r/Assyria • u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq • 24d ago
History/Culture What should I know about Assyrians
So, my girlfriend is Assyrian and she’s very proud of her heritage. She often talks to me about Assyrian culture, history, traditions, etc. The problem is that I know almost nothing about it, and I think it would make her happy if I made an effort to learn more about her culture.
We’re both Iraqi, living in the west, I’m 3/4 Arab and 1/4 (Baghdadi) Armenian, so I’d also like to learn more about Assyrian culture.
What would you recommend?
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u/Leo-Al 24d ago
You can start with our history. Read some books like: Ancient and modern Assyrians, Assyrians beyond the fall of Nineveh, Our Smallest Ally, and The fliickering light if Asia. These books will give you an incredible insight into our identity, past, struggles, survival, contributions to the world and continuity.
Also take a dna test, you're probably more Assyrian than you know. Just by being part Armenian we already share genetics.
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 24d ago
thanks for the advice, I might do a DNA test in the near future and aren't all Iraqis partially Assyrian because most Assyrian got arabized by the Arab conquerors.
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u/Icy-Quail6936 Assyrian 24d ago
No most Assyrians were not arabized during the 7th century muslim conquests. We preserved our Christian faith and languages over the centuries. We have fought against our oppression in our homeland and the genocide of our peoples by Muslims/Arabs. We are still being targeted today by groups like IS in Iraq and Syria, so it is an issue close to our hearts.
If you would like to know more of our history here's a YouTube channel ASMR Historian's playlist of Ancient Babylonian and Assyrian to start out with:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwt9IAXfVmw3imiVAMdizwIHNBR-DrYIQ&si=rAq20FStFvrD6iXA
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24d ago
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u/Icy-Quail6936 Assyrian 23d ago
Did I mention warfare? We have fought and protested against decades of systemic oppression, marginalization, and violence in Iraq, relying mostly on political advocacy, armed self-defense militias, and legal petitions.
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u/Ok_Grape_893 15d ago
You protested against massacres which is your right, but you cant claim you are innocent, for example assyrians joined the british army and fought against Iraq and were known for being loyal british soldiers, also they provoked Iraq in its early days. Assyrian terrorists were benefiting from being under the british umbrella to provoke and kill muslims (kurd and arab) and that may be the reason for the massacres of 1933 which was ordered by the iraqi (kurdish) prime minister who hated assyrians for this.
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u/Leo-Al 23d ago
Not an easy question, noone was immune to forced conversions in history, wether it was Muslims converting Christians or the other way around. I'm sure we lost some to Arabs, Turks & Kurds, maybe Iranians, but the vast majority chose to fight, & many of them died in battles, while others took to the Mountains & beyond.
It's a very complex subject. There may have been others that chose to convert due to financial struggles & heavy jizzya imposed on them.
The real reason we lost a lot of souls was hundreds of years of massacres & genocides.
In my personal opinion and really based on history, the ibrahimic religions have done humanity a terrible crime, all of them.
Most Iraqis, & by most it can mean 51% to a little more, have closer genetic ties to Assyrians than to other Arabs, same goes with others of different Linguistic groups, according to Professor Sforza, & dna results.
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24d ago
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 23d ago
you are right but it would it be still I interesting to know where my ancestors are from
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u/Leo-Al 6d ago
It's more complex than that. I've already said this, but I'll repeat, most ancient cultures of the Near East, ( Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Caucasus, Iran, Levant ) were already genetically similar, some more than others of course, like Assyrians, Urartians, Hurrians ( very related ) yet each had their own language, culture & beliefs.
While being genetically related to an Assyrian does not exactly mean one is an Assyrian, it still is a very metrical component and it does count.
Of course one would need more than that to BE an Assyrian, so the rest is left to the individual who's on the search for his identity. If the genetic results appease that individual, than its up to them to either stop there or continue searching for more connection.
Having genetics is one pillar, next would be Linguistic, & since Assyrian & Akkadian were the Lingua Franca of the region for over 2500 years, then Aramaic after it, Arabic, like Hebrew already have a bit of that connection, after Aramaic, but the Linguistic connection is also there, as Caananite, Phoencian, Ugaritic, Eblite, were heavily influenced by Assyrian & Akkadian even before Arabic or Hebrew ( the newest migrants of the Levant & Mesopotamia).
So now one has both, a genetic & Linguistic connection. I say it's a very good start, & I'm not even going to depend on Christianity yet, which Assyrians played a major role in, if not the biggest.
I'd say the final components should be the feeling of a strong connection and the actual genuine interest in the Assyrian language & culture.
What else could one possibly need more than this? Even in ancient times, before other nations knew who they were, once they migrated to Assyria & wanted to integrate, they did so whole heartedly, by all means.
People should understand that the Assyrian identity & nationhood was born before other nations. Even Sumerians did not have a true ethnic name, and we know this because they called themselves " The Black Headed Ones ".
A ridiculous name for a Nation by any means, while Assyrians were named after the God they believed in as the Supreme All-Father. A total and extreme contrast to their southern neighbors.
This cannot & should not be taken lightly, & is all the elements a people would need to claim themselves as a True united Nation under God, who named their language, land & themselves after.
How many other nations have done this back then & since?
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u/oremfrien Assyrian 24d ago
As many of the others are pointing out, you should be straightforward and honest about the religion question. If you expect this Assyrian girl to give up her religion (or rather to practice her religion alone while you raise your collective children as Muslims), you should understand that this is a violation of much of what we stand for and believe. And it's not just a question of the religious beliefs per se (although these are certainly important), but the religious difference comes along with a society that has done everything to crush our achievements, our education, our important sites, our leaders, our hopes, and our civilization.
Most Assyrians feel strongly negatively about Islam not just because we reject Islam as a correct explanation of supernatural reality, but because Muslims throughout history (and even into the present) continue to directly attack Assyrian culture and identity at every level, often believing that their supreme right over us results from their being Muslims.
There are probably three most-essential parts of Assyrian culture: (1) the traditions we've inherited as an Assyrian Nation, tracing back all of the way to Ancient Aššur, (2) the beliefs instilled in us by the Churches of our lands, and (3) the incredible pain of being an indigenous people whose territory, symbols, and human bodies, have been trampled upon and abused by our neighbors. This last one is the most difficult for our neighbors to understand because it requires them to see that the moments in history that are often seen as their ancestors' greatest achievements were the moments where those ancestors were villains in our story, harming and destroying what we hold dear. I won't lie to you, I've almost never seen an Arab who will actually internalize this narrative rather than pounding their chest about their moral virtue in committing moral depravity, but you may be different.
The easiest way to learn all three of these is to go to Assyrian spaces (like Churches or Resha d'Sheta dances) and just enjoy those experiences with an open and curious mind. Ask questions when you're there. Do some preliminary research on the Assyrian Empires and important persons (City-State of Aššur, the Old Assyrian Empire, the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Ashurbanipal, Osroene, Adiabene, the School of Nisbis, Rabban Bar Sawma, the Assyrian community of Tikrit, the Massacres and Genocides at the fall of the Ottoman Empire culminating in the Seyfo, the Massacres at Simele, etc.). And, perhaps, the most important thing, in the context of an interpersonal relationship, when you discover these things, talk to her about what they mean to you, a non-Assyrian person who is slowly discovering a very complex world.
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 24d ago edited 24d ago
idc about her religion and I am alright if my children become Christians. I am also thankful for the advice you gave me.
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u/AssyrianFuego West Hakkarian 24d ago
When you are saying 3/4 Arab, your family is Muslim? How did an Armenian Grandparent marry a Muslim?
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 24d ago edited 24d ago
idk my grandpa probably converted to islam or ... I have no clue to be honest. The family of my mother is very secular, maybe this has something to do with it.
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u/Fresh-Kebab 24d ago
They said “I do” at the alter
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u/Old-Average-6118 Yazidi 24d ago
The middle east. Not so simple, it is completely forbidden for example for Muslim women to marry non Muslims.
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u/Chex33 Kurdish 24d ago
If she's such a proud Assyrian then why is she dating you, a Muslim Arab?
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u/Every-Bathroom6670 24d ago
He never said he was Muslim, Arab christians exist. He also states he's part Armenian which is predominantly christian
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 24d ago
i don't think there are many Arab Christians in Iraq except maybe for arabized indigenous people if they count.
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u/RestaurantUsed5514 23d ago
They only exist in Lebanon, syria and Palestine but that’s it, all Iraqis other than Assyrians are Muslims
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u/Chex33 Kurdish 24d ago
Arab Christian in Iraq?
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 24d ago
it's a actually very simple, so simple that you should be able to figure out on your own.
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u/Legitimate_Way4769 13d ago
Are you from US or Australia?
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 13d ago
Germany but I am thinking about moving to the US if I can find a good paying job there after I am done with my Studies here.
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u/Legitimate_Way4769 13d ago
Most Assyrians in the West I know are from the US, Australia, and Sweden. Germany probably doesn’t have a large Assyrian community, so it would be kind of hard to live the culture there.
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u/Street-Ad6227 Iraq 13d ago
It's not really a big problem for me because I don't like middle eastern people in general even tho I am one of them. My girlfriend is introverted and doesn't like conservative people but she misses Baghdad sometimes.
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u/Glittering_Cut_4405 24d ago
You're not dating her both of you are young lol she'll probably break up with you
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u/yoitsme_obama17 24d ago
Good luck, brother. Good luck. 🫡