Within this sacred landscape lies the Assyrian village of Hah, whose name means "place of rest" in Assyrian. Located in the Medyad (Midyat) district, Hah has been chosen by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as one of the "Best Tourism Villages" in the world, under the Best Tourism Villages program held in Huzhou, China.
In 2022, the UNWTO included the village of Hah in its "Best Tourism Villages -- Upgrade Program".
This year's nomination came through the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which proposed four villages for the program: Hah, Akyaka in Mugla, Barbaros in Izmir, and Ucagiz Castle in Antalya. According to an official statement from the ministry, 52 villages from 29 countries were recognized in the program's fifth edition. The chosen destinations were selected from more than 270 applicants across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Evaluation criteria included preservation of cultural heritage, sustainable use of natural resources, and the role of tourism in fostering local development.
The UNWTO also announced that applications for the program's sixth edition will open in the first quarter of 2026.
Hah: A Assyrian Village
The village of Hah lies about 87 kilometers from Merde (Mardin) city and 22 kilometers from Medyad (Midyat) city. Today, Hah is inhabited by 20 Assyrian families with a population of about 130 residents who depend primarily on agriculture as their main source of livelihood. In Yusuf Aydin, member of the Swedish Riksdag, the village of Hah has a prominent representative in the diaspora.
The village is home to Turkey's first non-church Assyrian library. This library is an important resource for preserving the rich Assyrian heritage.
It is home to the Cathedral of Mor Sobo and the Church of the Virgin Mary, both belonging to the Assyrian Orthodox community. The village is renowned for its unique architecture and stone buildings that date back to the fourth and fifth centuries AD. Hah is considered one of the first villages of the Assyrian people in Tur Abdin to convert to Christianity. The churches dating back to the first centuries AD are built on older religious sites.
The Assyrian liturgical book of "Phanqitho" in the village church of Habses ascribes the beginnings of Christianity in the Tur 'Abdin to the return of the Three Wise Men from Jerusalem after visiting the newborn Child Jesus in Bethlehem. These Three Wise Men are said to have sojourned in the village of Hah and laid the foundation for the world's first Christian church-- In the Assyrian language it is called the ????? ?????? ? ???? --Yoldath Aloho d-Hah or Church of the Mother of God in Hah. According to Church tradition, the church in Hah is therefore the oldest church in the world.
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