World-famous Syriac nun returns to her village in Mardin after 36 years
Hatune Dogan (51), who immigrated to Germany with her family at the age of 15 from her village in Mardin, Turkey, and received awards from many institutions including the United Nations (UN) for humanitarian aid activities and her 22 books she wrote, returned to her native village Izbirak where she was born. While nun Dogan restored their old house in the village she came back to after 36 years, she also built a swimming pool for children who would come to the village with their families from Europe.
The Dogan family, living in the Izbirak village of the Midyat district, joined the trend to migrate to European countries that started in the region in 1985. Isa and Nisane Dogan left their house in the village and went to Germany with their 10 children, 6 girls, 4 boys. Hatune Dogan, the 14-year-old daughter of the Dogan family who started to live here, grew up with a longing for her homeland. Hatune Dogan learned 12 languages besides Turkish and Syriac in time, and also became a nun. Traveling more than 40 countries with her humanitarian aid activities, and giving a helping hand to the poor, the sick, the homeless, students, and orphans Hatune Dogan has also written 22 books in Syriac and German. Dogan received awards from many institutions, including the UN, for her humanitarian aid activities and the books she wrote.
NUN HATUNE BUILT A SWIMMING POOL FOR CHILDREN
Hatune Dogan decided to return to her native village after her father said 'I wish I could see the empty village as full as before' before he passed away at the age of 78. While nun Dogan restored their old house in the village, she also built a new house. Dogan also broke new ground and had a swimming pool built for children and young people who would come to the village from Europe with their families. She also had a borehole drilled to fill the pool with water. Seeing that Dogan returned to the village and repaired their house, 13 more Assyrian families built new houses in the village. Dogan said that she has now started preparations to open various courses for Syriac girls in the surrounding villages and to improve their professional skills.