On Saturday, July 28, 2012 our band of explorers headed east from Zakho. Our first destination was the village of Bersawa. We went to the church of St. George. People in this part of the world have a great devotion to St. George as there are many churches named in his honor. Since it was Saturday morning, religion classes for children were in progress. They knew we were coming to visit and all the classes had prepared a song to sing for us as we went from classroom to classroom.
The kids singing and doing hand motions for the song. Michael Schaad knew the song and hand motions too, so he joined in, delighting all the kids.
Our group of travellers posed in the church courtyard in front of a large statue of St. George slaying the dragon. The nun in the picture runs the school at the church. The elder gentleman in the front row, below the horse's tail, was born in Bersawa. His English was very good and he told us many stories. After our visit to the church, we walked around the village a bit. The elder gentleman took us to the site of his ancestral home. Below follows pictures of what remains of that home.
During the early years of Saddam's regime, he had to deal with Kurdish rebels throughout Kurdistan. The boyhood home of our host was a large two story structure that was being used as a hospital by the rebel forces. The ruins that you see in the pictures are what remains after it was bombed by Saddam's air force.
After touring the village, we went to Father's home ( the priest in blue ) for some air conditioning and some refreshments. He answered any questions that we had. He is a married priest with four children. He use to be a civil engineer in Bagdad. He is in the north due to violence against Christians in Bagdad. He has done a great deal for the people of the village and surrounding area.
After our visit to Bersawa, we went to a smaller village to see the church. The people depended on agriculture to sustain theirselves. Their roots in the village and their ties to the land go back many, many generations.
A view of the area around the village.
As the church was named after Saint Abraham, this is the mural above the altar.
Then it was off to the mountains for lunch.
We drove along a valley road for some time. The mountains on both sides of the valley were quite remarkable.
We arrived to a spot where there was a shallow stream flowing with cold water. Much to our surprise, the church community of Zakho had arranged for us to have a picnic, Kurdistan style. That meant that the table and chairs were placed in the water. We were obliged to take off our socks and shoes in order to enjoy the feast that had been prepared for us.
It was the first time in weeks for me to experience the sensation of cold and refreshing water!
The food was so good that I couldn't get my subjects to stop eating in order to smile for the camera.
After lunch, we packed up and headed back to Ankawa. We had a four hour bus trip ahead of us and did not arrive until 9:30 p.m. that evening. Our visit to Zakho and beyond gave each of us a greater appreciation for the faith that has been handed down to us by previous generations. Our hope and prayer is that we continue to be strong in the faith so that their sacrifices were not in vain.
jw
During the early years of Saddam's regime, he had to deal with Kurdish rebels throughout Kurdistan. The boyhood home of our host was a large two story structure that was being used as a hospital by the rebel forces. The ruins that you see in the pictures are what remains after it was bombed by Saddam's air force.
After our visit to Bersawa, we went to a smaller village to see the church. The people depended on agriculture to sustain theirselves. Their roots in the village and their ties to the land go back many, many generations.
Then it was off to the mountains for lunch.
We arrived to a spot where there was a shallow stream flowing with cold water. Much to our surprise, the church community of Zakho had arranged for us to have a picnic, Kurdistan style. That meant that the table and chairs were placed in the water. We were obliged to take off our socks and shoes in order to enjoy the feast that had been prepared for us.
It was the first time in weeks for me to experience the sensation of cold and refreshing water!
The food was so good that I couldn't get my subjects to stop eating in order to smile for the camera.
After lunch, we packed up and headed back to Ankawa. We had a four hour bus trip ahead of us and did not arrive until 9:30 p.m. that evening. Our visit to Zakho and beyond gave each of us a greater appreciation for the faith that has been handed down to us by previous generations. Our hope and prayer is that we continue to be strong in the faith so that their sacrifices were not in vain.
I'm so glad that you shared these pictures. You don't know me, but I was looking into a former Arabic professor I had who was from Zakho, and I heard that he revisited Zakho in 2004. He had been forced to flee from Iraq in the early '90s, and I wonder if he's made his home again in Zakho. He said the church he grew up in was St. George, and doing a search for it, I found your blog. Could you tell me, is the gentleman's name who you said spoke very good English Esho Yousef (Joseph)?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the pictures!
Sincerely,
Caleb Trevithick
Dear Caleb,
DeleteI am happy that you have enjoyed the blog! I am sorry that I do not remember the man's name who you are inquiring about. However, in the 2nd picture on this post - the group picture in front of the statue of St. George- He is the elder gentleman in the front row with the black pants and the white short sleeve shirt. then the next 3 pictures are his bombed out boyhood home in the village of Bersawa. There is a picture of 2 Chaldean Catholic priests. The older priest is the pastor of St. George church there.
That feller sure looks an awful lot like my old teacher, only with grey hair. Thanks for getting back to me, all the same.
ReplyDelete