Arameans

Aramean Talent Adrian Lahdo Signs with Club Como

New Midyat Project Seeks to Draw Syriac-Arameans Back to Tur Abdin

The Story of Hanne Safar and His Family

The Enduring Roots: Aramean Clan and Family Structures in Tur Abdin

The Society of the Arameans in the Ancient Era

The Murder of Ibrahim Shabo, the Last Aramean Mayor of Midyat

Aboud Zazi – Izla Shafirto

Rozune—Coin in the Bread

King Abgar V of Edessa and the Letter to Christ

Tlawhe—Aramean Lentil Soup

Cuisine

Music

Dances

Traditional garments and embroidery motifs that show the region, celebration, and community pride.

Clothing

Arts and Crafts

Traditions

Religion

Identity

Ancient history

Modern history

Syriac history

History

Language

Biographies

Sayfo

Gabola—Aramean Wheat Porridge Dish

Basle am Behe—Chives with Eggs

Labaniye—Aramean Yoghurt Soup

Audio

Ninib Lahdo – Gerke Shamo

Ninib Lahdo – Bi Hubo Nafilina

Jan Karat – Durina lu Athro

Video

Telkari: Aramean Art Form of Making Delicate Jewelry

Faith and Tradition

Hano Qritho: A Little Spring of Joy Before the Great Fast

Syriac Orthodoxy or Assyrian Orthodoxy in North America and the USA?

Native Aramean Population of Tur Abdin

Modern Assyrian Identity Revival

Arameans in Germany

Ancient Syria & Anatolia: Aramean Mythology, Religion & Traditions

Ancient DNA from the Halzi Gate (612 BC) Confirms Aramean Continuity in Mesopotamia and What It Means for Modern Arameans

Ancient Aramean Laws and the Origins of Justice in the Ancient Near East

Syriac-Aramean Battle for Azakh During Sayfo

Syriac-Aramean Village of Arnes During Sayfo

Syriac-Aramean Village of Armun During Sayfo

Syriac-Aramean Village of Arkah During Sayfo

Mor Dionysius Abdelnur of Urhoy, Bishop of Kharput, remarked that the scholars from the monastery of Mor Barsawmo "adorned the nation of the Arameans with splendor."

“Lament on the Destruction of the Monastery of Mar Barsauma near Malatya” by Mor Dionysios ‘Abd an-Nur is a mourning text that reflects on the ruin of one of the most important Syriac Orthodox monasteries. It likely combines grief over the monastery’s physical destruction with praise for its past role as a major center of learning, spirituality, and leadership in the Syriac/Aramean tradition.

Adorning the Aramean Nation

"Aram, from whom sprung the Syriacs, whose Name anciently was Aramei; the Children of Aram. A Name not unknown to the ancient Grecians; for Homer mentions the Αερμις in his second Book of Iliads; and so doth Hesiod; and Strabo also saith, that many understood by the Arimi, the Syriacs. And the Syriacs at this day call themselves Arameans."

17th-Century Syriacs

"It is evident from this context that Syria is situated to the west of the Euphrates, and that all those who spoke our language, that of us Arameans, were called Syriacs (Suryoye)."

Mor Michael Rabo identifies his people as Syriac-Arameans.

Language of Us Arameans

“Heaven (shmayo), and all that we call ‘heaven’ (shmayo), is not of our speech, of us Arameans, that is, the language of Mesopotamians. And it is not from our language and speech, but is borrowed and taken for us from the language of the Hebrews.”

Saint Jacob of Edessa identifies himself as an Aramean and sees Arameans being Mesopotamians. He claimed that the word “heaven” (shmayo) is a loanword.

We Arameans and Borrowed Language

Deacons of the Syriac Orthodox Church in São Paulo

A patriarchal document issued in 1958 marking the laying of the foundation stone and the inauguration of Mor Yuhanon (Saint John the Baptist) Church in São Paulo, Brazil. It records the ceremony, acknowledges clergy and benefactors, and offers blessings for the growth of the Syriac Orthodox community.

The letter reads:

"PATRIARCHAL BULL

Laying of the Foundation Stone

On April 21 of the year 1958, a Monday, at 3:00 PM, we laid the foundation stone of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in São Paulo, on the land donated by the late João Gabriel, who was generous and zealous for our Church. With the participation of Dom (Mor) Athanasius Yeshou Samuel, Archbishop of the United States and Canada. Present at this solemnity was Mr. Ignatius Ferzeli, Orthodox Metropolitan of São Paulo, with his clergy, and other priests of ours and other Eastern Churches, and a massive presence of our spiritual children from the capital of São Paulo.

The solemnity of this launch was beautiful and solemn, enriched by sacred hymns and chants in Aramaic, and accompanied by beautiful music in Portuguese, offered by the Government of São Paulo.

May God grant well-deserved rest, in the dwellings of light, to the most kind soul of the late João Gabriel, protecting and blessing his widow and children, giving them the desired material and spiritual prosperity.

May God realize the dream of our faithful to see the aforementioned Holy Church built. We exhort and encourage our spiritual children, whether the president of the Parish Council of the Church of Saint John the Baptist or its members, to strive for the building of the referred church and in everything necessary for its growth.

May God help you, in order to practice everything that pleases His Holy Name. As a pledge of our gratitude, we leave our blessing in this Patriarchal Bull.

São Paulo-SP, April 21, 1958

Inauguration of the Church

On August 10, 1958, a Sunday morning, we inaugurated and consecrated the aforementioned Church in a beautiful spiritual solemnity. The building of the Church was done in record time for me and for the majority; it was a miracle from God. This is proof of the zeal, affection, and dedication of the president and other members of the Parish Council and other faithful. May God help you to always perform good deeds. Amen!

São Paulo-SP, August 10, 1958"

Patriarchal Bull for the Mor Yuhanon Church, São Paulo (1958)

Buildinging of the Mor Yuhanon Church in São Paulo

Early Aramean Community of Brazil

"And Jacob stole the heart of Laban the Aramean, because he told him not that he was going." Greek: Jacob, however, hid his heart from Laban the Syriac."

Bar Hebraeus records “Laban the Aramean” in the Syriac Peshitta and gives the Greek equivalent “the Syriac,” expressed in Aramaic as “Suryoyo,” treating the two as synonymous.

Laban the Aramean Rendered Suryoyo

"My father was led away to Aram, and he went down to Egypt. Greek: My father left Syria and went down to Egypt."

Bar Hebraeus records the Syriac Peshitta reading “My father was led away to Aram and went down to Egypt,” and gives the Greek equivalent, which renders Aram as “Syria,” in his work on the Old Testament.

Aram That Is Greek Syria

"Behold, Melko also hath borne children to Nahor thy brother: Uz, his first-born, and Buz, his brother, and Kemuel, the father of Aram. Greek: the father of the Syriacs (Suryoye)."

Bar Hebraeus presents the genealogy of Nahor, noting Kemuel as “the father of Aram,” and adds the Greek equivalent, which interprets this as “the father of the Syriacs,” written in Aramaic as “Suryoye,” in his work on the Old Testament.

Father of Aram and the Suryoye

Mor Dionysios ‘Abd an-Nur Aslan (31 July 1851–1933) was a prominent Syriac Orthodox church leader born in Urhoy (Edessa). Educated in Syriac and Turkish, he entered church service at a young age and rose through the ranks, serving in the patriarchal household before becoming a priest. He later represented the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul, where he acted as an intermediary between the church, the Ottoman government, and foreign diplomats.

In 1896, he was appointed Metropolitan of Harput, where he was pastorally active and worked to strengthen his community while promoting loyalty to the Ottoman state and emphasizing a distinct Syriac identity separate from Armenians. After leaving Harput around 1913, he was assigned to Homs during the years of the Sayfo, where he also became known for collecting and preserving Syriac manuscripts.

In 1917, he became Metropolitan of Diyarbakir, leading a greatly diminished community in the aftermath of the genocide. He remained committed to a policy of loyalty to the state, believing it offered the best protection for his people. He spent his final years in relative isolation and died in 1933.

Mor Dionysius Abdelnur of Urhoy