Balaban, Nusaybin

Balaban is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Nusaybin, Mardin Province in Turkey. The village is populated by Syriacs and Muslim and Yazidi Kurds of the Mizizex tribe. It had a population of 347 in 2021.

Etymology

The Syriac name of the village is derived from "biro".

History

Bīrgurīya was historically inhabited by Syriac [Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox Christians]. In the Syriac Orthodox patriarchal register of dues of 1870, it was recorded that the village had eight households, who paid thirty-five dues, and did not have a church or a priest. There were 300 Syriacs in 1914, according to the list presented to the Paris Peace Conference by the Assyro-Chaldean delegation. Amidst the Sayfo, all of the Syriacs were murdered by Kurds from Kfar-Gawze. In 1966, the population was 455, including 140 Turoyo-speaking Christians in 20 families. By 2013, there were ten Syriacs in two families and two Yazidi families.