Christian Arabs of Antakya (Antioch), 2005 - 2014
Antakya (ancient Antioch) is regarded as the second most important center of the Christian world after Jerusalem and holds an important place in the Christian tradition. The Christian Arab community living in the center of Antakya is estimated to have 1200 members today. All them are citizens of the Turkish Republic, members of the community conduct their worship and rituals at the church in Arabic. They also read the Bible in Arabic. After a fifty-day, during which Christians fast or give up certain luxuries, the community festively celebrates Easter. On the last week of fast, a different ritual is enacted at the Church every day. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the Messiah's arrest, prosecution, and crucifixion are among these. In addition, we find some of the traces of the local culture in these events. The most important one of these is the scattering of laurel leaves (the daphne or bay tree, which is an important plant in the region and has a mythological tale) on the community on Holy Saturday. With this ritual, the bay tree and its leaves are blessed. Easter begins before the sun rises. With the candles lit with the holy fire brought from Jerusalem, the Easter prayer begins and the celebrations continue in the garden. The sun begins to rise just as the service ends. In 2013, this work was selected among the best 100 stories in the project The Other Hundred, organized in Hong Kong by the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT) and was published in a photography book along with the other stories. The objective of the project was to present to the rest of the world the stories of the unspoken quiet majority. The same year, This work was awarded the "Humanity Photo Award" in the category of "Traditional Rites" organized in China by UNESCO and CFPA in 2013. Between 2005 and 2014, I traveled to the area to observe and photograph the religious services of this community of nearly 1200 people living in Antakya.
Over time, I became friends with some of them. Father Sami, the old priest of the church, was one of them. The last time we were together was in 2012, when I visited Antakya for the Easter celebrations. He once came into the church in my arm. Dressed in his ceremonial garb, he sat with the members of the congregation and recited a few prayers from he seat. "My brain is no longer dominating my body Mr Aydin," he told me. Upon hearing of his passing, I found a bus ticket and reached Antakya from Istanbul after a fifteen-hour ride. I joined him funeral ceremony. That was my last duty for him. This man of God had served his church for sixty years. He played a part in each and every member of his congregation in Antakya. He got them married, baptized them, mediated conflicts. For me, Father Sami was a friend I made through photography. As a friend, I had to fulfill my final duty to him. A congregation member we met during my studies said "Mr. Aydın, I was touched when I saw you" at the funeral. This also gave me an opportunity to photograph a different ritual. This work was awarded the "Humanity Photo Award" in the category of "Traditional Rites" organized in China by UNESCO and CFPA in 2015.
The Antakya Church was a simple monastery built-in 1833 from wood. The church was destroyed by the earthquake of 1872 and burned. The present Church is a very good example of the stone mastery and Byzantine architecture built in place of the burnt Church. Built according to Byzantine order. When reconstructed with the help and influence of the Russian engineers, it took a bit of Russian construction style. The construction of the church was completed in the 1900s. The Christian Arab society in Antakya have been adopted a modern lifestyle. It is possible to see this in every area of their life. It is difficult to separate them from a European. Their names are very much the same as the names in Europe. Like Mary, George, Elizabeth. They are happy to live in a multicultural city like Antakya. They have been living in peace with Muslim, Jewish, and Alevi communities for centuries.