Elbegendi

Elbeğendi (Syriac: ܟܦܪܐ ܬܚܬܝܬܐ‎ Kafro Tahtayto) is an Assyrian/Syriac village in Midyat District of Mardin Province (Tur Abdin), Turkey. It has a population of 50 people, all of whom are followers of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The village was abandoned during the 1990s due to the PKK conflicts and rising tension in the region, but has recently been repopulated.

Thanks to the return of some stability, many of the refugees are returning, with wealth gained overseas. Many of the Syriacs who left managed to successfully immigrate to European countries such as Germany and Sweden because of their precarious situation (applying as political refugees), and therefore have gained the advantage of much higher pay and education standards relative to what most other people in the region have. Their comparative wealth has allowed them the purchasing power to build spectacular mansions, buy land, renovate abandoned properties, and invest in the region.

The Syriac name for the village, Kafro Tahtayto, means "lower village". Kafro is the Aramaic word for "village". To distinguish it from a nearby village of the same name, the two places with Tahtayto ("sub") and Helayto ("top") were designated. Therefore, this village was named Kafro Tahtayto. The upper Village is located approximately 26 km further north.

The village is located 15 kilometers southeast of Midyat. It lies on a slight hill and is located about 900 m above sea level. The border with Syria is 20 km from Elbeğendi. There is a high incidence of white limestone as well, which is one of the main building components here.

The seasons are very pronounced with much rainfall in the spring and autumn, hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters. The temperatures vary between -10 °C in winter and +25 °C in summer. The soil is very fertile from volcanic lava deposits.

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