The fifteen purely Assyrian villages of the Tur Abdin Region
Despite a turbulent history of genocide, attacks and pressure to leave, the Tur Abdin region still boosts fifteen villages solely inhabited by Assyrians.
Given the dramatic decline of the Assyrian population in Assyria over recent decades, it can be difficult to find places where one can still experience traditional Assyrian life. Nevertheless, there remain a number of locations where visitors can gain a genuine sense of being in Assyria proper.
Tur Abdin, one of the regions of Assyria most severely affected by genocide, persecution, and emigration, still boasts fifteen villages inhabited exclusively by Assyrians. Many of the other Assyrian villages in the region have a strong Assyrian presence but have been settled partly by Kurdish settlers. A number of villages however have been completely taken over by Kurdish settlers to the region.
The list of pure Assyrian villages of Tur Abdin:
Miden (Turkish Öğündük) Miden is one of the biggest remaining Assyrian villages in terms of permanent inhabitants. It is also one of the few villages in the region that boasts a large pond.
Bsorino (Turkish imposed name Haberli)
Hah (Turkish imposed name Anıtlı) Hah was recently named the most beautiful village in Turkey.
Beth Kustan (also spelled Bequsyone) Beth Kustan is the first Assyrian village to reclaim its original name. The Turkish imposed name, Alagöz, is no longer official for the village.
Dayro du Slibo (Turkish Çatalçam)
Arkah (Turkish imposed name Üçköy) Arkah is one of the few villages that was never abandoned and is today the most populous village and arguably the most well-developed.
Arbo Arbo is the second village to regain its Assyrian name as its official name.
Beth Debe (also spelled Badibe) (Turkish imposed name Dibek)
Kharabe Mishka (Turkish imposed name Dağiçi)
Sedari (Turkish imposed name Üçyol)
Mor Bobo (Turkish imposed name Günyurdu)
Qritho di Cito
Bnebil (Turkish imposed name Bülbül) Bnebil is the only remaining purely Assyrian village located in the vicinity of the provincial capital Mardin. It is also the only village whose Assyrian inhabitants speak Arabic.
Sare (Turkish imposed name Sarıköy)
Ehwo (also named Hbob) (Turkish imposed name Güzelsu)
In a major policy announcement, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared that facilitating the return of Assyrians who fled the country during two decades of conflict is now a "national and government priority."
Assyrian political parties, civic organizations and community groups gathered outside the Duhok Governorate building on Monday to protest what they describe as the continuing seizure of Assyrian-owned lands in Northern Iraq.
The names of the members of Syria's new People's Assembly selected by President Ahmad al-Sharaa under the "President's List" were announced in Damascus earlier today. Among those appointed is Gabriel Moshe Kourieh, an official of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO).
Residents of the Assyrian village of Kashkawa in the Nahla Valley have issued a public appeal calling for immediate intervention after Kurdish settlers have once again cultivated disputed village lands despite court rulings ordering the encroachments to be removed.
Swiss-Assyrian artist Shamiran Istifan is receiving widespread acclaim for her latest exhibition at the Aargauer Kunsthaus, where her installations explore themes of beauty, migration, identity and censorship through striking visual symbolism.
In a major policy announcement, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi declared that facilitating the return of Assyrians who fled the country during two decades of conflict is now a "national and government priority."
A new academic study offers one of the most extensive multidisciplinary examinations to date of the historical relationship between the designations Assyria, Syria, and Syriac–a question that has occupied historians for centuries.
