Assyrians Online

The Assyrian Genocide which the Assyrian people refer to as Saypā (ܣܝܦܐ) or "Sword".

In 1915 the Turkish state, whose government was run by Djemal, Talaat and Emver (Young Turks) under advisement by Germany, decided to exterminate all non-Turkish peoples; Including the Assyrians. In January of 1915 the Musulmán attacked and plundered seventy of Urmia's villages; Leaving in their wake a number of massacred villagers.

In Edessa, the Assyrians were ordered to surrender their weapons to the Ottomans. Their refusal to comply with the demands put forth by the Ottomans lead to the shelling and eventual destruction of fort "Qalaa". Several Assyrian and Armenian inabitants lost their lives. However, few survived when the attacks ceased at the government's behest to pardon the Christians.

On February 23, 1915 more than sixty Assyrian notables were taken from the French mission and shot by Turkish troops. Among these was Mar Dinkha, a bishop of the Assyrian Church. "Here, then, in the ancient city of Tebarma, the scene of many previous martyrdoms, an Assyrian bishop is being led to be executed. He was not alone. He had a large company of his Christian brethren with him. What Mar Shimun Bar Sabaee, the first Assyrian Patriarch had done, during the persecution of Shapur the Magi, in the fourth century, was now to be gloriously repeated by another bishop of his church in the twentieth century. The Moslems had established a rule in asking of their victims to deny Christ and embrace Islam in order to save their lives. But weaker men and women than this body of prisoners had already chosen to be burned alive, and to be cut to pieces with aces, then deny their Redeemer! "Be brave, take courage, be patient, falter not, be firm and look up. In a few moments we will be with Christ!" With such words he encouraged his companions in bonds, till they reached the end of their fatal journey, where they were all shot to death. (The Flickering Light of Asia, pp.49-51.)

On February 25, 1915, Turkish and Kurdish troops attacked the village of Gulpashan, one of the most prosperous villages of Urmia. Almost all of the men were shot and most of the women were violated. March 5, 1915; About eight hundred Assyrians who remained in Salamas, most of whom were old people, with some of the poorer and younger women, were gathered together and killed. April, 1915; Massacre in Gawar and other districts in Turkey. The number of martyrs is unknown.

In Tel Mozilt the Turks attacked the six hundred Assyrian homes in cooperation with neighboring Kurdish tribes. After capturing the city, they took all the men they found between the ages of twelve and seventy, a total of four hundred seventy five, and imprisoned them. The next morning, the prisoners were taken out in rows of four and shot. After some arguments between the Kurdish and Turkish officials on what to do with the young boys and girls left behind, the army decided to slay them as well. Approximately one thousand five hundred children, among them Reverend Gabrial (the red-bearded priest), were murdered. Agha Ayoob Hamzah personally butchered the Priest. (Gorgis, Deacon Asman Alkass, Jirah Fi Tarikh Al-syrian, Trans. Subhi Younan. 1980. pp. 24).

Djeudet Bey, Military Governor of Van, enetered Sairt with eight thousand soldiers whom he himself called "The Butchers' Battalion" (Kassab Tabouri), gave orders for the massacre of the Assyrians. "The Chaldean-Assyrian diocese of Sairt comprises, exclusive of the Chaldean-Assyrians of the town, more than thirty villages, not to count a large number of other villages inhabited by Jacobite-Assyrians, of whose number we are ignorant. All these prosperous villages were pillaged, looted and burned, those who dwelt therein being put [to] the sword."

Eye-witness account of the Massacres: A certain Youssouf, son of Kas Chaya, during this time had concealed himself in the Chaldean Cathedral. Driven out by hunger, the unfortunate man left his hiding place one night and came to a house, where his sister Marian was. That very night a band of persecutors arrived. We all fled to the roof in terror. Youssouf, fearing for his life, hid himself under a mattress. One of the brigands, who was following us upstairs, discovered Youssouf. He pulled him from under the mattress, threatening him with death. Youssouf bravely made the sign of the cross and cried aloud: "Jesus, into you rhands I commit my soul." He asked to see his little nephew, an only son among seven sisters, kissed him tearfully and bade us farewell. With us there was also a boy of twelve, called Fardjalla, who had escaped death on the first day, and whom we had hidden with our men. Worn out by the excessive heat he had come out and joined us. He. too, was seized and began to cry, screaming: "Oh, they are going to kill me." His sister called out to him: "Do not be frightened, dear, you will be happy in Heaven." The scoundrels then took the two poor Assyrian boys outside the house, and shot them before its very door. (Shall This Nation Die? pp. 133).

On the 3rd day of March, 1918, the Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimun sat in his carriage, and with a bodyguard of one hundred and fifty horsemen started for the headquarters of the Kurdish chieftain, Simkoo. He went to assure the notorious brigands that he could remain absolutely certain of the peaceful attitude of the Assyrians, provided his own men indulged no longer in deeds of violence and lawlessness. But was not this noble, brave and Christian attitude of a great Patriarch equivalent to the giving of bread to the dogs and the casting of pearls before the swine? The news of Mar Shimun's departure preceded him; and before his arrival, the great assassin, who could hardly believe the report, stationed seven hundred of his best marksmen in concealed and commanding positions, with the order to shoot simultaneously at the sight of the Patriarch, when he emerged from the house of their chieftain after the visit. No servant could have received his master with a great honor. The Patriarch was escorted into the house. Two of his bodyguard accompanied him within. The others remained outside. The apparent absence of the Kurds from environs of their chieftain's residence took the Assyrians off their guard. In the course of the friendly interview between the Patriarch and The Kurdish chief, one of the men who had accompanied Mar Shimon into the house, noticed from the window the presence of the concealed Kurds on the surrounding roofs. Realizing the full import of the situation, the attendant said to the Patriarch, in Assyrian: "My Lord, our end is certain, permit me to kill this dog (Simkoo) just to avenge The blood that will surely be shed." The Patriarch, with an incredulous smile, bade his attendant be calm. "My Lord," repeated the Assyrian guard, "they will surely kill us all, let me kill this dog, perhaps we can save your life!" The Patriarch restrained his attendant again. He arose to depart, accompanied By Simkoo to the door. The latter  shook the hand of his guest, and went back into the house. And just as Mar Shimun was seated in his carriage, surrounded by his bodyguard, the seven hundred Kurds fired, all simultaneously, into the group of their unsuspecting victims. Only six of these men escaped, with wounds in their bodies, to give the news of the tragedy, and tell the story of the Patriarch's assassination. (The Flickering Light of Asia, pp. 123-125).

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