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Beth Qustan
About 4 kilometres northeast of Hah and 26 kilometres away from Midyat, in a gently sloping valley lies the village of Beth Qustan. The village is surrounded by fertile fields. Its variety of fruit trees give a natural beauty to its scenery. It is one of the famous villages in Tur Abdin and is inhabited exclusively by syriac-aramaic Christians. Aday Sher (1867-1915), the chaldean archbishop and author from Seert, writes in his book "Chaldo and Athur" that the Arameans were the first inhabitants of Tur Abdin, which the Greeks call Masios. Shalmanassar I, the king of Assur (1256-1276 B.C.), fought against the Arameans of this area. It is called "Beth Qustan" because according to the legend Qustan founded the village. The name "Beth Qustan" (or "Qustin") features in early written sources.
It is said that the army of Constantine the Great often crossed the village to come to Hah. Outside the village, the "Shu'o d-Helane" lies, a plateau whose name derived from Helena, the mother of Constantine. According to some legends she had fount the holy cross of Jesus Christ. From this place, where the mother of the emperor often stayed, you can see the beautiful landscape. The region of "Qasroke" stands in the north-eastern side of the village. The dwellers often speak about the "Salme di Qasroke", which means the admirers of false gods. There are many caves, springs and remains of mysterious buildings. It is an amazing place which can leave a great impact on human mind and can create a way to many imaginations. In Sarhavdana you enter a shallow valley and pass a large field of ruins with the remains of two churches: Mor Osyo and the Church of the Mother of God.
Sarhavdana is a sad revelation: valuable tradition destroyed by the forces of fanatism and violence is an awful sight. People assume that both churches were destroyed by the army of Timur Lenk around the year 1400. According to local tradition Arbo was the only village which was spared a sacking by the Tatars (Mongols). East from "Deyrinto", beyond the range of mountains, you find the "Harbe da Hadode", the ruins of forges. These ruins recall the importance of this old place. At the latest 4th century the whole village converted to Christianity.
The church Mor Eliyo was built in 343. Beth Qustan has given the Syriac Church many great figures who enriched Syriac literature. Among those who were stars in the firmament of the Syrian Orthodox Church during the course of its history, Saint Gabriel (Mor Gabriel) takes a respected place.
According to tradition, his parents called on him to take a wife. But he came to realize that this worldly life was meaningless and transient, whereupon he decided to become a monk and dedicate his life to God. In the age of 15 he left the village and took refuge in the Monastery of Mor Yuhanon.Later he entered the monastery of Kartmin, which came in time to be known by his name. The "Harbe d-Mor Gabriel" show his home in Beth Qustan. Gregorios Bar Hebraeus, the famous scholar of the Arameans (Syrians) visited in 1253 by the order of Patriarch Dionysios with the nephew of the Patriarch Beth Qustan and the other villages and monasteries of Tur Abdin. Since the entrance of Islam into Tur Abdin, the land and people of this village have been shaped by the weighty troubles of war and slavery. The village has been exposed to many plunders, attacks and raids for centuries. Here is a part of all that the people of Beth Qustan have suffered and survived: The Arab conquest in 640, the supremacy of the Mongols around 1400 and the Genocide in 1914/15. When the emigration started many Christian families from Beth Qustan emigrated to Europe.
Spiritually it is lead by Fr. Gabriel Aktas. The civil head of the village is his brother Ibrahim Aktas. Its blossom are the male and female young students under the supervision of Malfono Lahdo Acar who is teaching them the Syriac language and liturgy. Today there are several hundred families from Beth Qustan living in Diaspora. Many of them left their heart in Tur Abdin and will have to cope elsewhere with feelings of nostalgia and bitterness. Beth Qustan has remained one of the few Christian villages left in the whole area of Tur Abdin that has not been totally abandoned. It is the village of our ancestors who left it for us with churches and monasteries that they built. May our Lord preserve this village, that was faced with many difficulties, with the rest of the other villages in Tur Abdin. It may blossom again and return to its past glory. This may be all for the glory of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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