Jilu

JÄ«lÅ« /dÊ’É™luË/ was a district located in the Hakkari region of upper Mesopotamia in modern-day Turkey. Before 1915 JÄ«lÅ« was home to Assyrians and as well as a minority of Kurds. There were 20 Assyrian villages in this district. The area was traditionally divided into Greater and Lesser JÄ«lÅ«, and IshtÄzin - each with its own Malik, and consisting of a number of Assyrian villages. In the summer of 1915, during the Assyrian Genocide, JÄ«lÅ« was surrounded and attacked by Turkish troops and neighboring Kurdish tribes under the leadership of Agha SÅ«tÅ« of Oramar.
After a brief struggle to maintain their positions, the Assyrian citizens of JÄ«lÅ« were forced to flee to Salmas in Iran along with other refugees from the Hakkari highlands. Today their descendants live all over the world including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Russia, the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. In Syria's al-Hasakah Governorate there are two villages, Tel-GorÄn and AbÅ«-TÄ«nÄ, established in 1935 by JÄ«lÅ« refugees from Iraq on the banks of the Khabur River.
Geography and Nature
The JÄ«lÅ« district is home to the second highest mountain range in Turkey, the Cilo-Sat range, which are an eastern extension of the Taurus Mountains. The highest peak in the Cilo-Sat range is ŢūrÄ ShinnÄ d-JÄ«lÅ« (also known as Cilo dağı, maximum elevation 4,168 m), from the summit of which one can see as far as the city of Mosul in Iraq. The massif is composed of metamorphic schist, dolomitic limestone, and porphyrites, and is deeply scored by the gorges of tributaries to the Great Zab River. Above 3,500 m there are a number of ancient glaciers and the nature is alpine. The southern slopes of the massif are covered with broad-leaved forests (primarily oak), and the northern slopes are covered with steppes and shrub thickets where the inhabitants of JÄ«lÅ« and DÄ«z would graze their herds during the summer.
Name | Height (metres) |
---|---|
Gelyaşin or Uludoruk (Reşko Tepesi) 37°29′09″N 44°00′18″E / 37.48583°N 44.00500°E | 4,134 |
Handeyade (Çatalkaya, Samdi) 37°19′N 44°15′E / 37.31°N 44.25°E | 3,794 |
Kısara | 3,752 |
Mazanı | 3,725 |
Åžilan | 3,670 |
Gevaruk | 3,540 |
Terazin | 3,415 |
Sat Başı | 3,302 |
Kardal | 3,300 |
Among the animals which abound in these mountains are bears, leopards, wolves, foxes, chamois, wild goats, and ovis (wild sheep), of which there are three varieties. There are also many birds, especially the large yellow partridge, and the red-legged variety.[1] Different types of flowers can also be found.
History
Not much is known about JÄ«lÅ«'s pre-Christian history due to its inaccessibility and instability, restricting any form of fieldwork, though prehistoric rock carvings have been found in the Gevaruk valley near SÄÅ£ and on the Tirisin Plateau. These have been dated to 10,000 years ago.[2]
According to the Acts of Saint Mari, it was his disciple St. Å¢omÄ«s who was the first to bring Christianity to the region of Gawar and ZozÄn (including JÄ«lÅ«) in the 1st century AD.The text also mentions that he was martyred somewhere in the Gawar plain, not far from JÄ«lÅ«, and that later on a church was established on his burial site. Indeed, the ancient church in the JÄ«lÅ« village of SÄÅ£ (modern-day İkiyaka) is dedicated to St. MÄrÄ«, and is the only church in the Hakkari region or northern Iraq historically known to have had been. MÄrÄ« was also the name of one of the area's earliest bishops. He was among the signatories of the acts of the synod of Catholicos MÄr DÄdÄ«shoÊ¿ in 424 AD.[3]
A hitherto unpublished text of the Acts of St. Mammes of Caesarea, who lived in the 3rd century AD, also credits him with having traveled to the village of Oramar (modern-day DaÄŸlıca) where he built a church, known today as El Ahmar Kilisesi. A church also in Oramar dedicated to his disciple St. Daniel is now the village mosque. Afterwards, St. 'AzÄ«zÄ - reputedly a disciple of Mar Awgin - is credited with having arrived in JÄ«lÅ« during the 4th century AD, establishing a monastery in the village of ZêrÄ«nÄ«. The earliest surviving manuscript from the JÄ«lÅ« district was copied in this monastery and dates back to 1212/3.[4]
The JÄ«lÅ« district is also home to one of the region's oldest churches, founded by St. ZayÊ¿Ä and his disciple St. TÄwor in 427 AD. According to the Saint's vita, JÄ«lÅ« at that time was the center of a kingdom named JÄ«lÄm-JÄ«lÅ« and the church construction project was led by its king BÄlaq son of King ZÅ«raq. This church for many centuries was the cathedral of the MÄr SargÄ«s Metropolitan Bishops of JÄ«lÅ«. Most JÄ«lÅ«'s ancient churches are still standing, despite having been abandoned and in a state of decay for nearly a century.
5th century, Church of the East origins
The JÄ«lÅ« district was also important in the history of the Church of the East from an early period. At the synod of Catholicos MÄr Isaac in 410 AD Beth-BghÄsh, located in the JÄ«lÅ« village of Bé-Baghshé, was confirmed as a suffragan diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Adiabene.[5] The future Catholicos-Patriarch Timothy I, an influential figure in the Church of the East’s missionary movement, became bishop of Beth-BghÄsh c.770 AD, upon the retirement of his elderly uncle GÄ«wargÄ«s, and remained in the diocese until his election as Catholicos-Patriarch in 780 AD. Although a native of Hazzah near Arbil, his family is traditionally held to have originated from JÄ«lÅ«.[6] The last historical mention of the diocese of Beth-BghÄsh is at the consecration of the Catholicos-Patriarch Denha I at Baghdad in 1265, which was attended by its bishop IshoÊ¿-ZkhÄ.
15th century, destruction and revival
In 1448 the JÄ«lÅ« district was ravaged by the Qara Qoyunlu and many of its villages lay abandoned for over a century.[4] This is probably the reason why the colophon of a manuscript copied in 1490 at Bé-Silim in the Baz district mentions only the metropolitan of Mosul. Normally, Baz would have been included in either the diocese of Beth-BghÄsh or JÄ«lÅ«.[7]
Most of the refugees from JÄ«lÅ« fled to Assyrian districts in neighboring Iran. Evidence for this appears in the inclusion of JÄ«lÅ« in the title of the metropolitan of Salamas around 1552, and the copying of a manuscript in the village of Naze north of Urmia in 1563 by the priest Paul of Oramar. Additionally, many Chaldean families in the Urmia region trace their ancestry to settlers originally from JÄ«lÅ«. Among the most well known are the Malek-Yonan family of Geogtapa, who are descended from a JÄ«lÅ« chieftain who founded the village in the 16th century. He also built a church there dedicated to St. ZayÊ¿Ä which he set with stones brought from the original church in JÄ«lÅ«.
Later in the 16th century, many inhabitants from JÄ«lÅ« returned to rebuild their homes and churches. Those of ZêrÄ«nÄ« found the church of St. 'AzÄ«zÄ in ruins and, after rebuilding it, they acquired a text of the saint's legend from the town of Bakhdida in the Nineveh plains.[8] In the village of NahrÄ the returnees found that they had forgotten how to work its six important water-powered mills which were utilized by the inhabitants of all the villages of JÄ«lÅ«. Because of this, they were forced to seek the assistance of a man named YÄwélÄ (YÄhw-AllÄhÄ) and his two sons BillÄ and LÄchin from the village of Bé-Nahré in the RumtÄ sub-district of Upper Tyare, who were well-versed in the operation of such mills. After this, the Chaldeans of JÄ«lÅ« were largely left alone, allowing them to once again prosper and grow in influence among Hakkâri's independent Assyrian tribes.
16th-17th century
Since the 16th century, and probably even earlier, the village of MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä was the seat of a metropolitan bishop of the Church of the East. The diocese of this metropolitan bishop included the Hakkari districts of JÄ«lÅ«, Baz, Tkhuma, ChÄl (modern-day Çukurca), Å¢Äl, and RékÄn.
The first historical mention of the diocese of JÄ«lÅ« is from 1580, when the metropolitan of JÄ«lÅ«, Siirt and Salamas, was elevated to the patriarchate of the Chaldean Catholic Church as MÄr Shim'on IX Dinha (1580-1600). That year the new patriarch consecrated a metropolitan for JÄ«lÅ« named MÄr SargÄ«s, who was among the signatories of a letter from him to Pope Gregory XIII, and he is probably the same as the Metropolitan MÄr SargÄ«s of JÄ«lÅ« mentioned in hierarchies listed in the reports of 1607 and 1610 sent by Catholic patriarch MÄr Shim'on X EliyÄ (1600-1638) to Pope Paul V.
In 1610 also, the large village of SÄÅ£ is recorded as being the residence of bishop named MÄr GÄ«wargÄ«s, who was probably a suffragan of MÄr SargÄ«s. The report of 1610 also mentioned that the Malik of JÄ«lÅ« was named David, and he commanded 4,000 fighting men; the Malik of IshtÄzin was named 'Caitar', and he was in charge of 500 fighters; and SÄÅ£ was led by a man named 'Chartus', probably also a Malik, who in his turn commanded 300 fighters.[9]
In the late 17th century the diocese severed its ties with Catholicism, along with the rest of the QudshÄnis patriarchate, and returned to being traditionalist. The metropolitan bishops of JÄ«lÅ« were usually nominated from the same clan and all bore the hereditary title MÄr SargÄ«s. An exception to this appears to have been the patriarch MÄr Shim'on XV Michael Mukhattas (1740-1780), who is said to have been metropolitan of JÄ«lÅ« before being elevated to the patriarchate and, indeed, the Cathedral of Sts. ZayÊ¿Ä and TÄwor is commonly held to have served at certain times as the residence of the patriarchs of that line.
It is during this period that a new line of bishops belonging to the same clan as the metropolitans of JÄ«lÅ«, Bé-YagmÄlÄ, was established at the village of GÄgawran (modern-day Aksu) in the nearby GÄwÄr plain. These distant blood-relatives, who took the name MÄr SlÄ«vÄ, probably began as suffragans of MÄr SargÄ«s and are first mentioned in a manuscript colophon from 1743.[10]
19th century
Nineteenth-century bishop MÄr Yawsip SargÄ«s was described by Sir Austen Henry Layard, who met him at the village of NahrÄ in late August 1849, as "... a young man of lofty stature and handsome countenance..." and likened his look to that of a hunter or warrior.[11]
In 1891 he was visited by British explorer and writer Isabella Bird, who described him as "a magnificent-looking man with a superb gray beard, the beau-ideal of an Oriental ecclesiastic."[12]
This bishop was approached by the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1890 and 1895, but on both occasions he refused to convert to Catholicism.[13] It is around this time that the inhabitants of the large and isolated village of SÄÅ£ converted to the Catholicism in their entirety.
Name | Birth | Consecration | Death |
---|---|---|---|
MÄr Yawsip SargÄ«s | 1819, MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä | 1839, QudshÄnis | 1899, MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä |
MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä SargÄ«s | 29 July 1888, MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä | 5 July 1900, QudshÄnis | 12 May 1951, Baghdad |
MÄr ĪshoÊ¿ SargÄ«s | 1911, MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä | 14 May 1951, Baghdad | 19 December 1966, London (buried at St. ZayÊ¿Ä Cathedral in KarrÄdat Maryam, Baghdad) |
Mar Yawsip Sargis | 1950 Baghdad | 2 March 1967, Baghdad | Currently residing in Modesto, California |
20th century, post-genocide
The last of these metropolitan bishops to reside at MÄtÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä was MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä SargÄ«s, who was consecrated at 11 years of age. During the Assyrian Genocide the bishop moved to the Salamas district between 1915 and 1918, then remained at the Baqubah refugee camp between 1918 and 1920, before moving to Mosul in 1920. From 1921 onward his see was fixed at the village of Khirshéniyah, immediately to the northwest of Alqosh in the Dohuk Governorate, where a small church was built dedicated to St. ZayÊ¿Ä. Then in 1941 his see was moved to Baghdad, where a large JÄ«lÅ« émigré community existed at Camp al-Sikak (the "Railroads Camp") with a mud-brick church dedicated to St. ZayÊ¿Ä built in the 1920s.
After the Iraqi revolution in 1958, a new Cathedral dedicated to St. ZayÊ¿Ä was built at KarrÄdat Maryam, with large contributions in money and in kind from JÄ«lÅ« entrepreneurs Lira and Supar. On 24 June 1959 the new cathedral was dedicated by Metropolitan Mar Yawsip Khnanishu and Bishop MÄr ĪshoÊ¿ SargÄ«s. This dedication was marked by the attendance of high profile officials, among them the new Iraqi president Abd al-Karim Qasim, as well as other religious leaders.
In the mid-1980s the cathedral was appropriated by the Iraqi government, which planned to turn the surrounding area into a restricted area. In return, a parcel of land was given in the Mechanics' quarter (Hayy al-MÄ«kÄnÄ«k) of Dora, Baghdad. A new cathedral was built there and dedicated in 1986, forming the only parish of the "diocese of Baghdad" to which the current bishop from this line, Mar Yawsip Sargis, was assigned. In 2002 the bishop left for the United States and has since been unable to return to his diocese. He currently resides in exile at Modesto, California. For many years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq the cathedral in Baghdad was closed, reopening in 2009. With the death of the resident parish priest in 2011, the cathedral is no longer used for regular worship.
Legend and Tradition
According to Lalayan (Assyrians of the Van District, 1914), there was an oral legend concerning the origins and history of the Maliks of Greater Jīlū. The tradition is probably full of historical errors, but must have some element of truth to it.
It narrates that a man named MandÅ«, from the clan of "Nebuchadnezzar," for some unknown reason set out from the city of Ä€thor (Mosul), traveling in the company of his four brothers: BÄrut, Yôsip, BÄkus and Issé. MandÅ« had promised that he would settle in a place where they could feed him the head and shanks of a sheep (a dish called pÄchÄ). After a long journey MandÅ« and his brothers arrived at a place named PÄchÅ«, where a poor man fed them pÄchÄ. MandÅ« observed that he had reached his destination and decided to stay there and become the head of that district. He chose a good place, later known as ZÄrÄnÄ«sh (ZêrÄ«nÄ«), just opposite from PÄchÅ«. There he built a house for himself.
One day as Mandū was walking in the forest, he saw four birds but did not know from where they had come. He also saw a black stone, and nearby, a locked church. In his dream that night he saw the key to the church and a candelabra buried under the black stone. The next morning he went and found the key under the black stone, opened the church and entered it to pray. From that day that church became a place for worship for all the residents of the village. One day, as Mandū was walking according to his habit, he saw a large cave filled with human bones. He inquired and was told that some people had escaped from the Persians and had hidden themselves in this cave. The Persians found the cave and lit a fire before its entry, killing those inside it.
Around the village there used to live some pagans who Mandū converted to Christianity, killing those who refused to. Mandū did not molest those from four well-known families though, and ordered them to go and live in a nearby village. They went as ordered and their descendants still remained for some time but did not increase. Each had remained one family only. Descendants of Malik Mandū became Maliks of Greater Jīlū, and also took the name of Mandū.
The same tradition recounts that during the reign of one of the Maliks, the Mar Shim'on (Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East) fled from Ä€thor (Mosul) and sought refuge in Alqosh. The Persians then came and conquered the area and took MÄr Shim'on to Persia, permitting him to live in the town of UshnÅ«, where he settled as a refugee and built a large cathedral. After a while Malik MandÅ« is said to have freed MÄr Shim'on from the Persians and brought him to ZêrÄ«nÄ«. For 60 years after that time the MÄr Shim'ons lived in ZêrÄ«nÄ«. The grave of one of them was even said to be located in the village cemetery. It is not clear why they left ZêrÄ«nÄ« and settled in the village of Tirqônis, and later in QudshÄnis, which was given to them as a gift by Malik MandÅ«. They did not stay long in QudshÄnis either because the village was near Julamerk, and prone to the raids of its Kurdish Emir (prince).
He was therefore obliged to move to the district of DÄ«zan. Malik MandÅ« was not pleased that MÄr Shim'on had left QudshÄnis. He conferred with the Kurdish Emir of Julamerk on how he could return MÄr Shim'on to QudshÄnis. He went to DÄ«zan and burned MÄr Shim'on's residence near the village of RabbÄn DÄd-Īsho'. Later they collected money and built a new one for him in QudshÄnis, and invited him to live in it. In this manner MÄr Shim'on was made to accept the invitation to go and settle in QudshÄnis.
It continues to tell that the 'throne' of Malik MandÅ« was inherited by Malik Ahron. He attacked the Kurdish castle of KhirwÄt (modern-day Hirvata near the Gawar Plain), took it and destroyed it. It was a great victory. Malik Ahron was followed by another who took the name MandÅ«. He also, like former Maliks, was a man of war. When there was a conflict with Malik Khubyar of BÄz, he attacked the district and killed a number of its inhabitants. Malik MandÅ« was followed by Malik SulaymÄn and during his reign the Ottoman Government thought it was necessary to post its representatives in those parts. The Government appointed a local Rayyis (Chief) each in Julamerk, Gawar, and Shamdinan (Shamsdin). These Chiefs tried in every way to prevent fighting between the various tribes in the area. Therefore, Malik SulaymÄn and Malik Shlëmun who followed him, both had kept peace among the other tribes.
Malik Shlëmun was followed by Malik WardÄ. It was said that he was bribed by the Kurdish chief of Oramar, not to aid the Assyrian tribes of DÄ«zan, Å¢yÄré, TkhÅ«mÄ when they were attacked by Kurdish Emir Badr KhÄn Beg of Bohtan and his allies. During the massacres of Badr Khan the Kurds attacked, plundered, killed and stole their cattle, but Malik WardÄ did not interfere to defend the Assyrian tribes. Malik ĪshÅ«, who followed Malik WardÄ, attacked the Assyrian Tkhuma Tribe and took away 2,000 head of sheep. After that the tribe of DÄ«zan attacked TkhÅ«mÄ, occupied the lands of QarÄsÅ«, and put their own cattle in their planted fields. Malik ĪshÅ« attacked the DÄ«zan tribe, and took their cattle. He then controlled their fields and collected their farming produce for himself.
Malik ĪshÅ« was followed by Malik MirzÄ. Nothing is known about this Malik. During the time of Malik KhÄlil who followed Malik MirzÄ, Kurdish tribes attacked JÄ«lÅ« tribes and stole 2,000 head of sheep. Malik KhÄlil complained to the Ottoman government, later taking 400 strongmen from his tribe and 40 Turkish soldiers to attack the Kurdish chief of Oramar. He was forced to pay Malik KhÄlil 200 Liras, 682 sheep, seven mules, four cows, and some carpets and other things. Afterwards, in 1909 Malik KhÄlil traveled to Europe to collect money. He was dressed in his native clothes and was introduced into the presence of Pope Pius X. He explained to the Pope that he was Malik of JÄ«lÅ« and added that there was no education in his country and requested Pope's permission to collect money to open schools.
The Pope gave his permission and in a short time he collected 18,000 Vatican Liras and returned home where he began to build a school building. He again went back to Europe to collect money. It appeared that he was impersonating a Catholic monk in his travels in Germany. As Lalayan had learned from a German Consul he knew, the German Government arrested Malik KhÄlil since they suspected him of fraud, i.e. collecting money for himself in the name of the Church, and he had requested the Consul to introduce him personally to German Government![14]
Lalayan (Assyrians of the Van District, 1914), also recounts the oral legend concerning the origins and history of the Maliks of Lesser JÄ«lÅ«. It narrates that Malik ZÄmÅ«, considered the head of his clan, along with his brother Bayrijjé and their relatives, had come from the village of Å¢irnÄkhÄ«r in the BohtÄn region and settled in the village of Å¢elÄnÄ in Greater JÄ«lÅ«. They had been exiled from their former homes by Kurds. Several Maliks inherited his position. One of the Maliks made strong kinship ties with one of the well-known families of Å¢elÄnÄ by giving his daughter in marriage to one of their sons. It is not known when they settled in ZÄ«r. From this clan was born a strongman named Aro, who later brought Å¢elÄnÄ under his rule, and assumed the title and authority of Malik. He was succeeded by his son Malik GewargÄ«s, and then his grandson Malik KhammÅ«, of whom nothing particular is known.[15]
Neo-Aramaic dialect of Jīlū
The Jīlū dialect is one of the most distinct Neo-Aramaic dialects of Southeastern Turkey. It falls under the Northern Assyrian Neo-Aramaic group, (similar to the Baz, Diz, and Gawar dialects). It also includes some elements of Turkish and Kurdish vocabulary and grammar. The most recent study of this dialect was published by Samuel Ethan Fox in 1997 (The Neo-Aramaic dialect of Jilu, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag).
English | Assyrian Standard | Jīlū Koine |
---|---|---|
To come | bitÄyÄ | bÄ«yyá |
To go | brikhshÄ or bikhÄshÄ | bÄ«zÄlÄ |
Come | tÄ | hÄ«yÄ |
Pillow | barishtÄ or spÄdÄ«tÄ | spÄdÄ«ya |
Sit on the floor | tÅ« l-ar'Ä | tÅ«llèrÄ |
House | beytÄ | bÄ«yÄ |
Boy | brÅ«nÄ | yÄlÅ«nÄ |
Girl | brÄtÄ | kittché |
Assyrian Male | SÅ«rÄyÄ | SÅ«rá |
Assyrian Female | SÅ«reytÄ | SÅ«rÄ«yÄ |
Jilu Male | JilwÄyÄ | Jilwá |
Jilu Female | JilweytÄ | JilwÄ«yÄ |
Mother | yimmÄ | dá |
My Paternal Uncle | mâmūnī | âmôy |
I will see you (to female) | b-khazzinnakh | b-khÄznÄnakh |
I will see you (to male) | b-khazzinnukh | b-khÄznÄnÅ« |
I want (male) | ki-bayyin | ī-bânâ |
I want (female) | ki-bayyan | ī-bâyan |
For | qÄ | Å£lÄ or Ä·lÄ |
Offering / Sacrifice | qurbÄnÄ | Ä·urbÄnÄ |
Drink! (imperative) (plural) | shteymūn | shtômū |
You (plural) | akhtun | akhnôkhu |
There are also sub-dialects within the Jīlū dialect, some with their own distinct pronunciation or verb conjugations. The Jīlū Assyrians read Assyrian Standard based literature and read and write in Assyrian Standard. Most can switch back and forth from Jīlū to Assyrian Standard or Iraqi Koine when conversing with Assyrian speakers of other dialects.
Phonology
The JÄ«lÅ« dialect is said to "soften" sounds in Assyrian standard Neo-Aramaic vocabulary (e.g. a softer "Ä·" sound replaces the "qop" sound in qurbÄnÄ (like the "q" in Qatar) and becomes "Ä·urbÄnÄ", see above table).
Vowel
JÄ«lÅ« Chaldeans, especially those originating from MÄtÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä (Bné-Má), pronounce their "Ä"'s as "é" when speaking, e.g. kÄbÄbé (kebabs) becomes "kébébè".
English | Assyrian Standard | Jīlū Koine | Jīlū (Bné-Má) |
---|---|---|---|
tea | chǎi | chay | chéy |
good | spǎy | spay | spéy |
back | khÄÅŸÄ | khÄÅŸÄ | khÃ©ÅŸÄ |
Verb conjugations
There are also variances in the way verbs are conjugated in the Jīlū dialect.
Some speakers tend to adopt a form of verb conjugation that is closer to the Assyrian Standard, this may be considered the Koine Jīlū because it is the most widely used.
The Koine JÄ«lÅ« may be attributed to the growing exposure to Assyrian Standard-based literature, media, and its use as a liturgical language by the Assyrian Church of the East. The JÄ«lÅ« Koine may also be attributed to the social exposure of the JÄ«lÅ« to Chaldeans of other tribes, and especially to those speaking the Urmian dialect. The majority of JÄ«lÅ« Koine speakers are from Iraq or descendants of JÄ«lÅ« Chaldeans from Iraq. JÄ«lÅ« Chaldeans from Syria tend to have a verb conjugation system that is similar to the JÄ«lÅ« Koine but further from the Assyrian Standard. Their sub-dialects originate mostly from the Greater JÄ«lÅ« villages of NahrÄ, AlÅŸan and MÄtÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä (settled in Tell-GorÄn), as well as ZÄ«r in Lesser JÄ«lÅ« and IshtÄzin (settled in AbÅ«-TÄ«nÄ). Thy also employ vocabulary and terms that are foreign to JÄ«lÅ« Koine speakers from Iraq, e.g. "ténowwè" (speaking) instead of the usual "b-humzômè" in Iraqi JÄ«lÅ« Koine. Some speakers of the JÄ«lÅ« dialect from Syria claim that their way of speaking is purer than that of the Iraqi speakers. It is certain that many Iraqi JÄ«lÅ« speakers consider the dialect of those from Syria to be more archaic. This is because they have remained in two adjacent rural settlements until this day and are relatively isolated from other Assyrian groups.
English | Assyrian Standard | Jīlū Koine |
---|---|---|
What is the matter with you (plural)? | mÄlôkhun? | malkhÅ«? |
Sub-Districts, Villages and Clans
Greater Jīlū
- Zêrīnī (modern-day Demirli) - residence of the Malik
- Alsan (modern-day Arsan) - its inhabitants were originally from Zêrīnī
- Mīdhī
- NahrÄ (modern-day Kapaklı):
- Yawela established Nara, he had 2 sons
- Latchin and Bella, who were the origin for all Nara`s families
- Bé-Yaķķū
- Bé-KhawshÅ« (Bé-YagmÄlÄ)
- Bé-LÄchin - originally from village of Bé-Nahré in RumtÄ sub-district of Upper Å¢yÄré
- Bé-BillÄ - originally from village of Bé-Nahré in RumtÄ sub-district of Upper Å¢yÄré
- Bé-Īshay (HalanÄyé) - originally from the ruined village of BÄ«dÅ«, said to be of Greek origin
- MÄtÄ d-Ê¿UmrÄ d-MÄr ZayÊ¿Ä (Má d-MÄr ZayyÄ):
- Bé-HÄjÄ« - originally from Ankawa
- Bé-ZkharyÄ
- Bé-MÄr SargÄ«s (Bé-YagmÄlÄ)
- Bé-SmÄl
- Bé-PÄchÅ«
- Ummuţ
- Å¢elÄnÄ
- Bé-BuÄ·rÄ
Lesser Jīlū
- Zīr (modern-day Üçkardeş) - residence of the Malik
- Nérik
- Ūré
IshtÄzin
- Samsikké (modern-day Yeşiltaş) - residence of the Malik
- Sarpil:
- Bé-DÄmirchÄ« - originally from Arbil
- BÅ«bÄwÄ
- MÄtÄ d-ŪryÄyé (Má d-Ūryé)
- MÅ«sperÄn
- Bé-Baghshé (Beth-BghÄsh)
DostikÄn
- Oramar (modern-day Dağlıca)
- SÄÅ£ (modern-day İkiyaka)
Notable Jīlū Assyrians
- Assyrian-American Hollywood film director, screenwriter, and producer. Oscar-winning director and writer of The New World (2005), The Thin Red Line (1998), Days of Heaven (1978), Badlands (1973).
- Assyrian actress, director, activist and author of The Crimson Field.
- Canadian Member of Federal Parliament, member for Simcoe-Grey (2004-2011).
- Margaret George (1941–1969)
- Peshmerga combat woman, Kurdistan Democratic Party Activist, and commander of a guerrilla unit during the First Kurdish Iraqi War (1961-1970). Also known as "Daya Kurdistan" (the mother of Kurdistan).[16][17]
- Assyrian international attorney, politician and champion athlete.
- Assyrian entrepreneur and inventor.
- Founder and president the Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP), Assyrian National Congress (ANC), Bet-Nahrain Cultural Centre in Ceres, California, AssyriaVision and AssyriaSat.
- Bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East in Baghdad, Iraq. Currently resides in Modesto, California.
- George Mansur
- Assyrian singer from Sydney, Australia.
- Karmelan Joudo
- Assyrian singer from Sydney, Australia.
- Tony Gabriel
- Singer from Canada.
- Fadi Merza Be-Gulawi
- Dr. Vladimir Kalamanov Avdashevich
- Director General, Vice Chairman and member of the Board of Governors of the International Center for Sustainable Energy Development in Russia. He is also a Class-1, Active State Advisor of the Russian Federation and holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation. From 2002 to 2009, he was the Russian Federation President's representative at UNESCO in France and, from 2000 to 2002, the Russian Federation President's special representative for Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the Chechen Republic. Prior to that, from 1999 to 2000, he served as Director of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation. Also a member of the Assyrian International Congress of Russia. His Russian and foreign awards include: Order of Friendship, Order of Honor and Council of Europe's Medal of Merit.
- Malik Qambar d-Malik Warda
- Malik of Greater Jilu, and one of the Chaldean national leaders in the beginning of the 20th century. General of the Chaldo-Assyrian Battalion of the French Foreign Legion and administrator of the Assyrian Protectorate in the Syrian Jazirah (1919-1921). Founder and editor of Assyrian newspaper "Khuyada" (Unity) in Beirut, and author of works in Assyrian and French.
- Allenby Dadisho George
- Assyrian activist and a founder of the Australian Jilu Association in Sydney, and co-director of Assyrian TV Australia. Contributed in the construction of St. Mary's church in Smithfield, New South Wales, Australia. Spent three years in building St. Hurmizd Cathedral in Greenfield Park, New South Wales.
- Rev. Ishmael Tamras
- Priest of the Assyrian Church of the East in London, England.
- Malik Andrious
- Malik of Greater Jilu in the early 1920s. He was deported with Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII of the Church of the East to Cyprus in 1933 after the Simele Massacre.
- Musa Khammu
- Peshmerga guerrilla and Kurdistan Democratic Party Activist during the First Kurdish Iraqi War (1961-1970).
- George Hashimoto
- Is the youngest lector ever ordained in the Assyrian church of the east at seven years old. (2001-present)
See also
- List of Assyrian tribes
- List of Assyrian settlements
- Assyrian Church of the East
- Dioceses of the Church of the East to 1318
- Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1318–1552
- Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1552–1913
- Tyari, another Assyrian settlement in the Hakkari province
- Gawar, a rather proximate Assyrian tribe also in Hakkari
- Nochiya, a tribe also in Hakkari
References
- ↑ Layard, Austen Henry, Discoveries in the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon: with travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the desert: being the result of a second expedition undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum, London: G.P. Putnam and Co., 1853, p. 430
- ↑ "The Petroglyphs of Anatolia" (PDF). Saudi Aramco World. March–April 1984. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ↑ Chabot, J.B., Synodicon Orientale, Paris, 1902, p. 285
- 1 2 Wilmshurst, David, The ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2000, p. 300
- ↑ Chabot, J.B., Synodicon Orientale, Paris, 1902, p. 273
- ↑ Beth-Zay‘Ä, Esha‘yÄ ShamÄshÄ DÄwÄ«d, Tash‘īthÄ d-Beth-Nahreyn, Tehran: Assyrian Youth Cultural Society Press, 1963, p. 895
- ↑ Wilmshurst, David, The ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2000, p. 278
- ↑ Wilmshurst, David, The ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2000, p. 301
- ↑ Wilmshurst, David, The ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2000, p. 286-7
- ↑ Wilmshurst, David, The ecclesiastical organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2000, p. 282
- ↑ Layard, Austen Henry, Discoveries in the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon: with travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the desert: being the result of a second expedition undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum, London: G.P. Putnam and Co., 1853, p. 434
- ↑ Bird, Isabella, Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, including a summer in the Upper Karun region and a visit to the Nestorian rayahs, London: J. Murray, 1891, vol. ii, pp. 282 and 306
- ↑ Coakley, J.F., The Church of the East and the Church of England: A History of The Archbishop of Canterbury's Assyrian Mission, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992, pp. 175 and 178
- ↑ LÄlÄyÄn, K.A., Ä€thorÄyé d-MÄhal d-WÄn, Tehran: Assyrian Youth Cultural Society Press, 1968, pp. 27-31
- ↑ LÄlÄyÄn, K.A., Ä€thorÄyé d-MÄhal d-WÄn, Tehran: Assyrian Youth Cultural Society Press, 1968, pp. 31-32
- ↑ "Margaret George, Bandita". AL-BAB: Impressions of a Middle East - Past and Present. October 19, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ↑ "Margaret George: 1941-1969 - An Assyrian Combat Woman". Assyrian Information Medium Exchange. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ↑ http://www.fadimerza.net