FROM RESOURCE:

Assyrians are among the earliest communities to adopt Christianity, and their presence in Mesopotamia goes back five millennia. After Urfa, today's Diyarbakir is also among the first regions where Christianity spread. This means that the history of Assyrian temples in these lands extends back two millennia. Churches and monasteries, if not from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, then from the 3rd and 4th centuries still stand today. However, it is unfortunately not possible to say the same for Assyrian culture and life, an essential part of these lands. In fact, the Assyrian population in Turkey, which has almost completely disappeared, has to struggle against certain forms of political and social repression even today. This section features the story of the Virgin Mary Syriac Church, a highly valuable site in Diyarbakir's cultural life. Pharmacist Truman Sakarer, a member of the

Diyarbakir Assyrian community wrote about the meaning of this building for Assyrians. Sakarer's piece titled "The Assyrians of Diyarbakir" records a valuable component which has now gone missing from the city, and an ancient faith and tradition in the light of his personal experiences.