Who Are the Assyrians?
The Assyrians are a Semitic people indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia, the region spanning northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria, and northwestern Iran. Numbering approximately 3-5 million worldwide, most Assyrians now live in diaspora due to persecution in their homeland. They speak Neo-Aramaic, a modern form of the language Jesus spoke. Assyrians are predominantly Christian, with various churches including the Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, and Syriac Orthodox Church. They trace continuous identity to the ancient Assyrian Empire, though maintaining this connection through Christianity rather than the empire's religion.
Ancient Heritage
The ancient Assyrian Empire dominated the Near East from approximately 2500-609 BCE, centered on cities like Nineveh, Assur, and Nimrud (all in modern Iraq). Assyrians developed cuneiform writing, created massive palace complexes decorated with stone reliefs, and built one of history's first extensive empires. After the empire's fall, Assyrian identity persisted through village communities in the Mesopotamian highlands. Conversion to Christianity in the first centuries CE added a new dimension to identity. Modern Assyrians see themselves as descendants of this ancient civilization, maintaining continuity through language, geography, and cultural practices.
The Seyfo: Assyrian Genocide
During World War I, Ottoman forces and allied Kurdish tribes massacred approximately 250,000-750,000 Assyrians in events known as Seyfo ("sword"). Occurring alongside the Armenian and Greek genocides, Seyfo devastated Assyrian communities in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran. Survivors fled to Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Unlike the Armenian genocide, Seyfo received little international recognition until recently. The trauma remains central to Assyrian collective memory. Advocacy for genocide recognition continues, with some nations now officially acknowledging the Seyfo.
Christianity and Churches
Assyrians were among the first peoples to adopt Christianity, with tradition crediting the Apostle Thomas and his disciples. The Assyrian Church of the East, using the East Syriac rite, was once among Christianity's largest churches, with missionaries reaching China, India, and Central Asia. Schisms created the Chaldean Catholic Church (in communion with Rome) and various Syriac churches. These churches maintain Aramaic liturgies and distinctive religious art. Church identity often intersects with ethnic identity, though Assyrians of different churches emphasize shared ethnicity across religious divisions.
Diaspora and Extinction Fears
The 2003 Iraq War and subsequent violence displaced most remaining Iraqi Assyrians, with ISIS destruction of Christian heritage sites accelerating emigration. Assyrian communities that survived millennia of conquests now face potential extinction in their homeland. Diaspora communities in the US, Australia, Sweden, and Germany preserve language and culture, but assimilation threatens long-term continuity. Young Assyrians organize cultural events, language classes, and political advocacy. The question of whether Assyrian identity can survive without connection to ancestral lands remains pressing.
References
- Parpola, S. (2004). National and Ethnic Identity in the Neo-Assyrian Empire
- Gaunt, D. et al. (Eds.). (2017). Let Them Not Return: Sayfo—The Genocide Against the Assyrian, Syriac, and Chaldean Christians
- Donabed, S. G. (2015). Reforging a Forgotten History: Iraq and the Assyrians in the 20th Century