On Sunday 25 August in the presence of the clergy, Tur Abdin locals and guests from all over Europe and with the service led by Mor Timotheus Samuel Aktaş (bishop of the Tur Abdin region residing in the Mor Gabriel monastery) the church of Mor Yacoub and Mor Barsawmo was opened and consecrated in the village of Kafro of Tur Abdin.
Kafro village is in the Tur Izlo region and is one of the Syriac villages in the region which was emptied during the 90s because of security reasons compelling the local population to emigrate to Europe. During the 2000s after the start of the Turkish-European Union accession negotiations and the awakening of the national struggle amongst Syriac people in the diaspora, villagers of Kafro decided to return to their village and reconstructed it from the ashes with modern architecture and buildings.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Syriac Christian and Mardin HDP Member of Parliament Tuma Çelik, highlighted the importance of the event and he said that this opening shows the strong will of our people in the Tur Abdin region where our Syriac people have deep historical, cultural and social roots.
Kafro village has a population of 20 homes and is an appreciated destination for local and foreign tourists. Kafro village heavily suffered from the recent forest fires in Tur Izlo region.