly widespread. At the same time, the life stories of those who were killed, abducted, displaced, or survived are being documented even in the smallest settlements.

The testimonies of Sayfo survivors have echoed from generation to generation to the present day. Missionary and diplomatic records, state archives, and the memoirs of political and military officials from the period are being examined. Information obtained from the descendants of girls who were forcibly Islamized has further revealed the scale of the genocide.

Through annual commemorations of 24 April 1915, the Armenian people have succeeded in keeping the memory of the genocide alive in international public consciousness. Likewise, the Pontic Greek people mark 19 May 1919 for their genocide remembrance day and organize hundreds of events each year. The Syriac people commemorate the genocide they suffered beginning on June 15, 1915, through international initiatives and remembrance activities aimed at condemning this crime against humanity and bringing it to the attention of the world.

The resistance carried out in Tur Abdin’s villages and monasteries, including but not limited to Aynwardo (Gülgöze), Beth Zabday (İdil), Hah (Anıtlı), Dayro d’Slibo (Çatalçam), and the Mor Malke Monastery on Mount Izla, represented the determination of a people to survive and rise again. The tragic story of each Syriac village and every individual continues to stir consciences.

For example, before Sayfo, the village of Qeleth (Dereiçi) in the Sawro (Savur) district of Merde (Mardin) was home to approximately 2,500 Syriacs. After the genocide, only about 60 children survived.

Today, thousands of people from Qeleth living across the world are descendants of those surviving children. Having lost hundreds of thousands of family members during the Sayfo, Syriacs continue their struggle to preserve the memory of their ancestors and condemn this crime against humanity. Unknown truths continue to emerge, even 111 years later, and more people are confronting this historical tragedy.

By challenging policies of denial and forgetting, Syriacs call upon the international community to recognize Sayfo and seek justice and recognition. On the 111th anniversary of Sayfo, it remains crucial for Syriacs to mobilize their collective strength and intensify institutional efforts to illuminate the many aspects of this tragedy that remain hidden. Only those who do not forget Sayfo can hold deniers accountable based on historical truth and documented evidence.