The Syriac name of the village is derived from "biro" ("well" in Syriac).[8]
History
Bīrgurīya (today called Balaban) was historically inhabited by Syriac Orthodox Christians.[9] In the Syriac Orthodox patriarchal register of dues of 1870, it was recorded that the village had eight households, who paid thirty-five dues, and did not have a church or a priest.[10] There were 300 Syriacs in 1914, according to the list presented to the Paris Peace Conference by the Assyro-Chaldean delegation.[11] Amidst the Sayfo, all of the Syriacs were murdered by Kurds from Kfar-Gawze.[8] In 1966, the population was 455, including 140 Turoyo-speaking Christians in 20 families.[3] By 2013, there were ten Syriacs in two families and two Yazidi families.[12]
↑Tan (2018), "Harita 2: Turabidin ve Berriyê mıntıkalarında yer alan aşiretlerin sınırları ile il, ilçe, köy ve mezralar" [Map 2: The borders of the tribes and provinces, districts, villages and hamlets in the Turabidin and Berriyê regions].
Tan, Altan (2018). Turabidin'den Berriye'ye. Aşiretler - Dinler - Diller - Kültürler (in Turkish). Pak Ajans Yayincilik Turizm Ve Diş Ticaret Limited şirketi. ISBN9789944360944.
Turan, Ahmet (1993). Yezidiler Tarihçeleri Coğrafi Dağılımları İnançları Örf ve Adetleri (in Turkish).
