The Syriac Orthodox church in the village of Bote, Tur Abdin, home to several historic churches and shrines, has become the target of illegal practices against its Christian heritage. Assyrian villagers from the diaspora--no Assyrians live year-round in Bote anymore--had decided to build a protective wall around the Syriac Orthodox Virgin Mary Church, whose structure had collapsed since the Sayfo Genocide 1915, in order to preserve its remains and protect it from vandalism.

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The construction of the wall was initially approved by the Kurdish village headman. However, once the wall was completed, he filed a criminal complaint with the local Turkish authorities, objecting to its construction. In response, Assyrian native villagers approached the mayor of Medyad (Midyat), Veysi Sahin, seeking to halt the legal proceedings. Sahin, of Mhalmi origin, assured the villagers that he would strive to find a compromise and referred the case to several Turkish officials and ministries, who in turn promised to mediate a solution. Yet, these assurances ultimately proved empty, and the protective church wall was demolished.

The Virgin Mary Church is located near the old mosque of Bote. A source speaking to SyriacPress noted that the manner in which the wall was destroyed reveals deep-seated hostility toward the church and the Assyrian community in Tur Abdin. The demolition was carried out without any legal authorization or rational justification; had the issue been a violation of local regulations--such as the wall exceeding the permitted height--the authorities would have instructed the villagers to remove only the non-compliant sections.

The source added that the Assyrian village committee in the diaspora discussed the authorities' double standards toward the Assyrian community: while they launched a project to build new homes, supposedly, for Assyrians in Medyad, they simultaneously proceeded to demolish the protective wall of the church in Bote. The committee is considering legal steps.