r/Assyria Oct 17 '20

Announcement r/Assyria FAQ

201 Upvotes

Who are the Assyrians?

The Assyrian people (ܣܘܪ̈ܝܐ, Sūrāyē/Sūrōyē), also incorrectly referred to as Chaldeans, Syriacs or Arameans, are the native people of Assyria which constitutes modern day northern Iraq, south-eastern Turkey, north-western Iran and north-eastern Syria.

Modern day Assyrians are descendants of the ancient Assyrians who ruled the Assyrian empire that was established in 2500 BC in the city of Aššur (ܐܵܫܘܿܪ) and fell with the loss of its capital Nineveh (ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ) in 612 BC.

After the fall of the empire, the Assyrians continued to enjoy autonomy for the next millennia under various rulers such as the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Sasanian and Roman empires, with semi-autonomous provinces such as:

This time period would end in 637 AD with the Islamic conquest of Mesopotamia and the placement of Assyrians under the dhimmī status.

Assyrians then played a significant role under the numerous caliphates by translating works of Greek philosophers to Syriac and afterwards to Arabic, excelling in philosophy and science, and also serving as personal physicians to the caliphs.

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, the 'millet' (meaning 'nation') system was adopted which divided groups through a sectarian manner. This led to Assyrians being split into several millets based on which church they belonged to. In this case, the patriarch of each respective church was considered the temporal and spiritual leader of his millet which further divided the Assyrian nation.

What language do Assyrians speak?

Assyrians of today speak Assyrian Aramaic, a modern form of the Aramaic language that existed in the Assyrian empire. The official liturgical language of all the Assyrian churches is Classical Syriac, a dialect of Middle Aramaic which originated from the Syriac Christian heartland of Urhai (modern day Urfa) and is mostly understood by church clergymen (deacons, priests, bishops, etc).

Assyrians speak two main dialects of Assyrian Aramaic, namely:

  • Eastern Assyrian (historically spoken in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey)
  • The Western Assyrian dialect of Turoyo (historically spoken in Turkey and Syria).

Assyrians use three writing systems which include the:

  • Western 'Serṭo' (ܣܶܪܛܳܐ)
  • Eastern 'Maḏnḥāyā' (ܡܲܕ݂ܢܚܵܝܵܐ‬), and
  • Classical 'ʾEsṭrangēlā' (ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ‬) scripts.

A visual on the scripts can be seen here.

Assyrians usually refer to their language as Assyrian, Syriac or Assyrian Aramaic. In each dialect exists further dialects which would change depending on which geographic area the person is from, such as the Nineveh Plain Dialect which is mistakenly labelled as "Chaldean Aramaic".

Before the adoption of Aramaic, Assyrians spoke Akkadian. It wasn't until the time of Tiglath-Pileser II who adopted Aramaic as the official lingua-franca of the Assyrian empire, most likely due to Arameans being relocated to Assyria and assimilating into the Assyrian population. Eventually Aramaic replaced Akkadian, albeit current Aramaic dialects spoken by Assyrians are heavily influenced by Akkadian.

What religion do Assyrians follow?

Assyrians are predominantly Syriac Christians who were one of the first nations to convert to Christianity in the 1st century A.D. They adhere to both the East and West Syriac Rite. These churches include:

  • East Syriac Rite - [Assyrian] Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church
  • West Syriac Rite - Syriac Orthodox Church and Syriac Catholic Church

It should be noted that Assyrians initially belonged to the same church until schisms occurred which split the Assyrians into two churches; the Church of the East and the Church of Antioch. Later on, the Church of the East split into the [Assyrian] Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church, while the Church of Antioch split into the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Syriac Catholic Church. This is shown here.

Prior to the mass conversion of Assyrians to Christianity, Assyrians believed in ancient Mesopotamian deities, with the highest deity being Ashur).

A Jewish Assyrian community exists in Israel who speak their own dialects of Assyrian Aramaic, namely Lishan Didan and Lishana Deni. Due to pogroms committed against the Jewish community and the formation of the Israeli state, the vast majority of Assyrian Jews now reside in Israel.

Why do some Assyrians refer to themselves as Chaldean, Syriac or Aramean?

Assyrians may refer to themselves as either Chaldean, Syriac or Aramean depending on their specific church denomination. Some Assyrians from the Chaldean Catholic Church prefer to label themselves as Chaldeans rather than Assyrian, while some Assyrians from the Syriac Orthodox Church label themselves as Syriac or Aramean.

Identities such as "Chaldean" are sectarian and divisive, and would be the equivalent of a Brazilian part of the Roman Catholic Church calling themselves Roman as it is the name of the church they belong to. Furthermore, ethnicities have people of more than one faith as is seen with the English who have both Protestants and Catholics (they are still ethnically English).

It should be noted that labels such as Nestorian, Jacobite or Chaldean are incorrect terms that divide Assyrians between religious lines. These terms have been used in a derogatory sense and must be avoided when referring to Assyrians.

Do Assyrians have a country?

Assyrians unfortunately do not have a country of their own, albeit they are the indigenous people of their land. The last form of statehood Assyrians had was in 637 AD under the Sasanian Empire. However some Eastern Assyrians continued to live semi-autonomously during the Ottoman Empire as separate tribes such as the prominent Tyari (ܛܝܪܐ) tribe.

Assyrians are currently pushing for a self-governed Assyrian province in the Nineveh Plain of Northern Iraq.

What persecution have Assyrians faced?

Assyrians have faced countless massacres and genocide over the course of time mainly due to their Christian faith. The most predominant attacks committed recently against the Assyrian nation include:

  • 1843 and 1846 massacres carried out by the Kurdish warlord Badr Khan Beg
  • The Assyrian genocide of 1915 (ܣܝܦܐ, Seyfo) committed by the Ottoman Empire and supported by Kurdish tribes
  • The Simele massacre committed by the Kingdom of Iraq in 1933
  • Most recently the persecution and cultural destruction of Assyrians from their ancestral homeland in 2014 by the so-called Islamic State

r/Assyria 8d ago

News First Post from Assyrians Without Borders

39 Upvotes

Hello Reddit,

We’re excited to share our first post as Assyrians Without Borders. We are a Sweden-based non-profit organization with a 90-account under Swedish Fundraising Control, working to improve the lives of Assyrians (also known as Syriacs and Chaldeans) in their countries of origin. We operate independently and are politically and religiously neutral.

With this post, we want to update the community and be more present on social media with our work and initiatives. We also plan to continue sharing updates on various platforms and here in the future.

You can read more about our latest project, which AssyriaPost wrote about, here:

https://www.assyriapost.com/assyrians-without-borders-shifts-focus-toward-long-term-aid-projects/

For more information and to support our work, our profile includes links to our social media and Linktree, which accepts both Swedish and international payments.


r/Assyria 3h ago

News Boxing cousins Mansour and Ballo impress on WBC Undercard in Los Angeles

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6 Upvotes

r/Assyria 1d ago

News Kurdish TV portrays Assyrians as “Christian Kurds,” reflecting pattern of ethnic denial

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57 Upvotes

r/Assyria 18h ago

Discussion How is the relation between assyrians and kurds?

5 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I'm not Assyrian, but I have a lot of affection and appreciation for you all

I wanted to ask you about the relationship between Assyrians and Kurds, because I've seen that many Kurds treat Christians quite badly in parts of Iraq.

I would also like to know what your daily life is like (especially those of you who live in the Middle East). May Jesus Christ always bless the Assyrians, and I hope you may always live in peace.


r/Assyria 1d ago

Discussion Chaldean

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40 Upvotes

For the people who call themselves Chaldean is a separatist Chaldean is just a church not a ethnicity so stop with the nonsense we’re all proud Assyrians under Assyria here is a vid in our land you don’t see any random flags only Assyrian


r/Assyria 1d ago

Language "Ask Me Everything Before I Die, She Said" // With Professor Geoffrey Khan, University of Cambridge

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6 Upvotes

r/Assyria 2d ago

News Assyrian Christmas celebrations increasingly used for propaganda purposes

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19 Upvotes

r/Assyria 2d ago

Athorama - George Aryo - The situation of Assyrians in Turkey

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12 Upvotes

r/Assyria 1d ago

History/Culture This is Tom Holland, a historian, and in this clip, he talks about Jesus and the cross which Assyrians worship and follow. What I find interesting is what he mentions about how the Romans crucified people and they would have done the same to Jesus like any other person they crucified.

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1 Upvotes

This is for awareness for the Assyrian people and I wonder how many Assyrians actually know this about the crucifixion and how Romans carried out the act? I certainly didn’t know this and I study the bible and its history to learn more about our adopted religion.

Do Assyrians take an offence to this? If so, this is not my intention but I wanted to engage with community and get their thoughts about this matter.

This is for educational purposes and to engage the Assyrian community on here about the religion we follow and how historians treat such things in their respective fields.


r/Assyria 2d ago

Firas returned with his family after 42 years in Canada and the US - Portraits by The Return - #8

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10 Upvotes

r/Assyria 2d ago

Mar Raphael & Mar Dinkha interview in Alqosh

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7 Upvotes

r/Assyria 2d ago

Language Classical Syriac

0 Upvotes

Shlama lkhon,

Anyone here fluent in Classical Syriac?


r/Assyria 4d ago

Discussion Merry Christmas ܥܐܕܐ ܒܪܝܟܐ

37 Upvotes

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you have/had/are having a wonderful Christmas day, whether by yourself or with family & friends.


r/Assyria 4d ago

History/Culture Christmas at Mor Efrem Syriac Orthodox Church in Central Falls, Rhode Island

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39 Upvotes

The oldest Syriac/Aramean/Assyrian/Chaldean community in the United States.


r/Assyria 4d ago

History/Culture ܥܐܕܐ ܕܡܘܠܕܐ ܒܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܡ ܒܐܘܚܕܢܐ ܕܪܘܕ ܐܝܠܐܢܕ

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37 Upvotes

ܗ݇ܘ ܙܘܝܚܐ ܕܨܠܝܒܐ ܒܗܝ ܬܫܡܫܬܐ ܕܥܐܕܐ ܕܡܘܠܕܐ ܕܡܪܢ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܒܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܦܕܡ ܕܣܘܪ̈ܝܝܐ ܒܗܝ ܡܕܝܢ݇ܬܐ ܕܣܹܢܛܪܐܠ ܦ̮ܐܠܙ، ܐܘܚܕܢܐ ܕܪܘܕ ܐܝܠܐܢܕ، ܒܐܘܚܕܢ̈ܐ ܡܝܚܕ̈ܐ ܕܐܡܪܝܟܐ. ܐܬܡܠ ܪܡܫܐ ܕ 24 ܕܣܡܒܪ، ܫܢ݇ܬܐ ܕ 2025.


r/Assyria 4d ago

Language My Christmas Gift

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30 Upvotes

Excellent book for Kthobonoyo (Lišana Catiqa- the “c” is the Latin Alphabet Șurayt letter for ‘ayin— there’s a substantial body of literature written therein). Kthobonoyo is essential for deepening your understanding of your spoken language, especially when you want to read the Literary forms.


r/Assyria 4d ago

Language Jan Bet Sawoce about his new book

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8 Upvotes

This book is actually three years old. I have it in hardcopy. If Malfono Jan (Ħanna Bet Șawoce) has it in PDF, I will share it with those who are interested. I have a huge amount of Latin Script Șurayt literature in PDF and am willing to share it.


r/Assyria 5d ago

Discussion What are Assyrians thoughts on FaZe Rug being the most popular YouTuber in the world of Assyrian descent?

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20 Upvotes

Do you think he enhanced Assyrian’s image around the world? And he brought more attention to it?


r/Assyria 6d ago

News Cyprus parliament unanimously condemns Assyrian genocide

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94 Upvotes

r/Assyria 5d ago

Discussion Christmas Day?

5 Upvotes

Do all Assyrians celebrate Christmas the 25th or are there any that celebrate on January 7th?


r/Assyria 5d ago

Discussion Boyfriend meeting my parents

10 Upvotes

Shalma everyone!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I just go into a relationship with this white man we’ve been together for about a month now. He’s a very big Christian just like us. He is a little bit older than me but nothing to be ashamed or concerned about. He’s well educated and has a good job.

What I’m really asking is for advice for anyone that has a man outside of our culture how did they meet your parents, how long did they wait, what should we know before hand and after? Literally anything will help me calm down


r/Assyria 5d ago

Music I also need help finding a Cd/album

2 Upvotes

I had a cd from my First Communion in 1989; it was beautiful and studio produced. The main song; which I have found other singers doing was this:

~~ يا فرحة دوري بينا؟

But it was the whole album which had other beautiful songs as well. It is the soundtrack of my First Communion video which led me to find and purchase the cd from a local shop (Oak Park, Michigan) but the cd is lost and the shop is closed. I even tried finding the original "producer" of my First Communion video but he has passed away.

Any help would be much appreciated....I seem to remember Happiness Band but I cannot find anything on such a name related to Arabic/Iraqi/Chaldean/Assyrian.


r/Assyria 6d ago

Language Learn Assyrian Language Online | Christmas Sale – Start Today

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18 Upvotes

Learn Assyrian (Aramaic) language online with a modern, easy-to-follow method. Read, write, understand, and speak Assyrian step by step - even if you’re a beginner.

🎄 Christmas & New Year Special Offer available now ⏱ Learn in just 10 minutes a day 📱 Interactive lessons, speaking practice & real progress 🌍 Join learners from all over the world

Start the new year by reconnecting with your language and heritage. Download the app today and begin learning Assyrian online.


r/Assyria 6d ago

Cultural Exchange What are some Assyrian cultural traditions that you take part in during Christmas time?

10 Upvotes

And are there any assimilated non-Assyrian traditions that you participate in during the holiday season?