A new chapter has begun for yet another Assyrian village, as reconstruction work on the historic Mor Aho Church gets underway in the village of Yardo, (Turkish imposed name: Yamanlar), in the Tur Abdin Region. Located in the Kfar Gawze area of the Gercüş district in Batman Province, Yardo is one of the region’s historic Assyrian villages.
The foundation stone of the church was blessed during a ceremony led by Mor Timotheos Samuel Aktaş, Assyrian Metropolitan of Tur Abdin and Abbot of Mor Gabriel Monastery. The ceremony included prayers and Assyrian hymns, formally marking the beginning of the reconstruction project.
The Church building had fallen into ruins as most of the villages Assyrian inhabitants had been forced to leave due to the harsh conditions in past decades. The building is believed to date from the 20th century.
The reconstruction represents an important effort to restore a place of worship for the village’s Assyrian Orthodox community and safeguard its religious heritage for future generations. It signals a rebirth for the village and potential return of some of its original inhabitants now living in the diaspora, a development that has been well under way for many other Assyrian villages in the region.
