User:BenjaminDagr/Tina Village

The village of Tena is located in northern Iraq in the region of Wadi Sabna, as mentioned in the book by Yusuf Bosnaya, as well as in the story of Mar Zaya, situated between the mountains of Kareh and Matina. Its lands extend to their foothills, and in the British map of 1913, it was named "Keni."

Administratively, Tena falls under the jurisdiction of Sarsink district and is among the most famous summer resorts in Duhok province. Ecclesiastically, it is part of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Amedi.

Its borders start from the village of Bamerni, mentioned in books as "Beth Mordeni," meaning "the fortified house," which is the largest village in the area, located at the foot of Mount Matina.

A short distance to the south flows a spring of water in the valley, which joins its waters with the Sabna River. West of this spring, the village's borders extend to the lands of the village of Zewytha, passing through a stony area called "Besti-Besta." It then continues to reach the elevated hill called "Kara Droma," on which the Monastery of the Dyers, "Beth Sayyare," is situated.

From there, the borders extend to a place called "Ayk Mala" or "Ekh Mala," which means "the only house." Then it reaches the borders of the village of Sharati, descending to the center of the plain of the village of "Dawdiya."

The borders then turn southwards to reach the lands of the village of "Kulayi," which belongs to Sheikh Bamerni, a respected man among the Kurds with significant influence in the region. He has been present in Bamerni since around 1840 and established a sect called "Nakshbandia."

The village's borders continue along the river, descending to the vineyards located south of the village, and then incline towards the east, adjacent to the borders of the village of "Sheikh Mama," which, according to tradition, did not exist. Instead, the lands of Tena were far from the village, and our ancestors agreed to build one or two houses there for the Kurds to guard the area. Over time, their numbers increased, and they took over the lands and vineyards, even committing acts of murder, and thus it was named "Sheikh Mema."

From the village of "Sheikh Mema," the borders ascend to Bamerni, passing through a place called "Belki" and "Karm Qadu," then a hill named "Kizirta," continuing upwards to "Matiani," and finally reaching the spring called "Nabwa," completing the periphery of Tena's lands.

The village's history dates back over a thousand years when Christians settled in Tena. However, even before that, humans had inhabited the village, as evidenced by the abundance of pottery found in the irrigated fields when the villagers dug them to clear them of stones for better cultivation.

These pottery pieces were filled with burned bones, similar to the Indian customs of cremating their dead. This was not a practice of Christians or Jews, as even in the days when paganism was prevalent, our ancestors buried their dead. So, imagine the ancient history of human habitation in the mountainous villages? Undoubtedly, it goes back thousands of years.

The language spoken in Tena is Syriac Aramaic, just like the language of other Christians in the mountains and plains. We pronounce all the letters correctly, as do all the Syriacs. We don't change the pronunciation of the letter "h" to "h" or "kh" to "h" or "ayn" to "alif." In church services, we speak the language of the scriptures.

The people of Tena today have come from various places and settled here without changing their ethnicity from the rest of the mountainous region's people. They are of average height, fair-skinned, although each one of them may have a different complexion.

The nature and climate of the village are as follows: In spring, Wadi Sabna blossoms with green grass covering the mountains, hills, and valleys. The lush greenery adorns the deciduous trees with flowers, and the fields turn red with beautiful April flowers. However, the summer is scorching, burning all vegetation except for the irrigated fields.

During June, they start harvesting crops, and due to mosquitoes and the heat, they sleep on rooftops at night. The daytime is characterized by hot east winds similar to those in Sulaymaniyah, known as the "Black Winds." In autumn, the weather becomes pleasant, and crops and fruits abound. As for winter, it is cold, frosty, with long, rainy, and snowy nights.