The Assyrian roots of Aleppo's Kurdified districts
The two Aleppo neighborhoods that have become known as Kurdish in recent years were only 50 years ago inhabited by Assyrians and Armenians, explains local journalist Aqil Hussein in Asharq Al Awsat.
Editor's pick This post is part of hand-picked stories from across the web, curated by the editors of the Assyria Post.
"The two neighborhoods that have become known as Kurdish in recent years were, 50 years ago, little more than small residential clusters inhabited by a limited number of poor Christians, mainly Assyrians and Armenians.
Over time, people from the northern and eastern countryside of Aleppo, including residents of Afrin, Jandaris and Ain al-Arab (Kobani), moved there in search of better opportunities in the city, drawn by relatively affordable living costs and proximity to industrial zones.
What led many to label the neighborhoods as Kurdish was the rare and unprecedented concentration of Kurds in one area of Aleppo.
Until the 1970s, Aleppans knew Sheikh Maqsoud as Jabal al-Sayyida, named after the Virgin Mary. After a mosque bearing the name of a Kurdish Sufi sheikh, Sheikh Maqsoud, was built at the site where Kurds had begun to gather, the new name became widely used.
The neighboring Ashrafieh district emerged around the same time as an unplanned extension of the Assyrian Christian quarter."
A newly discovered Assyrian world chronicle from the early eighth century offers fresh insights into the political and religious upheavals from Late Antiquity to the rise of Islam.
According to an ancient Assyrian monument of the eleventh century BCE known as the Broken Obelisk (BM118898), the region of Kashiāri and mount Īzallā, were considered to be among the “mountains of Assyria”.
Iraqi Armenians and Assyrians share deep cultural ties rooted in the Fertile Crescent, from food and family traditions to common histories, showing how diverse communities in the region are connected despite different languages and identities.
During the observance of the Rogation of the Ninevites, Archbishop Yousif Thomas Mirkis made remarks regarding Assyrian civilization that have prompted reflection among scholars and the faithful regarding historical understanding and cultural memory.
A newly discovered Assyrian world chronicle from the early eighth century offers fresh insights into the political and religious upheavals from Late Antiquity to the rise of Islam.
We're honoring Naum Faik Palak’s memory on his day of remembrance, 5 February, by publishing a translation of a special article he wrote more than one hundred years ago.
The Village of Skokie has approved a plan that will allow the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East to expand and build a dedicated worship space after years of waiting.
In a dramatic turn after more than 50 years of legal fights, U.S. authorities have deported Lou Akrawi, the once-notorious leader of Metro Detroit’s Assyrian community.
Asharq Al Awsat
