Assyrian revival stirs in Turkey

In a corner of 21st Century Turkey, a congregation still worships in the language of Christ.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Assyrian revival stirs in Turkey

At an early morning Sunday church service, chanting in Aramaic fills the air together with the sweet scent of incense. Men pray standing, their palms open to heaven. Most of the women are behind a wooden lattice at the back, their heads covered in scarves. These people are Assyrians and the region they know as Tur Abdin was once the heartland of their ancient Christian church. At the turn of the last century an estimated 200,000 Assyrians still lived here. Today there are fewer than 3,000 left. But recently, there have been signs of a possible revival.

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