Sayfo Rabo : The Massacres of Midyat and the Calamities of Tur Abdin

Safar Safar was born in Midyat, Turkey in 1921 and died in New Jersey, USA in 2000. He is the son of Abdel-Aziz Safar and the grandson of the legendary Syriac leader, Hanna Safar (who held the title of Pasha). Safar Safar spent the last years of his life documenting the historical stories told to him by his father in the oral tradition. That history had become etched into the author’s mind. He later realized that the best way to preserve the family’s cultural and historical background was to write it all down. This publication is derived from those writings, which include several manuscripts that Safar Safar created. His work does not only preserves his family’s history as he intended; it also offers a better understanding of what life was like in Tur Abdin and gives the reader detailed historical context that relates to Syriac speaking people in general.