Nochiya Tribe
Encyclopedia
The Nochiya Tribe are an Assyrian
Christian tribe that were based in and around the district of Şemdinli
, in the province of Hakkari
, Turkey
. The word "Nochiya" means "between the mountains" in the Kurdish language
. They are called Nochiya Assyrians (Syriac
: ܢܘܿܟܝܼܝܐ Nochiyaye) and as Metropolitan's Tribe ("Millet D'Matran"), with an estimate over 20,000 remaining dispersed throughout the world.
of the Nochiya Region were simple farmers who owned cattle and grew food. They were particularly known for their fine tobacco
which was their main source of income along with herding sheep. Prayer
and fasting
were strictly observed in the villages of belonging to the Nochiya Assyrians. An Englishman visiting the Nochiya Region in the late 19th century a noted that "there is perhaps no Assyrian district where simple piety and loyal devotion to the church of their fathers is more beautifully seen than Nochiya". Nochiyaye were and are still today most famous for their Eastern Rite
faith and for being the guardians of the Assyrian Church of the East
's canon laws, which they have faithfully preserved.
The Assyrians of the Nochiya Region were sometimes referred to as "B'Shashtu". They received this nickname because of the conical felt cap which at one time was worn by Nochiya Assyrians called a "Shashta". The Assyrians of Urmia
refer to the people of Nochiya tribe as "Shapadtnayeh", which is the old name for the area before the Ottoman
-Persian border split in 1515.
Collectively the ten clan-districts of the Nochiya Region contained some 65 villages that eventually became known as the Nochiya Tribe in 1663, with the appointment of the first Metropolitan
of Şemdinli
, from the Matran family of the Gida House. The Ottoman Empire did not integrate the Nochiyaye as an official tribe within their "millet
" social structure, nonetheless they were recognized as an independent tribe by their Assyrian and Kurdish
neighbors.
Second, the cummerbund
(Kharkhasa) tied around the waist is knotted, not looped.
Third, the clothes although similar to other Assyrian and Kurdish tribes are not patterned or striped but made of plain choice mohair wool.
The men's outfit consists of wide straight-legged trousers, buttoned shirt, a jacket tucked into the baggy trousers and a short pocketless waistcoat (Karika), usually white in color. Of course, a cummerbund
to tie everything together round the waist and finally a "Shashta Cap" with an optional red turban.
in the north to Rawandiz in the south. It is practically impossible to differentiate between their Aramaic dialects
.
This is one of the most bonding factors in Assyrian tribes and it's interesting that the tribes adjacent to the Nochiyaye; Urmijnaye
to the east, Gawarnaye to the north, Jilwaye
to the west and Barwarnayeh to the southwest, all have completely different accents
, to the point that some are almost unintelligible to the Nochiyaye.
To further illustrate this point, the Rawandiz Clan in the late 19th century changed both religious and leadership loyalty to the Chaldean
faith but did not change their tribal identity. In fact, they still proudly identify themselves as "Catholic Nochiyaye".
Kinship is an essential ingredient and the basis of any tribe. By contrast, some European tribes are only paternally related, however Assyrian tribes are both paternal and maternal. The Nochiyaye are mostly paternal descendants of the Matran family of the Gida House, the rest are mostly related maternally.
In the case of Nochiyaye it was the Metropolitan (Matran) of Shamizdin who was the religious chief and his brother was always the civil chief who presided over the local lords (Maliks) of the Nochiya Region, such as Malik Tammu of Sararu, Malik Breemu of Badtemu, Malik Diryawish of Ambeh and Malik Samu of Baigardeh.
The Matran controlled the religious figures such as Mar Dinkha of Tees and Mar Youkhanan of Dariyan and various others, such as the archdeacons and priests within the tribe. He was primarily the Archbishop of the Assyrian Church of the East
and was second in command only to the Patriarch
, Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
.
The Nochiya Tribal Region is unique in that it spreads over into three countries: Turkey
, Iran
and Iraq
. The reason for this is that the Nochiya Tribe predates these international borders. The Turkey-Iran border created in 1515 after the Battle of Chaldiran
split the Targawar
, Bagzadeh
and Margawar
Clans away from the Şemdinli
district, this natural extension of the Zagros mountain range, overnight, became part of Iran. The Turkey-Iraq border cut away the Bradost and Sherwan Clans from Shamizdin in 1926, with the signing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement
.
s, district
s and sub-districts. The Nochiya Region lies in three different countries: western Iran, northeastern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. The districts that make up parts of the Nochiya Region are Şemdinli
, Soran District, Mergasur District and the western part of Urmia District
.
Rustaqa was the central sub-district of the Nochiya Region. To the north of Dağ İçinde
in the district of Şemdinli
, Turkey
were the clan-districts of Khumara and Dairaneh; to the east, in the district of Urmia
, Persia were the sub-districts of Bagzadeh
, Margawar
and Targawar
. To the south, in what is now modern day Arbil, Iraq
were the sub-districts of Gargan, Bradost, Sherwan and Rawandiz.
was a theological school for priests and was run by the Metropolitans of Shamizdin, who would not tolerate any changes to the church's canon laws.
An Englishman visiting the Nochiya Region in the late 19th century noted that "there is perhaps no Assyrian district where simple piety and loyal devotion to the church of their fathers is more beautifully seen than Nochiya". Nochiyaye were and are still today most famous for their Nestorian faith and for being the guardians of the Assyrian Church of the East
's canon laws, which they have faithfully preserved.
There were other important religious figures in the tribe, including two bishops, four archdeacons, twelve priests and a large number of deacons distributed among the clans. To this day, the majority of the priests and deacons within the Assyrian Church belong to the Nochiya tribe
, including the Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV.
. Previously, he was styled as the Metropolitan of Rustaqa. His Diocese in 1914 grew to included Shamizdin, Targawar
, and Margawar
. In his diocese were bishop Mar Dinkha in the village of Tis, an ancestor of the present patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
, Mar Dinkha IV; bishop Mar Youkhana of the village of Tulaki in Targawar
, and after 1914 his own nephew Mar Yosip Khnanisho X who was ordained a Bishop on the eve of World War I
in Qochanis
by Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
.
, Russian
and Turkish
languages and an authority in Eastern theology. Rev. Rehana was the head of the Seminary in Mar Ishu Monastery and he taught classes to a number of students studying for the priesthood. From this seminary many graduated to become bishops and priests in various dioceses and parishes.
At age twelve, Mar Yosip was ordained a deacon. By 1912 Mar Yosip had already acquired a thorough knowledge of theology therefore he was found to be well suited to be ordained a priest. In the year 1914, at the beginning of World War I, he was sent as a delegate, representing the Metropolitan Mar Iskhaq Khnanisho, to participate in a most important meeting called by His Holiness Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
, the Catholicos Patriarch at the patriarchal cell in Qudchanis, Turkey, to discuss the effects of the World War on the Church and the nation and prepare for the changes that were expected to take place. While there he was consecrated a bishop on August 10, 1914, by His Holiness and was appointed as assistant to the patriarch.
He remained in Qudchanis until 1916 when the Assyrians had to leave their homeland and possessions in consequence of the Great War. After the treacherous assassination of the Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
in 1918, Mar Yosip assumed to a great extent, the leadership of the nation, until the Assyrians arrived in the refugee camps, set up by the Red Cross and League of Nations
, at Baqubah
, Iraq in 1918. In December 1918 he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan in Baghdad by Patriarch Mar Paulos Shimon XX.
When Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
, the Catholicos Patriarch, was exiled in 1933 by the monarchial regime of Iraq, Mar Yosip Khnanisho was entrusted with the Church administration in Iraq and the Middle East
.
In 1973 when Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
resigned his position as the Catholicos Patriarch, Mar Yosip Khnanisho was vested with responsibilities of administering the Church of the East throughout the world. At the same time, the Iraqi government issued a Republican decree appointing Mar Yosip Khnanisho as the supreme head of all the Assyrians in Iraq.
On July 3, 1977, at 1:10 PM Saint Mar Yosip Khnanisho X
died in Baghdad, Iraq. His death coincides with the feast celebrated every year in memory of Mar Tooma Shlikha (St. Thomas the Apostle).
, a genocide
took place within the Ottoman Empire
which decimated the Nochiya Assyrians along with all the other Assyrian Tribes. They were blindly misled by the Allied Forces who promised a lot and delivered nothing. In the end, the war took its toll on the Nochiyaye, who lost their villages, lands, houses and churches. The battle turned into a religious one, surrounded by hostile Muslims, the Nochiyaye had no choice but to flee southwards, away from the raging enemy. Led by the metropolitan Mar Iskhaq Khnanisho IX, the tribe left its ancestral mountains, never to see them again. The Nochiya tribe is also referred to as the "Royal Tribe" because they are related to the ancient monarchs of Assyria.
, in a matter of just a few years the population of the Nochiya Tribe was drastically reduced from around 12,000 to 4,000 as a result of the war, they found themselves in Urmia
where they spent three years. Then in 1918, they made the long trek to the Baqubah
and Mandan safe camps in Iraq.
, 4,000 Nochiya Assyrians stayed in the camps for two years under the care of the British Army. As the Assyrians
were segregated into large tents according to tribe, the Nochiya Assyrians had a separate dwelling area.
and the villages around it (such as Graipan) for a period of eight years until 1928, before they eventually settled in the Arbil province, distributed amongst various villages.
and Margawar
Nochiya Assyrians headed for Habbanya and others to Baghdad
and Kirkuk
, some other tribal members fled to Syria
, where they established the village of Tell Faitha. The Matran family however, along with their tribal members settled in twelve villages in the Arbil
province, those villages being Harir
, Batas, Qalatdeh, Hinareh, Darbandokeh
, Almandana, Qoba, Alaneh, Sarishmeh, Hawdiyan, Diyana and Bidyal. Graipan and Hazarjut were two villages in the Dohuk Governorate that were also partly inhabited by Nochiyaye.
There were three main reasons why they chose the governorate of Arbil, first it was geographically closer to Nochiya Region than, for example, Dohuk. In fact, it was close to existing clan areas anyway such as Rawandiz, Bradost and Sherwan that were part of the Arbil governorate.
Secondly, there was some friction with other tribes namely the Lower Tyari Tribe, who chose the Dohuk province since it too was closer to their former district; the British
might have sensed this tribal agitation.
Thirdly, it was at the suggestion of Ishmael Beg of Rawandiz and Said Taha of Nehri, who by then had been appointed governors of the Rawandiz District. They had settled in Batas and invited Mar Yosip Khnanisho to be their new neighbor again since they shared clan territories pre-1915.
The Nochiyaye stayed in these villages for 35 years until July 1963 when they were defeated, fighting for an independent Iraqi Kurdistan Region against the Iraqi army. After this upheaval, the Nochiyaye left their villages and fled to major cities such as Arbil, Kirkuk and Baghdad. The residents of Hawdiyan and Bidyal however were not uprooted by the war; they remained in their respective villages.
in the suburbs of Dora and Gailani Camp. In the 1970s and 1980s the majority of Nochiyaye immigrated to Europe
and North America
where the vast majority now live. Some 3,500 Nochiyaye remain in Iraq
with approximately half living in Baghdad and the other half in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Renewed efforts are being made to re-establish the old villages of Harir
, Cairu and Zariwan. The already established villages of Diyana, Hawdiyan and Bidyal are currently being re-built.
. Mar Bishu
lies in the center of the district Şemdinli
, which is the center of the Nochiya Region .
. Mistakenly, they even occasionally refer to themselves as "Gardi" (a Kurdish tribe in Gargan), distancing themselves completely from both their Nochiya Tribe and the Assyrian Christian
nation.
A sub-district is not a tribe and the tribal name is always derived from where the tribal chief dwells, in this case the district of Nochiya. To further illustrate this point, had the Matran family lived in the Gargan area, the tribe would now have been known as the Gargan Tribe instead of the Nochiya Tribe.
Nowadays, many clan members wrongly assume that the name of their clan is the name of their tribe. For example, when asking Assyrians from the sub-district of Targawar
what tribe they belong to, they might reply the "Targawar Tribe", when the correct answer is actually the Nochiya Tribe. There has never been an organized tribe called the "Targawar Tribe", because it is simply a geographical area belonging deep within the Nochiya Region.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
Christian tribe that were based in and around the district of Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
, in the province of Hakkari
Hakkari Province
Hakkâri Province is a province in the south east corner of Turkey. The administrative centre is located in the city of Hakkâri . The province covers an area of 7,121 km² and has a population of 251,302 . The province had a population of 236,581 in 2000.The province was created in 1936 out of...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The word "Nochiya" means "between the mountains" in the Kurdish language
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. They are called Nochiya Assyrians (Syriac
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is a Neo-Aramaic dialect, spoken by an estimated 220,000 people , formerly in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but now more widely throughout the...
: ܢܘܿܟܝܼܝܐ Nochiyaye) and as Metropolitan's Tribe ("Millet D'Matran"), with an estimate over 20,000 remaining dispersed throughout the world.
People
The AssyriansAssyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
of the Nochiya Region were simple farmers who owned cattle and grew food. They were particularly known for their fine tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
which was their main source of income along with herding sheep. Prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
were strictly observed in the villages of belonging to the Nochiya Assyrians. An Englishman visiting the Nochiya Region in the late 19th century a noted that "there is perhaps no Assyrian district where simple piety and loyal devotion to the church of their fathers is more beautifully seen than Nochiya". Nochiyaye were and are still today most famous for their Eastern Rite
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
faith and for being the guardians of 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...
's canon laws, which they have faithfully preserved.
The Assyrians of the Nochiya Region were sometimes referred to as "B'Shashtu". They received this nickname because of the conical felt cap which at one time was worn by Nochiya Assyrians called a "Shashta". The Assyrians of Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
refer to the people of Nochiya tribe as "Shapadtnayeh", which is the old name for the area before 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...
-Persian border split in 1515.
Collectively the ten clan-districts of the Nochiya Region contained some 65 villages that eventually became known as the Nochiya Tribe in 1663, with the appointment of the first Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
, from the Matran family of the Gida House. The Ottoman Empire did not integrate the Nochiyaye as an official tribe within their "millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
" social structure, nonetheless they were recognized as an independent tribe by their Assyrian and Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
neighbors.
Clothing
The famous felt cap worn by the Nochiyaye is a white conical cap made of wool-felt material, similar to that worn by the ancient Assyrian kings and Bishops, known as a "Shashta", hence; the tribal nickname B'Shashtu. The Shashta can be worn either with or without a turban, known as a "Shashikta".Cummerbund
A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets . The cummerbund was first adopted by British military officers in colonial India as an alternative to a waistcoat, and later spread to civilian use...
(Kharkhasa) tied around the waist is knotted, not looped.
Third, the clothes although similar to other Assyrian and Kurdish tribes are not patterned or striped but made of plain choice mohair wool.
The men's outfit consists of wide straight-legged trousers, buttoned shirt, a jacket tucked into the baggy trousers and a short pocketless waistcoat (Karika), usually white in color. Of course, a cummerbund
Cummerbund
A cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets . The cummerbund was first adopted by British military officers in colonial India as an alternative to a waistcoat, and later spread to civilian use...
to tie everything together round the waist and finally a "Shashta Cap" with an optional red turban.
Language
All Assyrian tribes speak the same language but differ in their dialects. The Nochiya tribe all speak with the same dialects, from TargawarTargawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
in the north to Rawandiz in the south. It is practically impossible to differentiate between their Aramaic dialects
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is a Neo-Aramaic dialect, spoken by an estimated 220,000 people , formerly in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but now more widely throughout the...
.
This is one of the most bonding factors in Assyrian tribes and it's interesting that the tribes adjacent to the Nochiyaye; Urmijnaye
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
to the east, Gawarnaye to the north, Jilwaye
Jilu
Jīlū was a district located in Hakkari region of upper Mesopotamia.Before 1915 Jīlū was home to Christian Assyrians, as well as a minority of Kurds. There were 20 Assyrian villages in this district. The area was traditionally divided into Greater and Lesser Jīlū, and Ishtāzin - each with its own...
to the west and Barwarnayeh to the southwest, all have completely different accents
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
, to the point that some are almost unintelligible to the Nochiyaye.
Society
The Nochiya tribe is not a "tribal confederation", but is based on the "bond of kinship" (tukhma). This point is important and what it means is that the ten clans are not just unified by leadership or geographical factors alone but primarily by blood and so cannot be separated, they are shackled by the "bond of kinship", which defines their tribal affinity to outsiders.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...
faith but did not change their tribal identity. In fact, they still proudly identify themselves as "Catholic Nochiyaye".
Kinship is an essential ingredient and the basis of any tribe. By contrast, some European tribes are only paternally related, however Assyrian tribes are both paternal and maternal. The Nochiyaye are mostly paternal descendants of the Matran family of the Gida House, the rest are mostly related maternally.
Leadership
An Assyrian tribe must have both religious and civil leaders to qualify as a tribe. This principle is called Gooraneh.In the case of Nochiyaye it was the Metropolitan (Matran) of Shamizdin who was the religious chief and his brother was always the civil chief who presided over the local lords (Maliks) of the Nochiya Region, such as Malik Tammu of Sararu, Malik Breemu of Badtemu, Malik Diryawish of Ambeh and Malik Samu of Baigardeh.
The Matran controlled the religious figures such as Mar Dinkha of Tees and Mar Youkhanan of Dariyan and various others, such as the archdeacons and priests within the tribe. He was primarily the Archbishop of 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...
and was second in command only to the Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
, Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII , sometimes known as Mar Shimun XXI Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse, was Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from 1920, when he was a youth, until his assassination on 6 November 1975...
.
Geography
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and 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....
. The reason for this is that the Nochiya Tribe predates these international borders. The Turkey-Iran border created in 1515 after the Battle of Chaldiran
Battle of Chaldiran
The Battle of Chaldiran or Chaldoran occurred on 23 August 1514 and ended with a victory for the Ottoman Empire over the Safavid Empire of Persia . As a result, the Ottomans gained immediate control over eastern Anatolia and northern Iraq...
split the Targawar
Targawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
, Bagzadeh
Bagzadeh
Bagzadeh , is a sub-district located in the western part of the district Urmia, Iran. Its inhabitants were at one time Assyrians who belonged to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with 2 others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region.-See also:* Nochiya Tribe*...
and Margawar
Margawar
Margawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are Kurds. There are also some Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district, along with 2 others in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region. Its...
Clans away from the Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
district, this natural extension of the Zagros mountain range, overnight, became part of Iran. The Turkey-Iraq border cut away the Bradost and Sherwan Clans from Shamizdin in 1926, with the signing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement
Sykes-Picot Agreement
The Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 was a secret agreement between the governments of the United Kingdom and France, with the assent of Imperial Russia, defining their respective spheres of influence and control in Western Asia after the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I...
.
Districts
The Nochiya Region is an area which consists of provinceProvince
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s, district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
s and sub-districts. The Nochiya Region lies in three different countries: western Iran, northeastern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. The districts that make up parts of the Nochiya Region are Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
, Soran District, Mergasur District and the western part of Urmia District
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
.
Rustaqa was the central sub-district of the Nochiya Region. To the north of Dağ İçinde
Dag Içinde, Hakkari
Nochiya , was a sub-district located within center of the Shamizdin district which lies in the south-east part of Hakkari. The name Nochiya is a Kurdish meaning "between the mountains"...
in the district of Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
were the clan-districts of Khumara and Dairaneh; to the east, in the district of Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
, Persia were the sub-districts of Bagzadeh
Bagzadeh
Bagzadeh , is a sub-district located in the western part of the district Urmia, Iran. Its inhabitants were at one time Assyrians who belonged to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with 2 others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region.-See also:* Nochiya Tribe*...
, Margawar
Margawar
Margawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are Kurds. There are also some Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district, along with 2 others in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region. Its...
and Targawar
Targawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
. To the south, in what is now modern day Arbil, 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....
were the sub-districts of Gargan, Bradost, Sherwan and Rawandiz.
Religion
There was at least six monasteries and more than 40 churches within the Nochiya Region. The Nochiyaye were best known for their adherence to the Nestorian faith, religious customs such as lent and prayer were strictly observed. The Mar Ishu Monastery in the village of Mar IshuMar Ishu
Rustaqa or Mar Isho was a historical Assyrian village in the Shamezdin region of Hakkari, and the traditional residence of the Matran family of Shamizdin.There are two theories about the origin of the Mar Ishu monastery...
was a theological school for priests and was run by the Metropolitans of Shamizdin, who would not tolerate any changes to the church's canon laws.
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...
's canon laws, which they have faithfully preserved.
There were other important religious figures in the tribe, including two bishops, four archdeacons, twelve priests and a large number of deacons distributed among the clans. To this day, the majority of the priests and deacons within the Assyrian Church belong to the Nochiya tribe
Nochiya Tribe
The Nochiya Tribe , are an Assyrian Christian tribe that were based in and around the district of Şemdinli, in the province of Hakkari, Turkey. The word "Nochiya" means "between the mountains" in the Kurdish language...
, including the Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV.
Mar Iskhaq Khnanisho IX
Mar Iskhaq Khnanisho, was the spiritual leader of the Shamizdin Assyrians and Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the EastAssyrian 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...
. Previously, he was styled as the Metropolitan of Rustaqa. His Diocese in 1914 grew to included Shamizdin, Targawar
Targawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
, and Margawar
Margawar
Margawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are Kurds. There are also some Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district, along with 2 others in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region. Its...
. In his diocese were bishop Mar Dinkha in the village of Tis, an ancestor of the present patriarch of 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...
, Mar Dinkha IV; bishop Mar Youkhana of the village of Tulaki in Targawar
Targawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
, and after 1914 his own nephew Mar Yosip Khnanisho X who was ordained a Bishop on the eve of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in Qochanis
Qochanis
Qodchanis was the capital of Hakkari and the seat of the Assyrian bishops before 1915.Its ruins are currently north of Hakkâri Province, near the borders of Iran and Iraq, and about 20 km north-east of the provincial capital Hakkâri, in the southeastern of modern Turkey.The town was inhabited by...
by Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
Mar Shimun XXI Benyamin was a Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.-Life:He was born in 1887 in the village of Qochanis in the Hakkari Province, Ottoman Empire . He was consecrated a Metropolitan on March 1, 1903 by Mar Shimun XVIII of Rubil, the Catholicos Patriarch who died...
.
Saint Mar Yosip Khnanisho X
The 10th and the last of the metropolitans the Matran family donated to the Church was Mar Yosip Khnanisho, who died on July 3, 1977, in Baghdad, Iraq. At an early age, while a young boy he was aware for what sublime position he was dedicated, thus he had learned by heart the complete Eucharistic rites, performed in the church by a deacon or priest. He was tutored adequately by a learned scholar, Rev. Rehana, his father's uncle, who was well versed in the AramaicAramaic 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,...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and 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,...
languages and an authority in Eastern theology. Rev. Rehana was the head of the Seminary in Mar Ishu Monastery and he taught classes to a number of students studying for the priesthood. From this seminary many graduated to become bishops and priests in various dioceses and parishes.
Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
Mar Shimun XXI Benyamin was a Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.-Life:He was born in 1887 in the village of Qochanis in the Hakkari Province, Ottoman Empire . He was consecrated a Metropolitan on March 1, 1903 by Mar Shimun XVIII of Rubil, the Catholicos Patriarch who died...
, the Catholicos Patriarch at the patriarchal cell in Qudchanis, Turkey, to discuss the effects of the World War on the Church and the nation and prepare for the changes that were expected to take place. While there he was consecrated a bishop on August 10, 1914, by His Holiness and was appointed as assistant to the patriarch.
He remained in Qudchanis until 1916 when the Assyrians had to leave their homeland and possessions in consequence of the Great War. After the treacherous assassination of the Patriarch Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
Mar Benyamin Shimon XXI
Mar Shimun XXI Benyamin was a Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.-Life:He was born in 1887 in the village of Qochanis in the Hakkari Province, Ottoman Empire . He was consecrated a Metropolitan on March 1, 1903 by Mar Shimun XVIII of Rubil, the Catholicos Patriarch who died...
in 1918, Mar Yosip assumed to a great extent, the leadership of the nation, until the Assyrians arrived in the refugee camps, set up by the Red Cross and League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, at Baqubah
Baqubah
Baqubah is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate.The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some 467,900 people....
, Iraq in 1918. In December 1918 he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan in Baghdad by Patriarch Mar Paulos Shimon XX.
When Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII , sometimes known as Mar Shimun XXI Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse, was Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from 1920, when he was a youth, until his assassination on 6 November 1975...
, the Catholicos Patriarch, was exiled in 1933 by the monarchial regime of Iraq, Mar Yosip Khnanisho was entrusted with the Church administration in Iraq and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
In 1973 when Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII , sometimes known as Mar Shimun XXI Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse, was Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from 1920, when he was a youth, until his assassination on 6 November 1975...
resigned his position as the Catholicos Patriarch, Mar Yosip Khnanisho was vested with responsibilities of administering the Church of the East throughout the world. At the same time, the Iraqi government issued a Republican decree appointing Mar Yosip Khnanisho as the supreme head of all the Assyrians in Iraq.
On July 3, 1977, at 1:10 PM Saint Mar Yosip Khnanisho X
Saint Mar Yosip Khnanisho X
Mar Yosip Khnanisho , the metropolitan or matran of Shemsdin from 1918 to 1977.-Hakkari:Of the Mar Khnanishu family, he studied with Rev. Rehana, the head of the Seminary in Mar Ishu Monastery. He was ordained a deacon at age 12 and ordained as a priest in 1912...
died in Baghdad, Iraq. His death coincides with the feast celebrated every year in memory of Mar Tooma Shlikha (St. Thomas the Apostle).
History
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a genocide
Assyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
took place within the Ottoman Empire
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...
which decimated the Nochiya Assyrians along with all the other Assyrian Tribes. They were blindly misled by the Allied Forces who promised a lot and delivered nothing. In the end, the war took its toll on the Nochiyaye, who lost their villages, lands, houses and churches. The battle turned into a religious one, surrounded by hostile Muslims, the Nochiyaye had no choice but to flee southwards, away from the raging enemy. Led by the metropolitan Mar Iskhaq Khnanisho IX, the tribe left its ancestral mountains, never to see them again. The Nochiya tribe is also referred to as the "Royal Tribe" because they are related to the ancient monarchs of Assyria.
Urmia, Iran (1915–1918)
At the end of the Assyrian GenocideAssyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
, in a matter of just a few years the population of the Nochiya Tribe was drastically reduced from around 12,000 to 4,000 as a result of the war, they found themselves in Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
where they spent three years. Then in 1918, they made the long trek to the Baqubah
Baqubah
Baqubah is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate.The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some 467,900 people....
and Mandan safe camps in Iraq.
Baqubah (1918–1920)
In BaqubahBaqubah
Baqubah is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate.The city is located some to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some 467,900 people....
, 4,000 Nochiya Assyrians stayed in the camps for two years under the care of the British Army. As the Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
were segregated into large tents according to tribe, the Nochiya Assyrians had a separate dwelling area.
Sumail (1920–1928)
In 1920, they relocated again this time to SumailSumail
Simele or Sumail is a Kurdish and Assyrian town located in the Iraqi province of Dohuk. The city is on the main road that connects Iraq to its neighbour Turkey...
and the villages around it (such as Graipan) for a period of eight years until 1928, before they eventually settled in the Arbil province, distributed amongst various villages.
Arbil Province (1928–1963)
The majority of the TargawarTargawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
and Margawar
Margawar
Margawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are Kurds. There are also some Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district, along with 2 others in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the Nochiya Region. Its...
Nochiya Assyrians headed for Habbanya and others to 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...
and Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, some other tribal members fled to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, where they established the village of Tell Faitha. The Matran family however, along with their tribal members settled in twelve villages in the Arbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
province, those villages being Harir
Harir
Harir is an Assyrian village and a sub-district located in the district of Shaqlawa, Iraq. Today, many homes are being built for Assyrians, by Sarkis Aghajan Mamendo, who are willing to move back to the villages. Both the village and the sub-district of Harir were established by displaced Assyrian...
, Batas, Qalatdeh, Hinareh, Darbandokeh
Darbandokeh
Darbandokeh, , is an Assyrian village located in the sub-district of Harir and in the district of Shaqlawa. It was previously inhabited by both Kurds and Assyrians. The Assyrians of Darbandokeh came right after the Assyrian genocide that took place within the Ottoman Empire. They came from the...
, Almandana, Qoba, Alaneh, Sarishmeh, Hawdiyan, Diyana and Bidyal. Graipan and Hazarjut were two villages in the Dohuk Governorate that were also partly inhabited by Nochiyaye.
There were three main reasons why they chose the governorate of Arbil, first it was geographically closer to Nochiya Region than, for example, Dohuk. In fact, it was close to existing clan areas anyway such as Rawandiz, Bradost and Sherwan that were part of the Arbil governorate.
Secondly, there was some friction with other tribes namely the Lower Tyari Tribe, who chose the Dohuk province since it too was closer to their former district; the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
might have sensed this tribal agitation.
Thirdly, it was at the suggestion of Ishmael Beg of Rawandiz and Said Taha of Nehri, who by then had been appointed governors of the Rawandiz District. They had settled in Batas and invited Mar Yosip Khnanisho to be their new neighbor again since they shared clan territories pre-1915.
The Nochiyaye stayed in these villages for 35 years until July 1963 when they were defeated, fighting for an independent Iraqi Kurdistan Region against the Iraqi army. After this upheaval, the Nochiyaye left their villages and fled to major cities such as Arbil, Kirkuk and Baghdad. The residents of Hawdiyan and Bidyal however were not uprooted by the war; they remained in their respective villages.
Modern Nochiyaye (1963 - present)
During the early 1960s, many Nochiya Assyrians resided in the city of BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in the suburbs of Dora and Gailani Camp. In the 1970s and 1980s the majority of Nochiyaye immigrated to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
where the vast majority now live. Some 3,500 Nochiyaye remain in 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....
with approximately half living in Baghdad and the other half in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Renewed efforts are being made to re-establish the old villages of Harir
Harir
Harir is an Assyrian village and a sub-district located in the district of Shaqlawa, Iraq. Today, many homes are being built for Assyrians, by Sarkis Aghajan Mamendo, who are willing to move back to the villages. Both the village and the sub-district of Harir were established by displaced Assyrian...
, Cairu and Zariwan. The already established villages of Diyana, Hawdiyan and Bidyal are currently being re-built.
Village identification
Even some village members if the Nochiya Tribe are guilty of elevating their villages into tribes. One example of this issue lies within the village of Mar BishuMar Bishu
Karakilise may refer to:* Karakilise, Şemdinli, Turkey* Sisian, Armenia...
. Mar Bishu
Mar Bishu
Karakilise may refer to:* Karakilise, Şemdinli, Turkey* Sisian, Armenia...
lies in the center of the district Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
, which is the center of the Nochiya Region .
Clan and sub-district identification
An example of sub-district identification is the Gargan, a sub-district which is located within the Şemdinli district. The land that this clan inhabited was called "Gargan", commonly known as "the land of the Gargans" (Atra D'Garganayeh) but their loyalty lied to the Matran of ŞemdinliSemdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
. Mistakenly, they even occasionally refer to themselves as "Gardi" (a Kurdish tribe in Gargan), distancing themselves completely from both their Nochiya Tribe and the Assyrian Christian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
nation.
A sub-district is not a tribe and the tribal name is always derived from where the tribal chief dwells, in this case the district of Nochiya. To further illustrate this point, had the Matran family lived in the Gargan area, the tribe would now have been known as the Gargan Tribe instead of the Nochiya Tribe.
Nowadays, many clan members wrongly assume that the name of their clan is the name of their tribe. For example, when asking Assyrians from the sub-district of Targawar
Targawar
Targawar, is a sub-district of Silvaneh located in the western part of the Urmia county, Iran. Its inhabitants are mainly Kurds. There are also small numbers of Assyrians who belong to the Nochiya Tribe. This sub-district along with two others, in modern day Iran, lie in the eastern part of the...
what tribe they belong to, they might reply the "Targawar Tribe", when the correct answer is actually the Nochiya Tribe. There has never been an organized tribe called the "Targawar Tribe", because it is simply a geographical area belonging deep within the Nochiya Region.
See also
- Assyrian Tribes
- List of Assyrians
- List of Assyrian settlements
- Matran Family
- Christianity in Nochiya
- List of Nochiyaye
- List of Nochiyaye settlements
- Nochiya Region