On the traditions and national identity of the Assyrians-Aisors as an inseparable part Armenian history, as well as our fellow citizens - more than 7 thousand of them live in Armenia - Marina and Hamlet Mirzoyan told noev-kovcheg.ru.
For more than two thousand years, Armenians and Aisors have lived side by side. Their fate is very similar. In ancient times, in pre-Christian times, they allegedly fought among themselves, but in the Christian period of their history they always treated each other in a friendly, brotherly manner.
"During Russian-Turkish War In 1827, when Russian troops entered Persia, the Aisors, among 100 smokes, asked for permission to move to Russia. Having received permission to do this, in the 30s they left Persia and the province of Urmia forever. The Aisors moved under the leadership of their leader Alaverdy Tumaev, who, as the old-timers say, rendered a great service to the Russian troops as a guide and supplier of food supplies. The Aisors who left Persia first settled in the Nakhichevan district, and three years later they went to the Shusha district. Here they lived in the village of Tartar for about 10 years, but then, due to diphtheria, they left this village and moved to the Erivan district, first to the village of Agalezalu, then Dugun, and finally, in the 40s, they settled forever in the village of Koylasar.”
These lines are taken from the notes of the caretaker-teacher of the Koylasar rural normal two-year school, Pavel Eyvazov, dated 1882. Eyvazov (1854 – 1919) can well be called an Assyrian educator. For many years he was the headman of the village church and performed the duties of a psalm-reader. Known as an ethnographer. In his work “Some Information about the Village of Koylasar and the Aisors,” Pavel Eyvazov was the first to describe the Assyrians who lived in the village of Koylasar and collected material on ethnography and folklore.
"Kala-Asor" - a fenced fortress
The village of Koylasar (now Dimitrov, located in the Garnibasar section of the Erivan district (now in the Ararat region), is located on a low-lying area that starts from the city of Erivan and ends at the Ararat mountains. The village of Koylasar was formerly called “Kala-asor”, which means “fenced fortress " Indeed, the village was fenced with thick and high walls with 20 towers in the corners and in the middle of the walls. In 1882, the population of the village consisted of Aisors (444 souls) and Armenians (235 souls).
The Isors, or Assyrians, consider Nimrod and Asur, the descendants of Noah, their ancestors, the first of whom laid the foundation Ancient Babylon, and the second - to the city of Nineveh. Their language is similar to Hebrew: Jews and Aisors understand each other freely. The Assyrians call themselves Syro-Chaldeans, and neighboring peoples they call them Aisors or Asors, while the Persians call them Nazrans.
Church holidays in Koylasar
Aisors of Koilasar are celebrated by everyone big holidays Orthodox Church, but especially revered are the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the feast of the holy martyrs Kirik and Julitta (the church built in Koylasar in 1849 was named in their honor) and the Most Holy Theotokos. Feast of the Martyr Kirik and Martyr Julitta (mother and son who did not renounce the faith and accepted martyrdom during the persecution of Christianity in the 3rd century: Saints Cyricus and Julitta are prayed for family happiness and the recovery of sick children) as a local temple is celebrated on July 28.
On the eve of Easter, Aisors paint several hundred eggs with madder and their hands with henna. At the appointed time, they go into the church to listen to mass, upon leaving the church, young Isors shoot from guns, old people go home, congratulating each other on the holiday. On this day, they eat arisa (wheat porridge with chicken, boiled to a sticky, homogeneous state), and women gather together and dance. On this holiday, married virgins return to their parental home for seven days, and upon leaving they receive a gift or good clothes, or one cow.
House with a tandoor
Each resident of Koylasar had a house consisting of one room and a storeroom; next to the house there is a cattle shed and adobe. These buildings are covered with thick logs supported by several log posts. They are built low, in quadrangles with two or three permanently open holes in the ceiling and with a “tandur” in the middle. The Koylasar residents, paying attention to the inconvenience of the old dwellings, began to replace them with new, more spacious buildings: all these buildings, like the Church of Kirik and Iulitta, were built of raw brick and constitute the decoration of the village.
The floor of the dwelling is earthen and covered with matting woven from broad-leaved grass; rugs, felts, carpets are laid on the matting, and oblong ones are placed on the sides, cylindrical pillows stuffed with cotton wool. The floor serves as a place to sit, sleep and eat. The food is cooked in pots and can be varied: shirva (vegetarian soup), bozbash (chickpea and lamb soup), chukirtma (poultry broth soup), kyufta, tolma made from grape leaves, pilaf, dokhva (meat dish), mashi ( bean dish), syshpury (spicy fermented milk dish), djadzhik (cottage cheese dish), kutli (ground meat dish), bushala (rice porridge)…
Koilasar Aisors are primarily engaged in agriculture. From mid-April they leave their smoky homes, go out into the fields, plow, sow barley, wheat, cotton, tobacco, watermelons and melons, beans, peas, onions, garlic and peppers and take care of irrigating them. Aisors eat wheat bread and sell barley. A significant part of the local land is occupied by vineyards. Aisora grapes are used to make raisins, syrup, wine and vodka.
Isor Hospitality
IN physically Isors are quite well developed and different good health. The Isor has a round face, black eyes, a wide forehead, a small head with black hair, a developed chest, a rough voice, and a dark complexion. Aisors are distinguished by their direct character and gullibility. It’s enough for the Isor to answer the question “Is it true?” say: “Mizhit i amin” (“Truth and believe”) so that he will believe. When passing by an elder - be it an Aisor, an Armenian, a Caucasian Tatar or a Jew, the Aisor will certainly bow, and to the Aisor he will say: “Shlamalukh” - “Peace be with you”, and to the others “Alla sakhlasin” - “God preserve.”
Aisors are hospitable and generous to the point of profligacy, compassionate towards the poor and needy. They have no hatred towards their neighbors of other nationalities: they take part in public entertainments, holidays, weddings, funerals of their Armenian and Muslim neighbors, and also invite them to their place on similar occasions. In times of need requiring help, Aisors and Armenians joint forces support each other.
In family life, Aisors have a highly developed love between family members, especially love for father and mother. The father is considered the head of the family, all family members obey him unquestioningly; his mother is his closest assistant.
Wedding is a joy for the whole world
Before the wedding, the owner gathers all the honorable people from the entire village and consults with them about the arrangement of his wedding. After this, on the first day in the morning, the bull is slaughtered early, and the groom’s relatives dance around the slaughtered animal to the accompaniment of a zurna and a drum. Then one of the relatives with a bunch of fragrant dry herbs in her hand and one of the relatives with wine and music go from house to house and invite everyone to the wedding; the woman serves the guests some grass, wishing them such a joyful moment, and the man gives a glass of wine on a platter. Accepting wine serves as a sign of consent to attend the wedding.
On the second day, in the morning the bride is taken out of her parents' house to her godfather's house, where she remains until the next day. When she is brought out, the zurna plays sad melodies, thereby expressing the grief of the bride who is parting forever with her parents. Before leaving, they first dress her in wedding clothes, lead her around the “tandur” three times, then bring her to her father and mother, whose hands and feet she kisses as a sign of gratitude and asks with tears for parental blessings, and they, in turn, kiss her and bless her . She then kisses all her brothers, sisters and relatives. This custom is usually accompanied by crying from the parents and the bride herself.
When the bride leaves her parents' house, she is put on a horse and taken to the doors of wealthy relatives, who usually give her one or another gift. At the same time, the groom with several of his companions, who are called “musaibs,” stands on the roof of the house, past which the bride must pass; here he is loud screams“Hurray” and gun shots, in new clothes and with red feathers in his hat, drinks wine with “musaibs”. As the bride approaches, the groom takes off three apples and, crossing himself with them, throws them at the bride. The crowd of men and women accompanying the bride rushes for the first apple, as it is considered sacred. After this, the bride gets off the horse and goes into the godfather’s house, and the groom with the “musaibs” returns to his house, and there is a feast there.
On the third day, the bride and groom are led to the church, where the wedding takes place over them, and the groom's relatives dance in front of the newlyweds along the road and in the fence of the church until the end of the wedding. As the newlyweds leave the church, shots are heard with loud cries of “hurray,” and the bride goes to the groom’s house. At the end of dinner, dancing begins, in which the bride and groom take part, and until that time they stand in the house against one wall so that everyone who comes in congratulates them. These last dances, in fact, are how weddings end.
Birth and death
During childbirth, Isors treat the mother in labor with care: they keep her warm. The night before childbirth, relatives and friends gather around the suffering woman, talk and joke with her so that she can pass the time unnoticed before the birth. If childbirth is difficult, then superstitious Aysors make a fire and force the woman in labor to jump over it; if the child is delayed in the mother’s womb, then a healthy woman usually takes over the postpartum woman and shakes her several times. When a child comes out into the light of God, he is wrapped in rags so that, as the Aisors say, he will be rich in the future and live well.
Funerals are also accompanied by superstitious rituals. Some of the local Aisors do not allow one to cry for the dead, so as not to wet his place with tears in the next world and thereby disturb him. Having taken the deceased out of the home, they put him right there, near the house, so that the women would say goodbye to him forever. After this, when the assembled relatives begin to weep, the deceased is raised to be carried to the cemetery, with the women remaining in place and the men accompanying the coffin all the way to the cemetery. On the third, seventh day and on the first Easter after the death of the deceased, funeral services are held.
In the 40s years XIX centuries, Aisors from Persia, in addition to Koilasar, settled in the villages of Dvin-Gel (now Verin Dvin), Arzni and Shayriyar (now Nor-Artagers) of the Erivan district, converting to Orthodoxy. Currently Orthodox faith preserved only among the Assyrians of the village of Dimitrov (village of Koylasar). The church of this village remained in the Russian Orthodox Church, while the churches of the villages of Verin Dvin and Arzni entered the Nestorian Assyrian Church of the East.
Arzni and Verin Dvin are the largest Assyrian villages not only in Armenia, but also in the region. More than 1,400 Assyrian families live in the village of Verin Dvin alone. In the village of Nor-Artagers, Assyrians live together with Armenians and Yazidis, in Dimitrov - only with Armenians. In addition, significant groups of Assyrians live in Yerevan, Abovyan, Byurakan, Artashat, Armavir, Ararat and Vanadzor (according to the head of the Assyrian community Arsen Mikaelov, as of June 2011 there were 7,000 Assyrians in Armenia). The number of Assyrians in Russia ranges from 14,000 (according to the 2002 census) to 70,000 people (according to Assyrian sources); in the world - about 1,230,000 people (according to some sources, their number ranges from 3 to 4.2 million people).
For more than 2 thousand years, these two peoples have lived side by side. Their fate is very similar. In ancient times, in pre-Christian times, they seemed to fight among themselves, but in the Christian period of their history they always treated each other in a friendly, brotherly manner. Armenians highly appreciate the culture of the Syrians in the early Middle Ages. Living side by side in cities and villages in the east Ottoman Empire and in northwestern Persia, they have much in common in everyday life, in morals, in rituals. Throughout the entire report, I will use the words Assyrians and Syrians in the same meaning, since in the minds of Armenians they are one people.
The history of relations between these peoples contains a lot of interesting things for both peoples.
Armenian sources, in which we can find numerous evidence on the history of the Assyrians at its different stages, are the most important information for covering certain periods of Assyrian (Syrian) history. Armenian scientists showed great interest in studying the history and culture of the Syrians and realized their importance for the history of the Armenian people and their culture. Therefore, already their first historians M. Khorenatsi (the father of Armenian history), P. Buzand, Agafangel, L. Parpetsi, Koryun, I. Draskhanakertsi, K. Gandzaketsi and others pay a lot of attention to the Assyrians in their works. Into the new and modern times Historians and philologists of Armenian nationality living in Russia and European countries turn to the history of the relationships between these peoples. In Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. works are published - G. Khalatyants “The Armenian epic in the history of Armenia by M. Khorensky”, M. Ter-Movsesyan “The history of the translation of the Bible into Armenian language”, in Germany the work of E. Ter-Minasyants “Armenian-Syrian Church Relations”. IN Soviet time in the 60s in Soviet Armenia this wonderful tradition was continued by G. Melkonyan “History of the State of Adiabene and Armenia”, “Syrian sources on the history of Armenia”, “From the history of Armenian-Syrian relations”, and basic research expert on Armenian manuscripts early Middle Ages and Syriac expert Dr. philological sciences Levon Ter-Petrosyan “Ancient Armenian translated literature.”
The Armenians, who lived for centuries next to us and among us, preserved a lot for us important information, important details of our history. So, for example, the ethnonym –asori- (Assyrian, Syrian) preserved in the Armenian language is interesting for us. For a long time in Russian we were called the word Aysor. This is the same word asori that came into the Russian language from Armenian. Where the Armenian sources talk about Assyrians or Syrians, then in the minds of Armenian researchers, and not only researchers, but also the Armenian people themselves - we're talking about about one people.
In the following we will briefly outline chronological order works of some Armenian historians and researchers.
Since ancient times, entering into close relations with their closest neighbors to the south, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia and Assyria, Armenians have been influenced by their culture. “... the religion of the ancient Armenians was also influenced by the Syrians. Of their deities, the ancient Armenian pantheon included Barshamin, Nane, Astghik, Anahit. The word “kurm” - priest comes from the Syriac language,” writes academician M. Abeghyan in his work “History of Ancient Armenian Literature” (1948, p. 14).
The myths of the Armenian people, associated with the initial history and religion of the Armenians, also talk about their closest neighbors - the Assyrians. M. Khorenatsi cites similar myths in his story. The myth of Hayk “preserves the memory of the influence exerted by the Assyrian civilization, culture, religion on the Armenians...” (See: Abeghyan M., “History of Ancient Armenian Literature” pp. 21-22). The myth of Aram mentions a war between the Urartian king Aram and the Assyrian king Shalmaneser II. One of the favorite myths of the Armenian people to this day is the myth of “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram”, the love story of the Assyrian queen and the Armenian king is so popular and famous in Armenia that these two characters are inseparable in the minds of the people. Today there are even two mountains in the Ayrarat plain - Mount Ara and Mount Shamiram. In the 20th century The tragedy “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram” created by the classic of Armenian literature N. Zaryan is one of the favorite works of the Armenian reader, and Shamiram’s monologue is one of the masterpieces of Armenian drama.
Anania Shirakatsi (VII century) in the myth about Vahagna says that the latter “stole cold winter The ancestor of the Assyrians, Barsham, had some straw, and on the way back he dropped it. What was it formed from? Milky Way, still called by the Armenians “the straw thief’s road.” This myth persists to this day” (Ibid., p. 27). (Abegyan, p. 27) It is interesting to note that the Assyrians also call the Milky Way “urkha d-ginava - the road of thieves.”
Christianity comes to Armenia from the East through the Syrians and Greeks. Armenian historians write about this. Close relations with their neighbors, the Syrians, give rise to the initial acquaintance of the Armenians with the Bible, with Christian literature, which by this time the Syrians had and encourages the Armenians to have writing and Christian literature in own language. Not only the father of Armenian history M. Khorenatsi, but also other historians write about the influence of the Syrians on the creation of Armenian writing.
In 387 AD, when Eastern Armenia fell under Persian rule, the Greek language was replaced by the Syriac language on its territory. Business documentation on this Armenian territory was conducted at that time in both Persian and Syriac languages. Actually, the church languages after the adoption of Christianity by the Armenians were Syriac and Greek. For almost a century Armenian churches the service was conducted in Syriac and Greek. Christianity and Christian preaching connected the Armenians with Syrian and Byzantine cultures. As for the very appearance of Christianity in Armenia, it “... penetrated into Armenia through the Syrians and Greeks; the ministers of the church themselves were still partly Syrians and Greeks, who entered the borders of Armenia as preachers and retained their native language" (Ibid., p. 51)
With the creation of St. Mashtots in the 5th century. Armenian alphabet, the Bible - the first, most ancient and most valuable monument of the Armenian people was translated into Armenian. The study of Armenian manuscripts showed that the first translation of the Armenian Bible was made from Syriac, from the Peshitta, which in the 4th century. used by Armenians in church.
This is what Armenian historians write about the origin of the Armenian alphabet: What do we find in Armenian historians about this period regarding the Syrians?
1. “Armenians at the beginning of the 5th century. through the Syrian priest Abel - they received the Armenian alphabet from the Syrian bishop Daniel. St. Sahak and Mesrop teach his students for some time and come to the conclusion that this Daniel alphabet is inconsistent.” (Koryun 17; Khorenatsi III, 52; Parpsky 38-39).
2. “Mesrop personally goes to Syria to Daniel with the need to receive from him an addition to the alphabet, but he does not receive anything new. Then he invents himself new alphabet, or replenishes the old one." (K. 18-19, X. III, 53).
3. “Mesrop finds Sahak the Great busy translating from the Syriac language for lack of Greek.” (X. III, ch. 54).
After translating the Bible, Armenians translate best works Syrian and Greek church fathers. The period of translation activity in ancient Armenian literature begins. Not only the deeds of the Syrian and Greek church fathers are translated, but also the works of their historians. The translation activity that created ancient Armenian literature in the 5th century was later called by scientists as the golden age of Armenian literature. Translations from Syriac were made much earlier than from Greek, and the influence of the Syriac language was reflected in the Armenian language, which included about 400 hundred Syriac words. In the 5th century after Catholicos Sahak, two Armenian Catholicoses were Syrians.
Cilician period (XII-XIII centuries). Close proximity Cilicia to Syria and the residence of Syrians in Cilicia contribute to the translation of numerous monuments of Syrian literature. Dozens of speeches by Jacob of Serug, the “Chronicles” of Michael the Syrian, “commentaries on the psalms” of Daniel of Salah, the life of Ephraim the Syrian, the martyrdom of the hermit Barsuma and the commander Sergius were translated into Armenian from Syriac. In addition to Christian literature, translations were also made during this period. scientific works: “Syrian-Roman Law Book”, medical and anatomical studies of Abusaid and Ishoh, veterinary manual “Healer of Horses” by Faraj Sirin.
Sometimes Syrians were also involved in translation activities. Having studied the Armenian language, they performed interlinear translations from Syriac. Such collaborations are evidenced by memorable entries in manuscripts: “This word was translated from Syriac into Armenian by the hand of the Syrian monk Michael, and Bishop Nerses edited it and, as far as possible, adapted it to our language...”. (From the translation of the Martyrdom of Sergius)
Thanks to Armenian translations, many valuable monuments of Syrian literature have reached us, of great interest and great value for world culture and Christianity, the originals of which have been lost today. " Church history"Eusebius of Caesarea, translated from Syriac into Armenian in the 5th century, preserved many passages missing from the original. The Armenian translation is literal from the Syriac.
Armenian translators had a great interest in the “prophet of the Syrians” Ephraim the Syrian and his works. Many Syrian originals of the blessed monk's works have been lost, but have been preserved in Armenian translations. This is “Collection of Hymns”, “16 Nicomedia Elegies”, “Interpretations of Diatessaron Tatian”, brief interpretations the books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Kings and Chronicles, excerpts of interpretations of the Book of Job, the Acts of the Apostles, as well as a number of speeches, prayers and instructions.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan writes about the great interest of Armenian church leaders in Sirin: “Efrem the Syrian is the largest authority on eastern patristics, whose teaching represents the ideology of indigenous Aramaic-speaking Christianity, which has not yet been subjected to Greek influence, and, secondly, the works of Sirin are of great importance for textual criticism of the Bible, in particular the New Testament, because they were created earlier than the most ancient copies of Greek and Syriac biblical texts that have reached us” (See: Levon Ter-Petrosyan “Ancient Armenian translated literature” p. 36).
Translations of other monuments of Syrian literature have also been preserved. Of great interest to the Syrians are the “Pastoral Epistle” of Ayitalakhi of Edessa, the speeches of Zenobius of Amid, most of introduction to the collection “Eastern Martyrs”, the life of Maruta of Mayferkat, the martyrdoms of Yazdandukht and Bardisho, the introduction to the “Chronicle” of Michael the Syrian and “Interpretation of John” by Nonnus the Deacon. The Syrian originals of these monuments have been lost.
In the 5th century one of the best examples was translated into Armenian fiction ancient world and “The Story of Hikara (Akira) the Wise,” which was extremely popular among medieval readers, is a moral and ethical work about the wise adviser to the Assyrian king Sennacherib, Hikare.
Many Armenian sources confirm church closeness and fraternal relations between the Armenian and Syrian churches. From the period of Arab rule, close relations began between the Syrian Jacobite (Monophysite) church and the Armenian church, which continue to this day.
K. Gandzaketsi gives very interesting information about Nestorianism in Armenia and about “the Syrians - very eloquent people” (See: Kirakos Gandzaketsi, History of Armenia, p. 52), who in the 6th century. arrived in Armenia and spread Nestorianism. The latter were sharply condemned and persecuted, but among the Armenians there were those who accepted Nestorianism and even translated their works. The works themselves have not survived, because were destroyed, and the titles of these works are so distorted that it is difficult to find traces of them in Syrian literature.
Information about the Chingizid Christians is well known. In Armenian sources the following is written about Mongol rule and Christian Mongols: “He (the Mongol-Tatar Khan Batu) had a son named Sartakh, raised by a Christian nurse; Having come of age, he believed in Christ and was baptized by the Syrians who raised him. He greatly eased the situation of the church...” (Ibid., p. 219)
The following message about John Chrysostom is also surprising: “...at first some people despised him because his spoken language was not Greek, for on his father’s side he was a Syrian.” (Ibid., p. 52)
These peoples have always had many similarities in ritual and everyday life throughout their history. This became especially noticeable in the 19th century. and in the 20th century, when many ethnographic works about these peoples were published. From these ethnographic materials it is clear that these two Christian peoples, being surrounded by Islam, living side by side, were fraternally friendly, entered into marriage relationships and adopted a lot from each other, both in rituals and in the way of life, folklore. Today, without exaggeration, we can call heroic feat E. Lalayan’s book “Aisors of the Van Vilayet”, from her unique photographs, a remarkable ethnographic text by a researcher who gave us an idea of the description of the life and way of life of the Assyrians in the second half of the 19th century.
Armenian history, Armenian historians and philologists who studied Assyrian (Syrian) literature and culture contain a lot most interesting information on the history of the Assyrians (Syrians).
Summarizing all that has been said, we can say that in the works of Armenian historians and researchers there is a lot of information on the history and culture of the Assyrians, and they can and should be used by the Assyrians when writing their history.
Russian political expert Andrei Epifantsev continues his appeals to the public in connection with the “Armenian genocide.” Vestnik Kavkaza invites readers to read the text of the next appeal posted on Facebook.
One of important parts The mythologization of any historical tragedy posing as genocide is a retouching of one’s own actions and one’s own mistakes that led to the brutal actions of an opponent. Those. - Why did the other side suddenly begin to show such acts of cruelty? Almost, I emphasize, in almost all cases such actions and such mistakes of the victim people are present. But in order to look like an unconditional victim, they are carefully obscured and simply demonize the enemy, focusing on his natural cruelty, hatred of “others,” natural aggression, etc.
In the Armenian case it looks like in the following way: Look, Turkey is in the biggest and hardest war since its creation. She is losing on all fronts, enemies are advancing, there is famine in the country, loss of control. The situation is catastrophic. What decision does she make to save herself? “Completely destroy the Armenian people,” the official Armenian version of the genocide answers us. This somehow does not fit with understanding. Do the Turks have nothing else to do in this situation? To which the Armenian version speaks about the natural inclination of the Turks to cruelty, about hatred of the Armenian people, about the immanent desire to wipe them off the face of the Earth, etc. For a biased person this may sound convincing. For others - no.
When you tell them about the Armenian uprising, that the reason for the reprisals was that the Armenians carried out an organized mass partisan movement, captured cities, massacred and expelled all Muslims, proclaimed independent Armenia, that the Turks, in principle, decided to deport Armenians from the zone close to the possible Russian offensive zone, only after the defeat of Turkey in the Sarykamysh operation did the Armenians begin to massacre the retreating exhausted and disorganized Turkish detachments, that Turkey was obliged to react to this, etc., they answer: “That’s not so! The Turks killed Armenians out of hatred. Well, okay, let’s say they killed us because Turkey responded to our military actions against it. But "What are the Assyrians for? They're a small people. They didn't do anything! They were killed simply because they were Christians. And that means we were killed just for the same reason, and then it's genocide."
That's why. For the same reason. The Assyrians also rose as a whole against Turkey. They lost and bore their share of responsibility for it.
This is a letter from General Agha Petros (Putrus), one of the military leaders of the Assyrians in the First world war American diplomat Richard Washburne Child. One of the many messages from Agha Petros to Western politicians, written in the hope of finding a way out of the situation in which his people found themselves as a result of the First World War.
His Excellency Richard Washburn Child
As the official representative of the Assyro-Chaldean people, I have the honor to submit in the most serious manner the question of this Christian nation to Your Excellency personally.
Centuries after centuries down to the present time, the Assyro-Chaldeans have had independent self-government in the area between Lake Urmia, Lake Van and Mosul, "THE COUNTRY OF THEIR ANCESTORS." Although the territory was nominally included in Ottoman Empire, the Turks have never exercised sovereign rights over our people, such as collecting taxes and recruiting soldiers. Moreover, Turks were not allowed to live there, and our people did not speak Turkish.
At the beginning of the Great War, the Assyro-Chaldeans were officially promised “INDEPENDENCE” by representatives of the Entente countries if they took up arms on their side. We did this by believing the promises and fighting on the side of the Entente throughout the war, losing people and property in percentage to the total number of people more than any other nation. The simplest and safest policy for us would be to help their (the Entente) enemies, but on the contrary, we chose more hard way with disastrous (for us) results. "THUS WE ARE NOW A NATION WITHOUT A HOME."
In the name of God and Humanity, I appeal to Your Excellency in the interests of helpless women and children to support, using your influence, no more and no less, the existence of the (whole) People.
I had the honor two days earlier of sending you for your perusal a copy of my memorandum addressed to the Lausanne Conference. All we ask for is the right to live in peace in our own country. Your Excellency can positively consider the aspirations of the Assyrian Christians of Asia Minor - to obtain at the Lausanne Conference "INDEPENDENCE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY AS THEY HAD BEFORE THE WAR."
In conclusion, for the sake of my helpless people, for the sake of their future well-being, I would like to ask you to grant me a personal meeting to discuss this issue at your convenience.
Your Excellency's humble servant.
Signature.
Commander-in-Chief of the Assyro-Chaldean forces.
This is elementary, basic knowledge. I'm not surprised when such questions arise - Why do the Assyrians? - Armenian bloggers ask me, the level there is quite low general knowledge, brainwashing, bias, uncritical attitude to facts... This is all understandable. But Armenian political scientists also say the same thing. Very famous! Doctors of science who constantly speak in the media and create an information agenda. Just a couple of days ago, the same question was asked to me by a well-known Armenian political scientist, who worked for a long time in Moscow as deputy editor-in-chief of a large news agency and returned to Yerevan a couple of years ago... Don’t they also know such basic aspects of materiel? This is amazing...
For more than 2 thousand years, these two peoples have lived side by side. Their fate is very similar. In ancient times, in pre-Christian times, they seemed to fight among themselves, but in the Christian period of their history they always treated each other in a friendly, brotherly manner. Armenians highly appreciate the culture of the Syrians in the early Middle Ages. Living side by side in cities and villages in the east of the Ottoman Empire and in northwestern Persia, they have much in common in everyday life, in morals, and in rituals. Throughout the entire report, I will use the words Assyrians and Syrians in the same meaning, since in the minds of Armenians they are one people.
The history of relations between these peoples contains a lot of interesting things for both peoples.
Armenian sources, in which we can find numerous evidence on the history of the Assyrians at its different stages, are the most important information for covering certain periods of Assyrian (Syrian) history. Armenian scientists showed great interest in studying the history and culture of the Syrians and realized their importance for the history of the Armenian people and their culture. Therefore, already their first historians M. Khorenatsi (the father of Armenian history), P. Buzand, Agafangel, L. Parpetsi, Koryun, I. Draskhanakertsi, K. Gandzaketsi and others pay a lot of attention to the Assyrians in their works. In modern and recent times, historians and philologists of Armenian nationality living in Russia and European countries turn to the history of relations between these peoples. In Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. the works of G. Khalatyants “The Armenian epic in the history of Armenia by M. Khorensky”, M. Ter-Movsesyan “The history of translating the Bible into Armenian” were published, in Germany the work of E. Ter-Minasyants “Armenian-Syrian church relations”. In Soviet times in the 60s in Soviet Armenia, this wonderful tradition was continued by G. Melkonyan “History of the State of Adiabene and Armenia”, “Syrian sources on the history of Armenia”, “From the history of Armenian-Syrian relations”, and a fundamental study by an expert on early Armenian manuscripts Middle Ages and an expert on the Syriac language, Doctor of Philology Levon Ter-Petrosyan “Ancient Armenian translated literature.”
The Armenians, who lived for centuries next to us and among us, preserved for us a lot of important information, important details of our history. So, for example, the ethnonym -asori- (Assyrian, Syrian) preserved in the Armenian language is interesting for us. For a long time in Russian we were called the word Aysor. This is the same word asori that came into the Russian language from Armenian. Where the Armenian sources talk about Assyrians or Syrians, then in the minds of Armenian researchers, and not only researchers, but also the Armenian people themselves, we are talking about a single people.
Next, we will briefly present in chronological order the works of some Armenian historians and researchers.
Since ancient times, entering into close relations with their closest neighbors to the south, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia and Assyria, Armenians have been influenced by their culture. “... the religion of the ancient Armenians was also influenced by the Syrians. Of their deities, the ancient Armenian pantheon included Barshamin, Nane, Astghik, Anahit. The word “kurm” - priest comes from the Syriac language,” writes academician M. Abeghyan in his work “History of Ancient Armenian Literature” (1948, p. 14).
The myths of the Armenian people, associated with the initial history and religion of the Armenians, also talk about their closest neighbors - the Assyrians. M. Khorenatsi cites similar myths in his story. The myth of Hayk “preserves the memory of the influence exerted by the Assyrian civilization, culture, religion on the Armenians...” (See: Abeghyan M., “History of Ancient Armenian Literature” pp. 21-22). The myth of Aram mentions a war between the Urartian king Aram and the Assyrian king Shalmaneser II. One of the favorite myths of the Armenian people to this day is the myth of “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram”, the love story of the Assyrian queen and the Armenian king is so popular and famous in Armenia that these two characters are inseparable in the minds of the people. Today there are even two mountains in the Airarat plain - Mount Ara and Mount Shamiram. In the 20th century The tragedy “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram” created by the classic of Armenian literature N. Zaryan is one of the favorite works of the Armenian reader, and Shamiram’s monologue is one of the masterpieces of Armenian drama.
Anania Shirakatsi (VII century) in the myth about Vahagna says that the latter “stole straw from the ancestor of the Assyrians, Barsham, in the cold winter, and dropped it on the way back. From what was formed the Milky Way, which is still called by the Armenians “the road of the straw thief.” This myth persists to this day” (Ibid., p. 27). (Abegyan, p. 27) It is interesting to note that the Assyrians also call the Milky Way “urkha d-ginava - the road of thieves.”
Christianity comes to Armenia from the East through the Syrians and Greeks. Armenian historians write about this. Close relations with their neighbors - the Syrians - give rise to the initial acquaintance of the Armenians with the Bible, with Christian literature, which by this time the Syrians had and encourages the Armenians to have writing and Christian literature in their own language. Not only the father of Armenian history M. Khorenatsi, but also other historians write about the influence of the Syrians on the creation of Armenian writing.
In 387 AD, when Eastern Armenia fell under Persian rule, the Greek language was replaced by the Syriac language on its territory. Business documentation in this Armenian territory was conducted at this time in both Persian and Syriac. Actually, the church languages after the adoption of Christianity by the Armenians were Syriac and Greek. For almost a whole century, services in Armenian churches were conducted in Syriac and Greek. Christianity and Christian preaching connected the Armenians with Syrian and Byzantine cultures. As for the very appearance of Christianity in Armenia, it “... penetrated into Armenia through the Syrians and Greeks; The ministers of the church themselves were still partly Syrians and Greeks, who entered the borders of Armenia as preachers and preserved their native language.” (Ibid., p. 51)
With the creation of St. Mashtots in the 5th century. Armenian alphabet, the Bible - the first, most ancient and most valuable monument of the Armenian people was translated into Armenian. The study of Armenian manuscripts showed that the first translation of the Armenian Bible was made from Syriac, from the Peshitta, which in the 4th century. used by Armenians in church.
This is what Armenian historians write about the origin of the Armenian alphabet: What do we find in Armenian historians about this period regarding the Syrians?
1. “Armenians at the beginning of the 5th century. through the Syrian priest Abel - they receive the Armenian alphabet from the Syrian bishop Daniel. St. Sahak and Mesrop teach his students for some time and come to the conclusion that this Daniel alphabet is inconsistent.” (Koryun 17; Khorenatsi III, 52; Parpsky 38-39).
2. “Mesrop personally goes to Syria to Daniel with the need to receive from him an addition to the alphabet, but he does not receive anything new. Then he himself invents a new alphabet, or completes the old one.” (K. 18-19, X. III, 53).
3. “Mesrop finds Sahak the Great busy translating from the Syriac language for lack of Greek.” (X. III, ch. 54).
After translating the Bible, Armenians translate the best works of the Syrian and Greek church fathers. The period of translation activity in ancient Armenian literature begins. Not only the deeds of the Syrian and Greek church fathers are translated, but also the works of their historians. The translation activity that created ancient Armenian literature in the 5th century was later called by scientists as the golden age of Armenian literature. Translations from Syriac were made much earlier than from Greek, and the influence of the Syriac language was reflected in the Armenian language, which included about 400 hundred Syriac words. In the 5th century after Catholicos Sahak, two Armenian Catholicoses were Syrians.
Cilician period (XII-XIII centuries). The close proximity of Cilicia to Syria and the residence of Syrians in Cilicia contribute to the translation of numerous monuments of Syrian literature. Dozens of speeches by Jacob of Serug, the “Chronicles” of Michael the Syrian, “commentaries on the psalms” of Daniel of Salah, the life of Ephraim the Syrian, the martyrdom of the hermit Barsuma and the commander Sergius were translated into Armenian from Syriac. In addition to Christian literature, scientific works were also translated during this period: “The Syrian-Roman Code of Law”, medical and anatomical studies of Abusaid and Ishoch, and a veterinary manual “The Horse Physician” by Faraj Sirin.
Sometimes Syrians were also involved in translation activities. Having studied the Armenian language, they performed interlinear translations from Syriac. Such collaborations are evidenced by memorable entries in manuscripts: “This word was translated from Syriac into Armenian by the hand of the Syrian monk Michael, and Bishop Nerses edited it and, as far as possible, adapted it to our language...”. (From the translation of the Martyrdom of Sergius).
Thanks to Armenian translations, many valuable monuments of Syrian literature have reached us, of great interest and great value for world culture and Christianity, the originals of which have been lost today. The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea, translated from Syriac into Armenian in the 5th century, preserved many passages missing from the original. The Armenian translation is literal from the Syriac.
Armenian translators had a great interest in the “prophet of the Syrians” Ephraim the Syrian and his works. Many Syrian originals of the blessed monk's works have been lost, but have been preserved in Armenian translations. These are the “Collection of Hymns”, “16 Nicomedia Elegies”, “Interpretations of Diatessaron Tatian”, brief interpretations of the books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Kings and Chronicles, excerpts of interpretations of the “Book of Job”, “Acts” Apostles”, as well as a series of speeches, prayers and instructions.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan writes about the great interest of Armenian church leaders in Sirin: “Efrem the Syrian is the largest authority on Eastern patristics, whose teaching represents the ideology of indigenous Aramaic-speaking Christianity, which has not yet been subjected to Greek influence, and, secondly, the works of Sirin are of great importance for textual criticism of the Bible , in particular the New Testament, because they were created earlier than the most ancient copies of Greek and Syriac biblical texts that have reached us” (See: Levon Ter-Petrosyan “Ancient Armenian translated literature” p. 36).
Translations of other monuments of Syrian literature have also been preserved. Of great interest to Syrians are the “Pastoral Epistle” of Ayitalakhi of Edessa, the speeches of Zenobius of Amid, most of the introduction to the collection “Eastern Martyrs”, the life of Maruta of Mayferkat, the martyrdoms of Yazdandukht and Bardisho, the introduction to the “Chronicle” of Michael the Syrian and the “Interpretation of John” by Nonnus the Deacon. The Syrian originals of these monuments have been lost.
In the 5th century One of the best examples of fiction of the ancient world and extremely popular among medieval readers, “The Story of Hikara (Akira) the Wise,” was translated into Armenian - a moral and ethical work telling about the wise adviser to the Assyrian king Sennacherib, Hikare.
Many Armenian sources confirm church closeness and fraternal relations between the Armenian and Syrian churches. From the period of Arab rule, close relations began between the Syrian Jacobite (Monophysite) church and the Armenian church, which continue to this day.
K. Gandzaketsi gives very interesting information about Nestorianism in Armenia and about “the Syrians - very eloquent people” (See: Kirakos Gandzaketsi, History of Armenia, p. 52), who in the 6th century. arrived in Armenia and spread Nestorianism. The latter were sharply condemned and persecuted, but among the Armenians there were those who accepted Nestorianism and even translated their works. The works themselves have not survived, because were destroyed, and the titles of these works are so distorted that it is difficult to find traces of them in Syrian literature.
Information about the Chingizid Christians is well known. In Armenian sources the following is written about Mongol rule and Christian Mongols: “He (the Mongol-Tatar Khan Batu) had a son named Sartakh, raised by a Christian nurse; Having come of age, he believed in Christ and was baptized by the Syrians who raised him. He greatly eased the situation of the church...” (Ibid., p. 219)
The following message about John Chrysostom is also surprising: “...at first some people despised him because spoken language his was not Greek, for on his father’s side he was a Syrian.” (Ibid., p. 52)
These peoples have always had many similarities in ritual and everyday life throughout their history. This became especially noticeable in the 19th century. and in the 20th century, when many ethnographic works about these peoples were published. From these ethnographic materials it is clear that these two Christian peoples, being surrounded by Islam, living side by side, were fraternally friendly, entered into marriage relationships and adopted a lot from each other, both in rituals and in the way of life, folklore. Today, without exaggeration, we can call E. Lalayan’s book “Aisors of the Van Vilayet” a heroic feat, with its unique photographs, a wonderful ethnographic text by a researcher who gave us an idea of the description of the life and way of life of the Assyrians in the second half of the 19th century.
Armenian history, Armenian historians and philologists who studied Assyrian (Syrian) literature and culture contain a lot of interesting information on the history of the Assyrians (Syrians).
Summarizing all that has been said, we can say that in the works of Armenian historians and researchers there is a lot of information on the history and culture of the Assyrians, and they can and should be used by the Assyrians when writing their history.
ASSYRIANS ARE ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT CHRISTIAN PEOPLES OF THE WORLD. They stood at the origins of civilization and made a huge contribution to the development of world culture.
Numerous sources and researchers Ancient East note that after the fall of the Assyrian kingdom, the Assyrian people were not completely exterminated, they continued to live on their territory historical homeland. As the Assyrian historian B.G. notes. Arsanis, for 2500 years the Nestorian mountains - from Diyarbakir to Urmia, from Mosul and Arbil to Kotur - became a refuge for the Assyrians.
On the eve of the First World War, more than 1 million Assyrians lived on the territory of the Hakyar Sanjak of the Van and Mosul vilayets of the Ottoman Empire, the Urmia Magal of Persia, representing united people with its own inhabited territory, culture, language, historically established traditions of self-government. But only a small part of the Assyrians who lived in these territories, fleeing from the Turkish scimitar, reached Armenia together with the Armenians during the First World War. 700 thousand Assyrians were subjected to Genocide - terrible atrocities, persecutions, only because they were Christians and remained faithful to the great Christian ideals and values and to their brothers in faith and destiny - the Armenians.
In April 2012, in Yerevan, in the very center of the capital (opposite the monument to M. Nalbandyan), a monument to those innocently killed in 1915-1918 was erected. V Ottoman Turkey to the Assyrians. For every Assyrian, this monument in Yerevan symbolizes goodwill, respect of the Armenian authorities, all citizens of Armenia for the fate of the Assyrian people. Monument to the Assyrians - Innocent Victims Turkish genocide, like a bell, calls on every Assyrian to treat the people on whose land it was erected with love and gratitude. In a few months, we will all celebrate the centenary of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocide.
Assyrian is one of the Semitic languages. Until the middle of the nineteenth century. The Assyrians used the old Syriac language as their literary language. In the 40s of the nineteenth century. a new literary Assyrian language was developed based on the Urmian dialect. Later Assyrian literary language changed to take into account the phonetically more archaic Mosul dialect and the replacement of numerous Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkic borrowings with native Assyrian vocabulary. The script used by the Assyrian-speaking Assyrians was created around 1840 from the Nestorian variety of Syriac script, which is a type of Phoenician-Aramaic quasi-alphabetic script.
THE ASSYRIANS MOVED TO THE TERRITORY OF ARMENIA FROM THE LAKE AREA Urmia after the Russian-Persian War of 1827-1828. At the request of the Russian diplomat and playwright A.S. Griboyedov and by personal decree of the Emperor of Russia Nicholas I, about 100 Assyrian families moved to Eastern Armenia, which became part of Russian Empire. By the end of the nineteenth century. The Assyrians already lived compactly in several villages of Armenia. The Assyrians of Armenia are adherents of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, which arose in Mesopotamia in the 1st century. AD Now the Assyrian Church of the East is headed by Catholicos - Patriarch Mar Hananya Dynkha II, whose residence is located in Morton Grave, Illinois (USA).
Having settled in Armenia, the Assyrians first of all built Christian churches Mar tuma (Holy Apostle) Thomas in the village of V. Dvin, Mat Maryam in the village of Arzni, Mar Kuryakus in the village. Dimitrov. I would like to especially note that the rector of the Martum Church (V. Dvin) is a native of this village, Nikadim Yukhanaev, who graduated with honors from the Faculty of Theology of Yerevan State University, after which he continued his studies at the seminary of the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq. In March 2014, he was ordained a priest and sent to Armenia to provide spiritual food to his compatriots.
In October of this year, the head of the Assyrian Orthodox Church, Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East, Maran Mor Ignatius Ephraim II, was in Armenia. Catholicos of All Armenians Garekin II and Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Mor Ignatius Ephraim II visited Tsitsernakaberd, where they paid tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. U Eternal Flame The leaders of the two sister churches celebrated a memorial service for the repose of the Armenian and Assyrian martyrs.
And on October 13 of this year, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Patriarch of Antioch and the All East Mor Ignatius Ephrem II visited the flock of the V. Dvin community of Ararat region. The parishioners of the Assyrian Church of Martum, led by priest Nikodim Yukhanaev, the administration of the village, the school, and the leadership of the Assyrian association “Atur” solemnly received the fathers of the sister churches.
Very well, colorfully and truthfully tells about the history, life and activities of the Assyrians in Armenia documentary Lina Yakubova “Assyrians of Armenia”. Unfortunately, she passed away very early. I am glad that our republic has created civil society, in which tolerance and respect for the ethnic, cultural and linguistic identity of any person belonging to a national minority are accepted. This is based on the mentality of the Armenian people, who have always been characterized by mercy and humanity.
ALL NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION HAVE BEEN CREATED IN ARMENIA potential national communities, whose members are full citizens of Armenia. The authorities of the republic are doing everything in their power to ensure that the Assyrians living in Armenia feel comfortable, preserve their national identity and cultural identity, and learn their native language. In schools in communities where Assyrians live densely, the Assyrian language is taught. About 7 thousand Assyrians live in Armenia. The Assyrian communities are led by the Assyrians themselves - Arman Ionanov, Lyudmila Petrova, Veniamin Venisaminov.
In 1995 in secondary school In the community of Verin Dvin, on the initiative of the writer and publicist Pavel Khinoev, the Armenian-Russian-Assyrian scientific and cultural center “Arbela” was created. Currently, the center is headed by school director Aida Lazareva. The Arbela Scientific and Cultural Center, together with the Institutes of Oriental Studies and History of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, conducts scientific conferences and other events that contribute to an even greater rapprochement of Christian peoples - Armenians, Russians and Assyrians, and to increasing the level of knowledge of students.
Since 1987, the Assyrian public association“Atur”, headed by Arsen Mikhailov. The Yerevan Municipality allocated premises to the Assyrian Association in the center of Yerevan. “Atur” conducts great job to establish and strengthen friendly and cultural ties with Assyrian communities and organizations of other countries. Since 2007, Armenian Radio has broadcast daily information program in Assyrian language.
I am proud to be a citizen of Armenia. For us, Assyrians, this is not the second, but only homeland, and all of us, citizens of our country, must do everything possible for its prosperity. Every year on April 1, the Assyrians of Armenia are warmly congratulated by the President of the country, Serzh Sargsyan, on their national New Year - Habnisan. And we, the Assyrians, in turn, are deeply grateful to the president and government of the republic for their kind and respectful attitude towards our people.
Taking this opportunity, on the eve of the New Year, I would like to tell the readers of “The Bridge” about what this holiday was like for our distant ancestors who lived in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). As already said, New Year V ancient Assyria was celebrated on April 1 and was one of the main religious and national holidays- a celebration of the rebirth of nature. It is associated with two ancient myths: the myth of the creation of the world and the myth of the goddess Ishtar and her lover Tammuz.
THE GODDESS OF LOVE AND FERTILITY ISHTAR CONVINCED HER BROTHER – THE SUN GOD SHAMASH approve her marriage with the shepherd Tammuz. This marriage took place and became a guarantor of abundance and fertility on earth. Further from this myth we learn that Ishtar descended into the underworld - “the land of no return” - the country of Kuru, from where no one can return to earth, not even god, unless he leaves himself a replacement on earth. Unfortunately, we do not know the reasons for Ishtar’s journey to Kura, there is only a version that she was going to return some people to earth.
Ishtar passes through the seven gates of the underworld and cannot return back, and the passage through the gate was associated with the loss of some clothing or jewelry, first the crown, then the earrings, precious necklace, bracelets from wrists and ankles... At the same time, Ishtar lost her magical powers. The goddess Ereshkigal, the sister of Ishtar, rules the underworld. They were irreconcilable, like night and day. Ishtar appears before Ereshkigal almost naked. The Queen of the Underworld rejoices. And on earth, during these events, everything withers; without the goddess of fertility, the earth ceases to give people its fruits.
The gods, having learned about Ishtar's difficulties, helped her return to earth with the help of the water of life, which restored the goddess's strength. But Ishtar had to find a replacement and send her to the underworld in her place. Ishtar flew through many cities and everywhere she saw people in mourning; they thought that the goddess of love had died. Having reached her husband’s house, Ishtar saw that he was not at all saddened by her death - he wore clean, light robes and led a well-fed, carefree life. Ishtar was blinded by anger, and she ordered Tammuz to be sent to the underworld. Minister Ereshkigal-Namtar did just that. Many mourned the death of Tammuz and prayed to Ishtar to return him to earth. But the goddess herself mourned the death of her beloved husband. And when Ishtar’s anger finally subsided, she asked the council of the gods to bring Tammuz back to life, but the gods agreed to only half satisfy Ishtar’s request. Therefore, Tammuz spends six months in the living world - then Ishtar rejoices and the earth blooms with love and fertility, and he spends six months in the underworld, and during this time Ishtar indulges in sadness. According to the myth, Tammuz returns to earth on April 1 (nissan), and spring comes, and with the return of Tammuz to the underworld, autumn begins.
This beautiful myth, preserved on cuneiform Assyrian tablets, was recorded several millennia BC. Due to natural damage, some parts of the recording were lost. But the story of love and betrayal, death and rebirth still excites our hearts. And who knows, perhaps, as happens in wise nature, someday the once great Assyria will be reborn, and our long-suffering people will once again find their blessed land.