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How the Assyrians Vanished From Syria
By Rustum Mahmud
https://en.majalla.com  2023-06-09 03:28 GMT

As you wander through the streets of Qamishli, a city located in far north-east Syria, you pass by its traditional neighborhoods — al-Bashiriya, Erbewiye, Khanika, and Al-Ashuriya — all named after the Assyrian villages that once surrounded the city.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the people from these villages were displaced and relocated to the city, naming their new neighbourhoods after their original villages. However, when you inquire about the fate of these people, the residents sadly reveal: “There is no one left. They have all migrated.”

The city of Qamishli bustles with activity. Hundreds of workshops in its industrial zone, restaurants, parks, cafes, cinemas, and old mills, as well as libraries, hotels, remnants of palaces belonging to the bourgeoisie class, cultural clubs, and wedding halls — all bear Assyrian names and signs. However, the Assyrians themselves are no longer present.

Qamishli — the largest city in north-eastern Syria — was founded by the Assyrians in the mid-1920s, and for many decades, they formed the backbone of its economic, social, cultural, and administrative structure.

Qamishli served as a model for numerous cities and towns in the wider region of north-eastern Syria, including Al-Malikiyah/Dayrik near the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi border triangle, and the cities of Tirbespiye/Al-Qahtaniyah, Al-Hasakah, Amuda, Ad Darbasiyah, Ras Al-Ain, Tell Abyad, and Kobani/Ayn al-Arab.

The Assyrians were trailblazers in all these places, as well as the surrounding countryside and towns. However, their numbers started to decline in the 1980s due to various reasons, and now, there are no Assyrians remaining.

The story of the Assyrian people in Syria is reflective of the experiences the wider Christian community in the Middle East. They once flourished and thrived in the middle of the last century, but their presence has gradually diminished over time.

However, the Assyrians are unique in that they never saw themselves as a national or religious minority but rather as an integrated part of the national fabric — politically, culturally, and economically.

Oldest Christian community in the Middle East

Their roots in Syria are rich and deep — dating back to ancient times — and the country’s modern name itself is derived from the Assyrians.

Related: Brief History of Assyrians

The Assyrians are the oldest Christian community in the Middle East. Their lineage can be traced back to the ancient Assyrian/Chaldean peoples. They primarily speak the Western dialect of the traditional Aramaic/Assyrian language.

Throughout history, Assyrians have inhabited various regions within Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean coasts.

However, it is the Assyrians in northern Iraq and north-eastern Syria who have managed to preserve their distinct national identity and heritage, distinguishing themselves from other Arab Christian communities.

Elderly Assyrians recall their historic presence in the vast steppes of north-eastern Syria, predating the establishment of the Syrian state in the early 1920s. The Jazira steppes have always served as grazing lands for numerous Assyrian and Kurdish villages situated in the northern Taurus Mountains, overlooking the steppes.

However, due to geopolitical changes, these villages eventually became part of Turkey, resulting in a geographical separation between them and the southern steppes.

For decades, Assyrian peasant families resided in villages such as Chuwajtila, Kirku Shamu, Selhomiye, Khanik, Dearborn, and many others on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey.

Genocide and mass displacement

Tragically, starting in 1915, they became victims of genocidal campaigns alongside the Armenians, orchestrated by the Ottoman Empire. These massacres, known as the Sayfo Massacres, dominate the social and political psyches of Assyrians.

The governor of Nusaybin, Qadour Bey, spearheaded relentless campaigns against the Assyrians of the Syrian Jazira steppes in the early 20th century, forcing hundreds of families to flee their villages.

Many embarked on arduous migrations that reached as far as the American continent, including the family of Archbishop Yeshua Samuel of the Orthodox Church in the United States.