This volume contains the contributions presented at the First International Syriac Symposium organised by the newly established Artuklu University in Mardin (April 2012). A substantial number of papers are devoted to the history of Syriac Christianity in Mardin itself, or more generally in Eastern Turkey, with contributions by both Turkish and international scholars. The importance of this Symposium should not be underestimated. Not so many years ago, Syriac and Turoyo were forbidden languages in Turkey and were only allowed in the private sphere, not in public. With this publication, the Artuklu University and the Turkish academic world acknowledge the importance of Syriac culture and Syriac language as elements for understanding the history and present-day situation of Eastern Anatolia.