Erdo is a village in Tur Abdin in south-eastern Turkey. Most of its people now live in Europe. What follows is the history of this place – as it is passed on within the community, supplemented by publicly documented records.
Origins
The name
The name of the village goes back to Syriac Aramaic and means “spring” or “running spring”. It refers to the many water sources the place was known for. In Syriac the name appears as Yardo, in Kurdish the village is called Erdê, and the official Turkish name is Yamanlar.
The people from the village call themselves Erdoye – and still do within this community, including the second and third generation in Europe.
The village
Location and landscape
Erdo lies in the north of Tur Abdin, about one kilometre from the ruins of Bayshon (Babesh), in the Gercüş district of Batman Province. The closest larger town is Kfar Gawson (Gercüş). The village lies south of the Tigris and the mountains of Karakas Dagi; the highest peak is 1339 metres and stands between Erdo and the monastery of Dayro Daslibo.
Erdo was known for the high mountains surrounding it, its natural springs and its green gardens with fruit and vegetables. People lived from livestock and farming – wheat, grapes, melons, vegetables and figs. Archaeological sites nearby are above all Babesh and Hesno d-Kifo (Hasankeyf).
History
Two communities
For a long time two communities lived side by side in Erdo: Syriac Orthodox Christians and Kurdish families associated with the Arnas tribe. The village has a church of Mor Aho.
Especially during the 1970s and 1980s almost all Christian families emigrated, mostly to Europe. Of around thirty families, a single one remained by the late 1990s.
Present day
The village today
Erdo has a small church, a mosque and a primary school. The church of Mor Aho is in poor condition and would need a complete restoration. The Christian cemetery is also decaying and would need protection from animals, wind and rain.
There is electricity and water supply, though limited. The roads in the village are unpaved, in poor condition and barely passable in winter.
For reference
Documented records
- Turkish name
- Yamanlar
- Kurdish name
- Erdê
- Syriac (Aramaic)
- Yardo – “spring”
- District
- Gercüş, Batman Province
- Region
- Tur Abdin
- Coordinates
- 37°32′49″ N, 41°27′40″ E
- Population 1960
- 507
- Population 2021
- 224
- Church
- Mor Aho
Source for this overview: Wikipedia, “Yamanlar, Gercüş”. The figures given there for 1915 contradict each other between the article text and the table and are therefore not listed here.