Tur Abdin - Mor Gabriel

The inhabitants of Tur Abdin in the southeast of Turkey impress me most of all by their originality and simplicity, by their attachment to their native soil, by their fortitude in difficult times, by their self-confidence and lack of pretentiousness. In daily life they use the language spoken by Jesus, an Aramaic dialect which is now known as Turoyo. This makes them the bearers of an uninterrupted tradition from the beginnings of Christianity until the present day. Here, on the plateau of Tur Abdin, formerly isolated and cut off from the world, they have been able to preserve their culture, a culture which cannot be transferred to any other region. 

                        [Hans Hollerweger, TURABDIN - Living Cultural Heritage]