SYRIAC PEOPLE, Eastern Christians

Mesopotamia. Land of two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris. Descendants of the ancient cultures are Siriacs, Arameic-speaking Christians.

Nowadays the Syriacs inhabit the "Upper Mesopotamia," which includes Northern Iraq, Turkey, and Syria -- as well as Lebanon and Iran.

At the end of the First World War, after the downfall of the Ottoman empire, their life experienced major change. The newly defined borders divided their population into different states. Everywhere they represent a national and religious minority. Over the past 100 years they have been persecuted and their rights violated. Therefore, great numbers of them continue to emigrate to Europe and North America.

Syriacs speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus himself. That is why they became acquainted with his teachings very early and adopted Christianity. Since they lived in the East, outside the borders of the Roman Empire, they were called the Eastern Christians.