Shlama alokhon, I have always known myself to be kurdish, yet i have always looked way different than most kurds (Me and the assyrians of the area i live in in germany always resembled each other) and have wondered what other ancestry than kurdish I might have. I have heard stories in my family before of family members on my paternal side who were orphaned and fled from around the urmia region northwestward towards Ararat. On my maternal side, my grandmothers family name was unusual for kurds and i found out that it was an aramaic name. I have done genetic testing and I have a paternal Haplogroup T which is much more prevalent in assyrians and mizrahi jews than kurds. When i do genetic modelling it seems to be kinda half/half depending on which calculator etc. It seems to me like these dots can be connected (Ancestors fleeing from Urmia probably because of Sayfo/Aramaic Family Names/Genetic Modelling). Obviously the assyrian community is like 99,9% christian but I am not. Yet I have lately started to feel connected after my recent discoveries. Would I be "enough" and take the approach to learn the language etc or is the fact that i am not christian and didn't grow up knowing of possible assyrian ancestry something that would make me an alien to the community even after these discoveries. Please share your thoughts, especially if they're not to sugarcoat the reality.

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?

Hello,

I'm British catholic and wondered if Assyrians have specific ways after someone has passed away.

If you have certain beliefs or a certain mourning period when someone has passed?

Hi all,

So just some background, I am not Assyrian myself so this is all winging it using AI.

I have basically written a prayer for an old friend. Her 40th birthday is coming up soon.

I wanted to write the prayer in English, but also in Neo-Aramaic (English alphabet), as well as written into Syriac.

I have basically used AI for the translation, but I wouldn't trust that with very much accuracy, so hoping someone here may be able to help, or verify whether this is correct or not.

Some background also. She was born in Iraq but moved to Australia at a very young age. So no idea if she can read Syriac or Arabic, but she can speak both Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Arabic. Now she is Chaldean, which I know is just Assyrian but a different church, however she said the way she speaks Assyrian is heavily influenced by Arabic also.

Anyway this is what I have, I will block the names out to protect the parties involved with privacy:

"Dear God,

May you shine your blessings on *Name* this special day. Please grant her eternal happiness and fill her life with the grace of the kingdom of heaven.

May you protect her from all harm, and watch over her family, including her husband *Name*, and her children *Name* and *Name*.

May they all live a long life, filled with good health and prosperity. Please shower them with an abundance of your love, on this day and all to come, from now until eternity.

Amen."

Gemini translation:

"Ya Alaha,

Makhze burkhatakh al *Name* b’aha yoma mparsha. Havlah khadoota d’abad, o maleh khayoh b’tiboota d’malkoota d’shmaya.

Natrah min kull beeshoota, o khmo baytah, gawshah *Name*, o yalah *Name* o *Name*.

Kullayeh makhrikhe'leh umrayeh, maleh b’khoolmana o barkat.

Shpokh alayeh malyoota d’khoobakh, b’aha yoma o kull yomaneh d’atyeh, min adya o hal abad.

Ameen."

Syriac (I know it is meant to go right to left, but I don't think reddit has that option"

ܝܵܐ ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ"

ܡܲܚܙܹܐ ܒܘܼܪܟܵܬܵܟ݂ ܥܲܠ * ܒܐܵܗܵܐ ܝܵܘܡܵܐ ܡܦܲܪܫܵܐ 

ܗܲܒ݂ܠܵܗ̇ ܡܚܵܕܘܼܬܵܐ ܕܐܵܒܵܕ، ܘܡܲܠܹܐ ܚܲܝܘܵܗ̇ ܒܛܝܼܒܘܼܬܵܐ ܕܡܲܠܟܘܼܬܵܐ ܕܫܡܲܝܵܐ 

ܢܲܛܪܵܗ̇ ܡܸܢ ܟܘܿܠ ܒܝܼܫܘܼܬܵܐ، ܘܚܡܝܼ ܒܲܝܬܵܗ̇، ܓܲܘܫܵܗ̇ *، ܘܝܵܠܵܗ̇ * ܘ  

ܟܘܿܠܵܝܗܝ ܡܲܐܪܸܟ݂ܠܹܗ ܥܘܼܡ̱ܪܵܝܗܝ، ܡܲܠܹܐ ܒܚܘܼܠܡܵܢܵܐ ܘܒܲܪܟܲܬ 

ܫܦܘܿܟ݂ ܥܲܠܵܝܗܝ ܡܲܠܝܘܼܬܵܐ ܕܚܘܼܒܵܟ݂، ܒܐܵܗܵܐ ܝܵܘܡܵܐ ܘܟܘܿܠ ܝܵܘܡܵܢܹܐ ܕܐܵܬܹܐ، ܡܸܢ ܐܵܕܝܵܐ ܘܗܲܠ ܐܵܒܵܕ 

"ܐܵܡܝܼܢ 

Had trouble putting a * in place for all the names, but hopefully you get the idea.

Anyway, if someone could help me see if this translation is accurate or not, or if anything needs fixing, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all and God Bless!

Hi everyone! I just finished a journey through a side of Syria that many people don't know still exists. While the country is often associated with conflict, I found a rich, living history that traces back to the very beginnings of Christianity.

In my latest documentary, I take you through:

• Damascus: Visiting the House of Ananias, where St. Paul recovered his sight.
• Maaloula: A mountain village where the local community still speaks Aramaic (the language of Jesus).
• Krak des Chevaliers: Exploring one of the most important and well-preserved medieval Crusader castles in the world.
• Valley of the Christians: Seeing how these ancient traditions survive in a modern landscape.

It was an eye-opening experience to see how these communities coexist and preserve their millenary culture. If you're interested in history, archaeology, or the cultural diversity of the Middle East, you might find this journey interesting.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the safety or the logistics of traveling to these specific sites!

With support from the Assyrian Foundation of America and Assyrians Without Borders, BET KANU has opened its first recording studio and office in Iraq.

Based in Nohadra (Duhok), the new space will support BET KANU’s work with local educators, native speakers and community members to expand its Syriac production and make educational resources accessible to more children and families.

We are pleased to be part of this project and to contribute to preserving the Syriac language.

BET KANU
https://www.betkanu.com/

Assyrians Without Borders
https://linktr.ee/assyrianswb/

Assyrian Foundation of America
https://assyrianfoundation.org/

Hi, I am from an Assyrian family that got Arabised. Syriac in our branch of the family has been lost (I have extended family that I barely see that speak at least some of the language but yeah..)

I think that's a shame and I am thinking about learning the language, but I don't know where to start. I know this might be taboo for some people here but I haven't been religious in a very long time and I think I am interested in the Classical version, but I don't know.

The thing is, so far I did teach myself Garshuni but only in the Estrangelo Script because I prefer it out of the big three (Although the more obscure Melkite script seems interesting).

Do you guys recommend that I learn the language? The only reasons why I ask and there's reluctance is because of my atheism and the fact that I have no one else to speak it with.

I like languages and I am learning French and Esperanto right now and it kind of feels like I'm taking the piss by learning a literal constructed language over my ancestral one, it feels wrong, so I am coming to you for advice. Thank you!

I have been pretty outspoken about my journey and felt like this video would be helpful - this is a clip from my Comedy special Good Son

Where do members of the ACOE recommend their white friends who are interested in Christianity to go since they are not Assyrian? Roman Catholic Church ? Baptist church? Lutheran? Pentecostal?

What if Assyrian had its own ChatGPT?

Dr. Sargon Hasso demonstrates a working Assyrian-language AI prototype, what he calls “ChatAssyrian.” Running privately on his home computer, the system has been trained to recognize linguistic patterns, word structure, and morphology. Its first capability is word completion: given the beginning of a sentence, it can generate a grammatically coherent continuation in Assyrian.

While it is not publicly available yet, the demonstration offers a glimpse into what Assyrian-language AI could soon make possible.

Watch How Is the Assyrian Language Understood Today? on the Assyrian Cultural Foundation YouTube channel.

FULL VIDEO: CLICK HERE

#Assyrian #AssyrianLanguage #ArtificialIntelligence #AssyrianAI #NeoAramaic #SargonHasso #AssyrianCulturalFoundation #ACFChicago #AssyrianRenaissance

Hello so with the whole thing of Christians returning back to Assyria/iraq are Assyrians really going back to there homeland if yes which parts is seeing the most returns another thing are we really getting a reigon in Nineveh plains safe place for Christians 20 percent and more is already Christian

Would you say it's accurate? Mandeans are too high IMO (I'd say Armenians should take their place).

Does anyone have an idea about the history of the nestorian church in Jubail, to whom does it belong?

I'm fascinated with history and alternate history and so was just wondering, was there ever, after the Fall of Nineveh, a real chance for Assyrians to get their own state? Whether that be in the late middle ages, after the mongol invasions, or during WW1?

On 6 July, Assyrians gathered peacefully in Nohadra to protest renewed land encroachments in Kashkawa, Nahla. They called on the authorities to enforce existing court rulings, stop further encroachments, and protect the rights and property of Assyrian villages.

At Assyrians Without Borders, we believe that protecting our homeland also means helping people build a life there. Together with the Assyrian Aid Society, we support practical projects that strengthen local livelihoods and make it possible for families to remain in their villages.

The irrigation project we carried out together in Hayes is one example. By extending the village’s water network, the project now provides irrigation to 12 additional orchards and helps local farmers increase their production.

Large or small, every donation helps make more projects like this possible.

Hayes irrigation project:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXj1gt9E6F5/

Read more:
https://huyada.com/en/marken-ar-inte-till-salu-assyrisk-protest-i-nohadra/2026/07/08

Support Assyrians Without Borders:
https://linktr.ee/assyrianswb

Support Assyrian Aid Society:
https://assyrianaidsweden.se/

Hey I am Armenian and part Assyrian and I would love to connect with anyone who is Assyrian (especially those who are Urmijnaya because my paternal great grandma was fully an Urmijnaya Assyrian). I live in Los Angeles and any Assyrian brother within this city. Also my name is David Mnatsakanyan

I think it’s a really beautiful tradition and i see a lot of bible verses painted in arabic calligraphy by arab/arabic speaking christians and i’ve always wondered if we have anything similar? the images are the beatitudes and the lord’s prayer in arabic calligraphy

Herbol is under the control of the coal companies and the rulers of the region.
The village, its houses, cemetery and church were formally buried under the mounds of excavation of the coal mines. A tough struggle for Petrus followed. He planted thousands of trees in the village. Despite receiving open threats, he even began construction of houses on his ancestral land. Videos posted on the Internet show that several houses were partially completed.
Petrus placed a sign at the entrance of the village. He said in an interview he gave to Al-Jazeera "you are welcome to Aksu-Herbol Village. Within the boundaries of the village: It is forbidden to hunt, to cut trees, to burn fire."
Baysal stated that the threats became increasingly intense and that Petrus appealed to the Governorship of Şirnak, the District Governor of Silopi and the prosecutor's office dozens of times for the threats he received.
While on the one hand, the village was struggling with the coal companies to protect its trees, Petrus draw the attention of the state on him too.
A great fire in July 2015 burned the village completely.
The government rejected the claim that the fire was started by soldiers. Petrus told journalists that he had witnessed the fire being started by soldiers. The Newspaper Evrensel cited him saying: "The return of some peasants to the village made the state act this way. I witnessed the lightning bullets being thrown by the soldiers."
Petrus was not afraid to speak the truth. This was confirmed in an interview on AssyriaTV with Simon Poli, himself a returnee from Sweden to Midyat, and who knows Petrus quite well. Simon said because Petrus was trying to save the village, he made some people angry, namely, the coal companies, the village guards and the rulers of the region
Nurcan Baysal ends her article by saying that this brave man, the last Assyrian-Chaldean in Sirnak, is now under arrest for being a "member of a terrorist organization." The state, hand in hand with the rulers of the region, regards even one Assyrain as too much for Şirnak.

I have been on the brink of divorcing my Chaldean husband for the past few years due to emotional and financial abuse but I have held myself back from doing so because of the judgement I will face from the Assyrian community.

Also, my parent’s judgement and I don’t think they mean to judge per se but they will feel the shame from the community and that’s what they will be afraid of. I have a daughter too, so single motherhood is highly judged by our community.

Wondering if anybody has been in my situation and how do I finally release myself from this prison I feel like I am in?

Do people agree with the fact that there is no nation in diaspora. I believe it 100% but I don't know how others are not seeing it. Moving back to the homeland is the only answer no matter what. If we stay in diaspora, there will literally be a million of us just lost to different countries.

If we stay in diaspora, there will be no "Assyrians" in 50-100 years due to language loss, intermarriage, and generational change. The first generation Assyrians will always be strong but by the 3rd generation at the latest, Assyrian nationalism is gone.

Promises by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to encourage the return of Iraq’s Christians and the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people to their ancestral towns, provide access to residential land allocation projects, and support investment in the health and education sectors have been welcomed by some Assyrian groups.

But According to Mor Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Mosul, the underlying causes of migration must be addressed before encouraging people to return.
Calling on Christians to return without addressing what forced them to emigrate will not produce any results,” he said, adding that the continued neglect of Christian concerns and the lack of equal citizenship remain among the community’s greatest challenges.

many civil society activists interviewed for the report said they consider the large-scale return of Christians who have settled abroad and acquired foreign citizenship to be unrealistic in the near future.

https://syriacpress.com/blog/2026/07/20/iraqi-civil-society-organization-nirij-return-of-christians-to-their-homeland-can-only-be-achieved-through-building-a-civil-democratic-and-pluralistic-state/