Today is August 3, 2012. Ankawa is situated near the eastern edge of the Arabia Standard Time Zone. The next eastern time zone is the Iran Standard Time zone. Daylight Saving time is not observed here. Thus the official sunrise was 5:13 a.m.; from my apartment window, I observed that the sun peaked over the mountain at 5:28 a.m. 81° was the temp. at sunrise, 113° the predicted high for today. Highs and lows are predicted to be the same for the next 10 days. High temps. are about 6° hotter than North Texas, low temps are about the same.
A view of the city of Dohuk. It stretches all the way to the foothills of the mountains.
A view of the first Chaldean Catholic church that we visited on Friday, 7/27/2012. This one is in Dohuk.
We visited many churches on this roadtrip. The pastors always greeted us with warmth and hospitality. Their stories were very similar. After the fall of Sadam, Christians in southern Iraq became targets of terrorists. Kidnappings for ransom money were common tactics employed against the Christians. This is due to the fact that many were owners of successfull businesses. To secure safety for their families, they fled the country to places like Australia, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.
Those without the means to leave Iraq fled north to Kurdistan. Most arrived with whatever they could wear and pack into a suitcase. Unemployment is high among the Christian communities. The overall Christian population is about half of what it was 10 years ago. Smaller congregations mean smaller resources to draw upon from the local communities.
International aid has become increasingly important. However, aid is not always able to be used. One story told was how a grant and a license was secured for a church to build a community center. A contractor with a front end loader was contacted to begin the project. He arrived at the site to start. He inquired as to what the construction project was. Upon being told that it was for the Church, he packed up his equipment and left, as he was not a Christian. According to him, his faith would not allow him to work for the Church. The center has yet to be constructed, as there are no Christians who own the needed equipment.
Aview of Zakho, looking northwest. The mountains are in Turkey. The river in the foreground is the Khabur. From just east of Zakho, and through the center of town, the Khabur snakes its way west, along the Iraqi/Turkish border until it merges with the Tigress River near Syria. Zakho is a major trade city with Turkey. Trucks hauling freight are everywhere and clog the roads. Rail service for hauling freight and passengers is severely limited, although the Iraqis have strategic plans in place to change that situation.
This is a view of Cudi Mountain in Turkey. Zakho, Iraq is in the foreground. Cudi Mountain is in Sernak province in southeastern Turkey. Sernak derives its name from "Sehr-i Nuh" which translates to City of Noah. In this part of the world, many believe that Cudi Mountain is where Noah's Ark finally came to rest on dry ground.
After arriving in Zakho, we had lunch at the chancellory with a priest who is acting in an administrative capacity. He shared with us many of the hardships and fears that the local Christian community of Zakho have, especially after the December 2011 riots in Zakho that were directed at Christian businesses.
After lunch we drove west towards the Syrian border where we stopped along the way to visit a small church in a farming community. Then it was off towards the village of Fayah Khabur.
Descending from a pass towards Fayah Khabur. Tigress River in center of photo, with Syria beyond.
Kathy standing on a church balcony, looking west, with the Syrian village of Khanik behind her on the opposite bank of the Tigress River.
Same balcony, camera pointed towards the northwest. The church is situated on a large bend of the Tigress River.
Close up of Syrian village of Khanik.
Another view of the Tigress from an eastern bank, just below the church. Soon we left to return to Zakho for dinner along the bank of the Khabur River near the famous Delal bridge.
The Delal bridge, in the center of Zakho, was built during the Roman era. There are several legends associated with this bridge. Dinner was at 9:30 p.m., then it was off to the hotel for much needed rest. Tomorrow would bring another day of visiting the area around Zakho with several unexpected surprises.
We visited many churches on this roadtrip. The pastors always greeted us with warmth and hospitality. Their stories were very similar. After the fall of Sadam, Christians in southern Iraq became targets of terrorists. Kidnappings for ransom money were common tactics employed against the Christians. This is due to the fact that many were owners of successfull businesses. To secure safety for their families, they fled the country to places like Australia, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.
Those without the means to leave Iraq fled north to Kurdistan. Most arrived with whatever they could wear and pack into a suitcase. Unemployment is high among the Christian communities. The overall Christian population is about half of what it was 10 years ago. Smaller congregations mean smaller resources to draw upon from the local communities.
International aid has become increasingly important. However, aid is not always able to be used. One story told was how a grant and a license was secured for a church to build a community center. A contractor with a front end loader was contacted to begin the project. He arrived at the site to start. He inquired as to what the construction project was. Upon being told that it was for the Church, he packed up his equipment and left, as he was not a Christian. According to him, his faith would not allow him to work for the Church. The center has yet to be constructed, as there are no Christians who own the needed equipment.
After arriving in Zakho, we had lunch at the chancellory with a priest who is acting in an administrative capacity. He shared with us many of the hardships and fears that the local Christian community of Zakho have, especially after the December 2011 riots in Zakho that were directed at Christian businesses.
After lunch we drove west towards the Syrian border where we stopped along the way to visit a small church in a farming community. Then it was off towards the village of Fayah Khabur.
Kathy standing on a church balcony, looking west, with the Syrian village of Khanik behind her on the opposite bank of the Tigress River.
Same balcony, camera pointed towards the northwest. The church is situated on a large bend of the Tigress River.
Another view of the Tigress from an eastern bank, just below the church. Soon we left to return to Zakho for dinner along the bank of the Khabur River near the famous Delal bridge.
The Delal bridge, in the center of Zakho, was built during the Roman era. There are several legends associated with this bridge. Dinner was at 9:30 p.m., then it was off to the hotel for much needed rest. Tomorrow would bring another day of visiting the area around Zakho with several unexpected surprises.
No comments:
Post a Comment