Bakhdida
Encyclopedia
Bakhdida bɑχdɛːdə, also known as Baghdeda, Qaraqosh, Karakosh or Al-Hamdaniya, is an Assyrian
town in the northern Iraq
Ninawa Governorate
, located about 32 km southeast of the city of Mosul
amid agricultural lands, close to the ruins of the ancient Assyrian cities Nimrud
and Nineveh
. It is connected to the main city of Mosul by two main roads. The first runs through the towns of Bartella
and Karamles
which connects to the city of Arbil
as well. The second which was gravel until the 1990s when it was paved, is direct to Mosul.
it has two components Beth which means "land" or "town", and Khodida which could either mean "Youths" in Aramaic
or "God's gift" in Old Persian. Some also believe that Bakhdida comes from the Aramaic Beth Deta, meaning "Land of the Kite
". During the Ottoman
Turks rule, the Turkish name Qara Qoş (Turkish
for black bird) came into use. Finally, and as part of the Arabization
policy in the 1970s, the Iraqi Ba'ath government changed the village name to Hamdaniyya, naming it after the Arab tribe of "Banu Hamdan", who ruled Mosul
in the middle ages
.
The vast majority of its inhabitants are ethnic Assyrians
, more than 96% of which are members of the Syriac Catholic Church
, While the rest are Syriac Orthodox. The recent wave of violence targeting Christians in Iraq forced many Assyrians living in major Iraqi cities to move to Assyrians towns in Nineveh Plains
which swelled the town with an influx of refugees mainly belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church
and the Assyrian Church of the East
.
The main language spoken is the Nineveh Plains variant of Syriac, Which is almost identical to that spoken in other major Assyrian towns in the region, Like Alqosh
and Tel Kepe. Arabic is also used as a second language. English
is widely understood by younger generations.
As of now, the Al-Hamdaniya Municipality also includes towns of Bartella
and Karamlish and tens of other smaller Assyrian villages.
were important Assyria
n artifacts were found by the Assyrian
Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam
, most of which is sidplayed at the British Museum
and the Louvre
.
A variant of the its name, Bakdedu is said to be the place of a decisive battle between the Assyria
ns and the Babylonians in 610 BC after the fall of Nineveh.
The town then became part of the consecutive empires that ruled the region. Persian influence can be still seen by the possible explanation of its name. Many Gods worshipped before Christianity was established were of Assyria
n and Persian origins.
(built before 10th century) was looted and taxes on its Jacobite population became so unbearable that most of the Assyrian Christians left the city and the Jacobite Mapharian, Youhanna IV Saliba, followed suit and moved to Mosul. Many of these Tikriti Christians moved to Baghdeda and later few Mapharians settled in it as well. Still, the town would be a great anthropological study with many rooted family names such as Assu, Ashu, Ballu, Gadju, Hallu, Jadju, Olo, Rammu, that reflect Assyrian Akkadian influence.
near Baghdida. In 1324, Baghdida was attacked by the Kurds again and many homes and four churches were burned. In 1742, the Afsharids led by Nadir Shah plundered and looted the whole region of Mosul Vilayet, including many Christian villages.
. Recently, the Dominicans celebrated 250 years of their presence in north of Iraq. There was much unrest between the new Catholics and the originally Jacobite Christians. It is reported that when a Catholic bishop Essa Mahfoodh went to see the Jacobite Patriarch Elias II Hindi al-Mosulli (1837–1847) in order to secure the division of properties between the two groups, he was received with insulting remarks. The patriarch told the Catholic bishop: "French (Papists), isn't it enough that you divided my people in Mardin and now you come here to Mosul as well to do the same thing here?" Backed by the French, the bishop went to Mohammad pasha, the Turkish governor, and presented his complaint to him. In 1837, the properties (churches and monasteries), manuscripts, and furniture were divided in a special manner between the two Assyrian denominations.
invaded the Mosul region and most of the inhabitants of Baghdida escaped to Mosul with all their valuables, in accordance to the governor's orders. Mosul was harassed and then sieged for months. However, the Christians defended it and after months of blockade, the Persians finally signed a peace agreement with Mosul's governor Hasan Pasha Al Jalili, and withdrew in 1743. To reward the Christians for their bravery, the Jalili governor permitted many churches in the Mosul region to be restored.
Next, the governor sent his son to Constantinople
(Istanbul) to meet with the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I
. The purpose for the visit was to ask the sultan for a reward for saving Mosul. The sultan issued an official Firman
in 1778 and paid Hussein Pasha al-Jalili 800 Qirsh to buy the village of Baghdida. The people of Baghdida were very upset about what had happened. They met and decided after long deliberation to abandon the village. When al-Jalili heard the story, he felt guilty and decided to return the ownership of the village to its rightful owners. He issued a decree in 1778, in which he relinquished his ownership to Baghdida, however, he kept his rights to receive the tenth of its produce in taxes.
This continued until Ayyoub al-Jalili headed the Jalili
family. He tried to enforce the Sultan's original firman; however, the people of Bakhdida, as it was known at this time, fought with the help of Bihnam Bounni, who won the case in Mosul courts in 1920 and traveled to Istanbul and won the case there in 1923. Nevertheless, Ayyoub al-Jalili and the Jalili family returned again and tried to claim ownership of Bakhdida. On 21 November 1949 , judge Moslih al-Den al-Salhani rewarded Bakhdida to the Jalili family. The people of Bakhdida applied a petition to the Iraqi government in which they explained the whole history of their village and ended the petition with permission to leave Iraq if the government did not return ownership of the village to them. The courts looked into the matter one last time and on March 15 1954 , rewarded the village to the people of Bakhdida.
The people of Bakhdida, got the chance to vote for the first time on 30 January 2005. The secular Ayad Allawi led the votes in the town.
However many Assyrians, Shabaks and Yazidis were not allowed to cast their vote, which led to demonstrations against the results.
The next parliamentary elections in 7 March 2010 saw the rise of local candidates with the Assyrian Democratic Movement
coming as second. Only 52% of registered voters participated in this elections.
Due to the rise of extremism in Iraq shortly after the US led invasion to this country, many of the villager's were targeted for being Christians in Mosul
and Baghdad
.
22 November 2006, Yeshu' Hadaya, the leader of a National Syriac movement was assassinated in Bakhdida.
Students from the village were harassed in Mosul University, many female students were forced to wear Islamic dresses in fears of attacks. In 2 May 2010 a convoy of buses carrying student from Bakhdida en route to Mosul University was a target of a coordinated attack which killed and injured more than a hundred.
In April 2011
The Iraqi Ministry of Education started the construction of a university in Bakhdida that is planned to serve the whole Nineveh Plains
region.
. In Balawat
(the ancient Assyrian city of Imgur-Enlil), a number of Assyrian artifacts was excaveted, which are currently displayed in the British Museum
and Mosul Museum
.
There is a lot of interest in the archaeology of Baghdida today. It has many Assyrian archaeological remains, like those of Tell Bashmoni (Beth Shmoni), tell Muqortaya, tell Karamles, tell Mar Bihnam and others. These mounds were fortresses, temples, or buildings that belonged to the Assyrian capital of Nimrud
. Throughout 1922, 1927, and 1935, excavators found gold pieces, cylinder seals, and they found an Assyrian statue in a well in the church of Mar Zina, which is displayed in Mosul Museum. In 1942, an Assyrian bathroom and several graves were found near the church of Bashmoni. Furthermore, during the 1980s excavations in the grounds of the Church of Mar Youhanna (Saint John), archaeologists found human remains inside graves in the eastern side and at a depth of one and a half meters. These graves were built with typical Assyrian large sized rectangular shaped bricks.
References to Athur (Assyria) continued in texts from Baghdeda. Mapharian Athanasius Ibrahim II of Tur Abdin visited Tikrit, Baghdad, and Arbil to attend to his congregation. According to Afram Abdal al-Khouri and his book al-Lu'lu' al-Nadheed fi Tareekh Deir Mar Bihnam al-Shaheed (The Layers of Pearls in the History of the Monastery of Martyred Mar Bihnam), 1951, p. 219, Sony writes: "in 1365, the mapharian came to Athur or Mosul and was welcomed by Nour al-Din the Chief of Baghdeda …" (Sony 1998, 699). Lastly but not least, according to Mar Bihnam monastery archives, Sony writes that in 1294–1295, a certain king "came to Lower Athur, the city of Saint Mar Bihnam …" (Sony 1998, 95).
This church was mentioned by Mapheryan Denosyos Mosa (1112–1142) who visited the church in 1129. It was also mentioned also by Mapheryan Egnateyos La'Azer (1143–1164). In this church is the remain of Mapheryan Deosqoros Behnam II who was buried there in 1417, and that of Mapheryan Baselos Aziz who was buried there in 1487. Several attempts were made to reconstruct it. The first was in 1745 to rebuild what was destroyed by Nader Shah in 1743. It was rebuilt again 1847. The last reconstruction for this church was conducted in 1964.
This is the largest church in Bakhdeda and Iraq. Building of this church started in 1932. Phase one was completed in 1939, and final phase was completed by 1948.
Historically this church was called Church of Mar Andrawes. It was overtaken by the Catholic at the order of Hassan Pasha Al-Jalely in 1770 and renamed Mar Jacob. It was reinvigorated in 1970.
This church was built prior to 1748 when its name was mentioned by the priest Habash bin Joma’a.
This church was standing prior to 1269 when in it was mentioned in an inscription written by Joseph bin Khames Al-Senjari.
This church was first mentioned in 1589 by the priest Jacob bin Eliya bin Hirmis who was referring to the reconstruction being done on it, which indicates that this church was built many years before that. It was also reconstructed in 1744 and recently in 1964.
This church was built in 2008.
This is the oldest church in Bakhdida. Possibly this church was built in the sixth or the seventh century. It was burned by Nader Shah in 1743 and reconstructed in 1744.
This church was built prior to the eighth century, since its records indicate that it was reinvigorated in 791. It is a famous among Syriac from other parts of the region. Once a year, thousands of believers from around Bakhdeda come to visit the church and celebrate Mart Shmony's and her children's martyrdom.
This is an old church in Bakhdida. Not much information is known about it.
On Christmas Eve people in Bakhdida enjoy the Fire that is lit in the yard of the church of immaculate locally known Tahra. Wild plants are collected ahead of the big celebration, a known family is devoted to gather the plants and anybody can volunteer for this task too. Big mass is held on Christmas Eve and all children and crowds of people sing Christmas carols.
On Christmas Day people visit each other and have special meals with their relatives and friends. Most people sacrifice animals, prepare Christmas cookies locally known as Klecha; a very special treat stuffed with walnut, coconut or dates.
Mar Karyakos is actually ruins of a monastery located about a kilometer east of Bakhdida and lies amid agricultural fields. The monastery consists of three caves that are carved naturally in a hilly rock formed geologically of hardened pebbles. In the middle cave which is the largest stands what looks like an altar formed of piled stones. The altar is lit with candles by believers who visit it once a year on the Sunday before Palm Sunday. Offers are given for the needy people of Bakhdida, after prayers families picnic in the fields that surround the monastery.
Very special treat is prepared ahead of this day from wheat. The wheat is washed, soaked in salt water for three days and then dried in the direct sunlight. After it is completely dry the grains are roasted in special pan locally known SACH on the stove. Melon seeds are washed, salted, dried and roasted the same way as the wheat then mixed with the roasted wheat.
The final treat is called "kitikelie" that has very delicious taste.
The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday or Oshana. It is the beginning of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Great crowds of people parade the streets of Bakhdida waving olive branches to welcome him. The procession starts at the church of immaculate and ends at the church of John. The people shout "Oshana to the son of David”.
In Bakhdida big mass is held at the Church of Immaculate to commemorate what Jesus did with his disciples. It starts as an ordinary mass but includes a dramatic ritual of the washing and kissing the feet of twelve children.
The feast of The Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, people attend mass and in the evening they lit fires in the streets of Bakhdida and decorate the exterior of their houses with outdoor lights.
Traditionally, in Bakhdida, the Church of Immaculate where the Good Friday prayers are held all Virgin Mary’s pictures are covered with black cloth as a symbol of her sorrow as well as a bitter drink is prepared from boiling local tree twigs and flowers. Later, on this morning the bell rings for inviting people to drink it as a symbol of the bitter drink that was offered for Jesus while on the cross.The cross is then wrapped in white fabric and kept in a coffin, and in the afternoon burial prayers are held.
Banned prior to the American invasion, this national Assyrian festival
has started to gain popularity between youths in the last decade.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
town in the northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Ninawa Governorate
Ninawa Governorate
Ninawa is a governorate in northern Iraq, and the Arabic name for the biblical city of Nineveh in Assyria. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,453,000 people in 2003. Its chief city and provincial capital is Mosul, which lies across the Tigris river from the ruins of ancient...
, located about 32 km southeast of the city of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
amid agricultural lands, close to the ruins of the ancient Assyrian cities Nimrud
Nimrud
Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris in modern Ninawa Governorate Iraq. In ancient times the city was called Kalḫu. The Arabs called the city Nimrud after the Biblical Nimrod, a legendary hunting hero .The city covered an area of around . Ruins of the city...
and Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
. It is connected to the main city of Mosul by two main roads. The first runs through the towns of Bartella
Bartella
Bartella is an Assyrian town located less than 13 miles east of Mosul, Iraq. The name Bartella is of Syriac origin, but its meaning is not fully agreed on by the historians...
and Karamles
Karamles
Karamlish is an ancient Assyrian town in Iraq located less than south east of Mosul, and has been occupied by Assyrians for 5000 years....
which connects to the city of Arbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
as well. The second which was gravel until the 1990s when it was paved, is direct to Mosul.
Etymology
The name Bakhdida , is of uncertain origin and when translated from the Syriac languageSyriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
it has two components Beth which means "land" or "town", and Khodida which could either mean "Youths" in Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
or "God's gift" in Old Persian. Some also believe that Bakhdida comes from the Aramaic Beth Deta, meaning "Land of the Kite
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
". During the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turks rule, the Turkish name Qara Qoş (Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
for black bird) came into use. Finally, and as part of the Arabization
Arabization
Arabization or Arabisation describes a growing cultural influence on a non-Arab area that gradually changes into one that speaks Arabic and/or incorporates Arab culture...
policy in the 1970s, the Iraqi Ba'ath government changed the village name to Hamdaniyya, naming it after the Arab tribe of "Banu Hamdan", who ruled Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
in the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Situation of the town
Agriculture was the main source of living for the people of Bakhdida, It also prospered on handicrafts such as weaving and producing leather coats which are locally known as Farawee made of sheepskin. Today, Bakhdida has become a center of trade and business with many roads, shops, houses, buildings and lots of government employees but still agriculture and farming are one of the main sources of living as since the eighties many people own and run chicken farms with modern facilities.The vast majority of its inhabitants are ethnic Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, more than 96% of which are members of the Syriac Catholic Church
Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church is a Christian church in the Levant having practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. They are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches following the Antiochene rite, the Syriac tradition of Antioch, along with the Maronites and Syro-Malankara Christians...
, While the rest are Syriac Orthodox. The recent wave of violence targeting Christians in Iraq forced many Assyrians living in major Iraqi cities to move to Assyrians towns in Nineveh Plains
Nineveh plains
Nineveh plains is a region in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq to the north and west of the city Mosul. The area generally consists of three districts; Tel Keppe, Al-Hamdaniya, and Al-Shikhan...
which swelled the town with an influx of refugees mainly belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
and the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
.
The main language spoken is the Nineveh Plains variant of Syriac, Which is almost identical to that spoken in other major Assyrian towns in the region, Like Alqosh
Alqosh
Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
and Tel Kepe. Arabic is also used as a second language. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is widely understood by younger generations.
As of now, the Al-Hamdaniya Municipality also includes towns of Bartella
Bartella
Bartella is an Assyrian town located less than 13 miles east of Mosul, Iraq. The name Bartella is of Syriac origin, but its meaning is not fully agreed on by the historians...
and Karamlish and tens of other smaller Assyrian villages.
Pre-Christian accounts
It is thought that the incient city of Rasin mentioned in some texts was in Bakhdida. Furthermore the town is situated 5 km north to BalawatBalawat
Balawat is a historical location in Ninawa Governorate, Iraq, southeast from the city of Mosul and to the south of the modern Assyrian town of Bakhdida. It was the site of the ancient Neo-Assyrian city of Imgur-Enlil...
were important Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n artifacts were found by the Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam
Hormuzd Rassam
Hormuzd Rassam , was a native Assyrian Assyriologist, British diplomat and traveller who made a number of important discoveries, including the clay tablets that contained the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest literature...
, most of which is sidplayed at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
.
A variant of the its name, Bakdedu is said to be the place of a decisive battle between the Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
ns and the Babylonians in 610 BC after the fall of Nineveh.
The town then became part of the consecutive empires that ruled the region. Persian influence can be still seen by the possible explanation of its name. Many Gods worshipped before Christianity was established were of Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and Persian origins.
Early Christian history
The Assyrians of Bakhdida became Christians during early Christianity. With the Christological disputes of the 4th century, they followed the Nestorian teaching but switched to the Jacobite (Orthodox Assyrian) rite through Shapur of Baghdida in the 7th century. Worth mentioning that Bartella was Nestorian village as well; however, the efforts of Bishop Gabriel al-Sinjari, in early 7th century, switched it to Jacobite as he held a special place at the Sassanid Persian royal court and King Khosrow II and his queen Sherin. Gabriel was a Jacobite; however, he switched to Nestorianism when he married a Nestorian woman. He then married two additional Magian wives that led to his excommunication by the Nestorian patriarch; thus, he joined the Jacobite Church for the second time. Gabriel was influential at the court of the king and his wife because he has cured the queen and she had a child after years of unsuccessful pregnancy. His influence was so great that he prevented the Nestorians from electing a patriarch for 20 years.Later migrations
Bakhdida's population is indigenous to the village; however, Assyrian Christians from other regions of Assyria have moved to and settled in Bakhdida. In 1089, the Church of Mar Aho Dama in TikritTikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
(built before 10th century) was looted and taxes on its Jacobite population became so unbearable that most of the Assyrian Christians left the city and the Jacobite Mapharian, Youhanna IV Saliba, followed suit and moved to Mosul. Many of these Tikriti Christians moved to Baghdeda and later few Mapharians settled in it as well. Still, the town would be a great anthropological study with many rooted family names such as Assu, Ashu, Ballu, Gadju, Hallu, Jadju, Olo, Rammu, that reflect Assyrian Akkadian influence.
Raids of Persians and Kurds
In their literature and writings, the Assyrians of Baghdida remember vividly the raids of the Persians and Kurds on their village and churches. In 1171, while the governors of Mosul and Damascus were fighting each other, the Kurds used the opportunity and attacked Mar Mattai Monastery. According the 12th century writer Bar Hebraeus, in 1261, the Kurds came down to Mosul and killed many Christians who refused to follow Islam and looted their homes and churches. The Kurds then occupied the Nunnery of Muqortaya and killed many of the nuns and others who have sought refuge in the monastery. In 1288, a battle took place between the Kurds and TatarsTatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
near Baghdida. In 1324, Baghdida was attacked by the Kurds again and many homes and four churches were burned. In 1742, the Afsharids led by Nadir Shah plundered and looted the whole region of Mosul Vilayet, including many Christian villages.
Advent of Catholicism
In 1580, certain Jacobites of Bakhdida began to build relations with Rome through the Monastery of Mar Bihnam, but it was not until the 18th century that these Jacobites began to join the Vatican and became known as Syrian CatholicsSyriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church is a Christian church in the Levant having practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. They are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches following the Antiochene rite, the Syriac tradition of Antioch, along with the Maronites and Syro-Malankara Christians...
. Recently, the Dominicans celebrated 250 years of their presence in north of Iraq. There was much unrest between the new Catholics and the originally Jacobite Christians. It is reported that when a Catholic bishop Essa Mahfoodh went to see the Jacobite Patriarch Elias II Hindi al-Mosulli (1837–1847) in order to secure the division of properties between the two groups, he was received with insulting remarks. The patriarch told the Catholic bishop: "French (Papists), isn't it enough that you divided my people in Mardin and now you come here to Mosul as well to do the same thing here?" Backed by the French, the bishop went to Mohammad pasha, the Turkish governor, and presented his complaint to him. In 1837, the properties (churches and monasteries), manuscripts, and furniture were divided in a special manner between the two Assyrian denominations.
Persian-Ottoman wars
In early 18th century, the Persians under the leadership of Nader ShahNader Shah
Nāder Shāh Afshār ruled as Shah of Iran and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty. Because of his military genius, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander...
invaded the Mosul region and most of the inhabitants of Baghdida escaped to Mosul with all their valuables, in accordance to the governor's orders. Mosul was harassed and then sieged for months. However, the Christians defended it and after months of blockade, the Persians finally signed a peace agreement with Mosul's governor Hasan Pasha Al Jalili, and withdrew in 1743. To reward the Christians for their bravery, the Jalili governor permitted many churches in the Mosul region to be restored.
Next, the governor sent his son to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(Istanbul) to meet with the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I
Mahmud I
Mahmud I , called the Hunchback was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754.-Biography:...
. The purpose for the visit was to ask the sultan for a reward for saving Mosul. The sultan issued an official Firman
Firman
A firman is a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in certain historical Islamic states, including the Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire, State of Hyderabad, and Iran under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The word firman comes from the meaning "decree" or "order"...
in 1778 and paid Hussein Pasha al-Jalili 800 Qirsh to buy the village of Baghdida. The people of Baghdida were very upset about what had happened. They met and decided after long deliberation to abandon the village. When al-Jalili heard the story, he felt guilty and decided to return the ownership of the village to its rightful owners. He issued a decree in 1778, in which he relinquished his ownership to Baghdida, however, he kept his rights to receive the tenth of its produce in taxes.
This continued until Ayyoub al-Jalili headed the Jalili
Jalili
Jalili or Djalili is a surname and may refer to:* Saeed Jalili , Iranian politician* Monika Jalili, American singer* Abolfazl Jalili , Iranian film director* Omid Djalili , British-Iranian comedian and actor...
family. He tried to enforce the Sultan's original firman; however, the people of Bakhdida, as it was known at this time, fought with the help of Bihnam Bounni, who won the case in Mosul courts in 1920 and traveled to Istanbul and won the case there in 1923. Nevertheless, Ayyoub al-Jalili and the Jalili family returned again and tried to claim ownership of Bakhdida. On 21 November 1949 , judge Moslih al-Den al-Salhani rewarded Bakhdida to the Jalili family. The people of Bakhdida applied a petition to the Iraqi government in which they explained the whole history of their village and ended the petition with permission to leave Iraq if the government did not return ownership of the village to them. The courts looked into the matter one last time and on March 15 1954 , rewarded the village to the people of Bakhdida.
Election results of 2005
However many Assyrians, Shabaks and Yazidis were not allowed to cast their vote, which led to demonstrations against the results.
| Ayad Allawi Secular list | 3,080 | 31% |
| Nahrain list (Chaldean-Assyrian list) | 2,664 | 27% |
| Assyrian Democratic Movement Assyrian Democratic Movement The Assyrian Democratic Movement also known as Zowaa is an ethnic Assyrian political party in Iraq, and is currently the only Assyrian-based political party to be voting in the Iraqi parliament.... |
2,466 | 25% |
| Kurdistan Alliance | 744 | 7% |
The next parliamentary elections in 7 March 2010 saw the rise of local candidates with the Assyrian Democratic Movement
Assyrian Democratic Movement
The Assyrian Democratic Movement also known as Zowaa is an ethnic Assyrian political party in Iraq, and is currently the only Assyrian-based political party to be voting in the Iraqi parliament....
coming as second. Only 52% of registered voters participated in this elections.
Due to the rise of extremism in Iraq shortly after the US led invasion to this country, many of the villager's were targeted for being Christians in Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
and Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
22 November 2006, Yeshu' Hadaya, the leader of a National Syriac movement was assassinated in Bakhdida.
Students from the village were harassed in Mosul University, many female students were forced to wear Islamic dresses in fears of attacks. In 2 May 2010 a convoy of buses carrying student from Bakhdida en route to Mosul University was a target of a coordinated attack which killed and injured more than a hundred.
In April 2011
April 2011
April 2011 was the fourth month of the current year. It began on a Friday and ended after 30 days on a Saturday.- Portal:Current events :This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from April 2011....
The Iraqi Ministry of Education started the construction of a university in Bakhdida that is planned to serve the whole Nineveh Plains
Nineveh plains
Nineveh plains is a region in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq to the north and west of the city Mosul. The area generally consists of three districts; Tel Keppe, Al-Hamdaniya, and Al-Shikhan...
region.
Archaeology
Since the late 19th century various locations on the outskirts of the town were excavated by Hormuzd RassamHormuzd Rassam
Hormuzd Rassam , was a native Assyrian Assyriologist, British diplomat and traveller who made a number of important discoveries, including the clay tablets that contained the Epic of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest literature...
. In Balawat
Balawat
Balawat is a historical location in Ninawa Governorate, Iraq, southeast from the city of Mosul and to the south of the modern Assyrian town of Bakhdida. It was the site of the ancient Neo-Assyrian city of Imgur-Enlil...
(the ancient Assyrian city of Imgur-Enlil), a number of Assyrian artifacts was excaveted, which are currently displayed in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and Mosul Museum
Mosul Museum
The Mosul Museum is a museum located in Mosul, Iraq. It was badly looted during 2003 Iraq War....
.
There is a lot of interest in the archaeology of Baghdida today. It has many Assyrian archaeological remains, like those of Tell Bashmoni (Beth Shmoni), tell Muqortaya, tell Karamles, tell Mar Bihnam and others. These mounds were fortresses, temples, or buildings that belonged to the Assyrian capital of Nimrud
Nimrud
Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris in modern Ninawa Governorate Iraq. In ancient times the city was called Kalḫu. The Arabs called the city Nimrud after the Biblical Nimrod, a legendary hunting hero .The city covered an area of around . Ruins of the city...
. Throughout 1922, 1927, and 1935, excavators found gold pieces, cylinder seals, and they found an Assyrian statue in a well in the church of Mar Zina, which is displayed in Mosul Museum. In 1942, an Assyrian bathroom and several graves were found near the church of Bashmoni. Furthermore, during the 1980s excavations in the grounds of the Church of Mar Youhanna (Saint John), archaeologists found human remains inside graves in the eastern side and at a depth of one and a half meters. These graves were built with typical Assyrian large sized rectangular shaped bricks.
References to Athur (Assyria) continued in texts from Baghdeda. Mapharian Athanasius Ibrahim II of Tur Abdin visited Tikrit, Baghdad, and Arbil to attend to his congregation. According to Afram Abdal al-Khouri and his book al-Lu'lu' al-Nadheed fi Tareekh Deir Mar Bihnam al-Shaheed (The Layers of Pearls in the History of the Monastery of Martyred Mar Bihnam), 1951, p. 219, Sony writes: "in 1365, the mapharian came to Athur or Mosul and was welcomed by Nour al-Din the Chief of Baghdeda …" (Sony 1998, 699). Lastly but not least, according to Mar Bihnam monastery archives, Sony writes that in 1294–1295, a certain king "came to Lower Athur, the city of Saint Mar Bihnam …" (Sony 1998, 95).
Syriac Catholic Churches
- Church of Virgin Mary
This church was mentioned by Mapheryan Denosyos Mosa (1112–1142) who visited the church in 1129. It was also mentioned also by Mapheryan Egnateyos La'Azer (1143–1164). In this church is the remain of Mapheryan Deosqoros Behnam II who was buried there in 1417, and that of Mapheryan Baselos Aziz who was buried there in 1487. Several attempts were made to reconstruct it. The first was in 1745 to rebuild what was destroyed by Nader Shah in 1743. It was rebuilt again 1847. The last reconstruction for this church was conducted in 1964.
- The New Church of Immaculate
This is the largest church in Bakhdeda and Iraq. Building of this church started in 1932. Phase one was completed in 1939, and final phase was completed by 1948.
- Church of Mar Jacob
Historically this church was called Church of Mar Andrawes. It was overtaken by the Catholic at the order of Hassan Pasha Al-Jalely in 1770 and renamed Mar Jacob. It was reinvigorated in 1970.
- Church of John the Baptist
This church was built prior to 1748 when its name was mentioned by the priest Habash bin Joma’a.
- Church of Martyr Mar Gewargis
This church was standing prior to 1269 when in it was mentioned in an inscription written by Joseph bin Khames Al-Senjari.
- Church of Mar Zina
This church was first mentioned in 1589 by the priest Jacob bin Eliya bin Hirmis who was referring to the reconstruction being done on it, which indicates that this church was built many years before that. It was also reconstructed in 1744 and recently in 1964.
- Church of Mar Behnam and his sister Mart Sarah
This church was built in 2008.
Syriac Orthodox Churches
- Church of Sarkis and Bakos
This is the oldest church in Bakhdida. Possibly this church was built in the sixth or the seventh century. It was burned by Nader Shah in 1743 and reconstructed in 1744.
- Church of Mart Shmony
This church was built prior to the eighth century, since its records indicate that it was reinvigorated in 791. It is a famous among Syriac from other parts of the region. Once a year, thousands of believers from around Bakhdeda come to visit the church and celebrate Mart Shmony's and her children's martyrdom.
- Church of Mar Gorgis
This is an old church in Bakhdida. Not much information is known about it.
Festivals
- Christmas
On Christmas Day people visit each other and have special meals with their relatives and friends. Most people sacrifice animals, prepare Christmas cookies locally known as Klecha; a very special treat stuffed with walnut, coconut or dates.
- Mar Keryakos
Mar Karyakos is actually ruins of a monastery located about a kilometer east of Bakhdida and lies amid agricultural fields. The monastery consists of three caves that are carved naturally in a hilly rock formed geologically of hardened pebbles. In the middle cave which is the largest stands what looks like an altar formed of piled stones. The altar is lit with candles by believers who visit it once a year on the Sunday before Palm Sunday. Offers are given for the needy people of Bakhdida, after prayers families picnic in the fields that surround the monastery.
Very special treat is prepared ahead of this day from wheat. The wheat is washed, soaked in salt water for three days and then dried in the direct sunlight. After it is completely dry the grains are roasted in special pan locally known SACH on the stove. Melon seeds are washed, salted, dried and roasted the same way as the wheat then mixed with the roasted wheat.
The final treat is called "kitikelie" that has very delicious taste.
- Palm Sunday
The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday or Oshana. It is the beginning of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Great crowds of people parade the streets of Bakhdida waving olive branches to welcome him. The procession starts at the church of immaculate and ends at the church of John. The people shout "Oshana to the son of David”.
- Holy Thursday
In Bakhdida big mass is held at the Church of Immaculate to commemorate what Jesus did with his disciples. It starts as an ordinary mass but includes a dramatic ritual of the washing and kissing the feet of twelve children.
- The Triumph of the Cross
The feast of The Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, people attend mass and in the evening they lit fires in the streets of Bakhdida and decorate the exterior of their houses with outdoor lights.
- Good Friday
Traditionally, in Bakhdida, the Church of Immaculate where the Good Friday prayers are held all Virgin Mary’s pictures are covered with black cloth as a symbol of her sorrow as well as a bitter drink is prepared from boiling local tree twigs and flowers. Later, on this morning the bell rings for inviting people to drink it as a symbol of the bitter drink that was offered for Jesus while on the cross.The cross is then wrapped in white fabric and kept in a coffin, and in the afternoon burial prayers are held.
- Kha b-Nisan
Banned prior to the American invasion, this national Assyrian festival
Kha b-Nisan
Kha b' Nisan or Ha b' Nisin, also Ha b' Nison; "First of April", Resha d'Sheta; "Head of the year" in Syriac, also known as Akitu, or Assyrian New Year is the spring festival among the Assyrians, celebrated on 1 April....
has started to gain popularity between youths in the last decade.