CULTURAL EDUCATIONAL SOCIAL Established 1964 AKITU 2018 Publication of the Assyrian Foundation of America Volume 42, Number 2, 2018 From the Editor & President Contents 04/01/18 March 2018 4 The True Story of Semiramis 22 Congratulations Dear Nineveh Magazine Subscribers and Readers, Legendary Queen of Babylon Andrew Adam As we approach the Assyrian New Year, I would like to take a moment to acknowl- edge the communications that I have received from many of you. Your positive 7 Destruction of a Biblical Tomb 22 Books reviews are much appreciated and your feedback helps us to improve the quality Uncovers Inscriptions on Assyrian King, The Imitation of Christ and content of this publication. ‘Great Gods’ I look forward to receiving your material in both languages; Assyrian and English. 23 In Memoriam I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Mr. George Bet-Shlimon as the new editor of the Assyrian 8 Assyrians in Iraq Sandra Bonian ‘On the Brink of Extinction’ language section of Nineveh Magazine. George will be familiar to many of you, as he was one of the former As- Robert Adam syrian Foundation of America’s Presidents. Minashe Yonan 10 Assyrian, Athens and Italy Basso Badal Wishing all of you a Happy Akitu as well as a Joyous Easter! UGA Student brings together coffee and community for art project 26 Nineveh Donations Ninwe Maraha Maximizing contributions Editor, Nineveh Magazine 12 The Story of finding the Dec. 2017 through Feb. 2018 oldest Assyrian record Moneer Cherie 28 Turkey’s Systematic Persecution of a Religious Minorities Happy Easter & Happy 14 Rami Moan Designing jerseys for top athletes 30 Local Cleats Artist Assyrian New Year 6768! Marvin Baroota 16 The Unknown Motherland Reconnecting with culture 32 Old Wine Making Process This year, April 1st marks a significant day for all By the Assyrians in Turabdin .7676 ܐܬܕ݉ ܚ ܐܬܝܪܘܬܐ ܐܬܢ݉ ܫ ܐܬܟܼ ܝܪܒܘ ܐܟܼ ܝܪܒ ܐܬܡܝܩܕ ܐܕܐܥ Assyrians around the globe, as we will celebrate two of 17 Turkey’s Genocide of the Assyrians our most important festivals of the year, on the same day: ̈ ݉ ݉ Was an Islamist Crime 33 Assyrian Baby Names ܥܐܕܐ ܐܕܗܩܐܝ ܫܡ ݉ܢܬܬܐ ܐ،ܒ ܪܚܝ ܼܕܟ ܐ ܒܢܘܝܒܣܪܢܝ ܼܟܐܝܬܐܬ ܠܫܢܗ ܬܐܐܢ ܢܐܩܬܝܘܘܪܬܝܐܬ ܐܦ ܪܚܝܕܫܬܬܐܐ ܟܕ7676 . ܬ ܪܝ ܥܕܥܐܕܐ ܒܬܦܩܐ ܝܢܐ The Assyrian New Year 6768 (Akitu or Resha d’ Sheta), ܢܪܡܕ ܐܬܡܝܩܕ ܐܕܐܥܘ̈ 7676 ܐܬܝܪܘܬܐ ܐܬܢ݉ ܫ ܫܪ .ܕ.ܗ ܐܡܘܝ ܐܗܐܒ ܐܕ̈ ܕܚ ܡܥ݉ ܐܗܐ ܫܢܬܐ، ܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ ܐܝܬܠܗ ܐܢܢܩܝܘܬܐ ܦܪܝܫܬܐ ܟܕ ܬܪܝ ܥܕܥܐܕܐ ܒܬܦܩܐ ܝܢܐ .(and the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eeda Goora ̈ ̈ ݉ ̈ The last time Easter coincided with Assyrian New Year ܡܥ ܐܢܪܡܕܕܐܥܕ ܥܐܬܡܝܩܕ ܝܪܬ ܐ ܢܐܕܐܥܘܐܕ ܐܬ ܩ7676ܦܬܕ ܐܐܬܬܝܝܪܪܘܚܬܐܐ ܐܐܗܬܓܢ݉ ܫ. )ܐܪܘܓܫܪ .ܕ .ܐܕܐܥܗ ܐܡ( ܘܐܚܝܫܡܝ ܐܗܐܒ ܥܘܐܕܕܫܝܚ ܡܥ 18 Our Great Assyrian New Year 34 Mass Exodus ̈ ̈ ̈ ̈ ̈ ݉ ݉ ݉ ̈ The origins of Forced Displacement of Iraq’s ܝܫܘܥܚ ܕܕܐ ܝܡܫܝܚܐܗ ܘ)ܐ ܒܫܥܐܕܐܢ ܬܐ ܓܘܪܐ(.6597 .ܓ ݂ܗܡܢܐ ܐܒܚܬܪܪܝ ܬܐ866 2ܕ،ܬ ܐܦܢܩܐܬ ܐܬ ܪܕܝܐܢ ܙܐܘ ܝܬܚܪܐܝ ܐܢܥܢܕܩܥܝܐܐܕܐ ܡܥܡ ܕܪܫ ܒܕ was in 1956. After 2018, these two special holidays will ݉ ݉ ݉ Indigenous Christian Assyrians ܚܕ ̈ܕܐܢ ܝܦܗܠܘܝܐ ܒܒܚܫܕ݉ܢ ܬܒܐܢ ܝܣܢ 6597.ܒ ܫ݂ܢܡܢܬ ܐ ܒ ݉ܬܪ2825 866ܘܡ2ܕ،ܪ ܐܫ ̈ܢ ܐܒ ܫܬܢܪܬܝܐ ܙܘܝ2808̈ܚ،ܐ ܘ ܐܒܢܬܢܪܩ ̈ܝܗܐܕ ܐ ܡܠܐ ܕܪܫ ܒܕܬܦܩܝ ܥܡ coincide once in 2029, and once in 2040, but not again for the rest of this century. ݉ ݉ ݉ .ܐܪܕ ܐܗܐܒ ܐܕ̈ ܕܚ Assyrian New Year Parade 19 ܢܦܠܝ ܒܚܕ ܒܢܝܣܢ ܒܫܢܬܐ 2825 ܘܡܕܪܫ ܒܫܢܬܐ 2808، ܘܒܬܪ ܗܕܐ ܠܐ ܬܦܩܝ ܥܡ .ܐܪܕ݉ ܐܗܐܒ ܐܕ̈ ܕܚ Chicago 38 Shlama Foundation ݂ܡܢ ܓܢܒ ܡܘܬ ܼܒܐ ܕܡܕܒ̈ܪܢܐ ܕܫܬܐܣܬܐ ܐܬܘܪܝܬܐ ܕܐܡܪܝܟܐ، ܒܛܠܒܐ ܝܘܢܝ On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Assyrian ̈ ̈ ̈ Thank you to AFA ݂ܡܢ ܓܩ݉ܢܬܒܘ ܼܟ ܘܡܢܘ ܬܝܼܒܘܐܡ ܐܕ ܕܡܝܕܠܒܢ̈ܪܝܢܐܐ ܡܕܫܠܝܬܐܐ ܣܡܬܚܐܕܘ ܐܬܐܬܘ ܪܒܝܐܢܬܐܐ ܬܕܪܐܝܡ ܪܙܝܘܟܝܐ،ܚܐ ܒܕܛܥܐܠܕܒܐܐ ܓܝܘܘܪܢܐܝ ܘܪܫ ܐ Foundation of America, I wish you an extraordinary and ̈ ݉ Sargis Turlock’s 20 ܩܬܘ ܼܟܕܘܫܢ ܬܝܐܘ ܕܡܐܐܬ ܘܕ̈ܪܝܝܠܐܢ ܝܥܐ ܡ ܡܒܠܝܝܬܐܘ ܬܡܘ ܚܼܟܕܘ̈ܘܢܬ،ܐ ܚ ܼܒܐ̈ܪ ̈ܢܘܐܬ ܘ ܼܬܟܪܘܝܢ ܙܘܘ̈ܪܝܚ̈ܚܡܐܘ ܼܕܟܘܥܢܐ.ܕ ܐ ܓܘܪܐ ܘܪܫܐ joyful day celebrating Eeda Goora and Resha d’ Sheeta et Atorayeh with your family, friends, and loved ones. May ̈ ݉ 39 Letter From the President joins Barcelona Academy ܕܫܢܬܐܡ ܪܕܝܐܐܬ ܘܐ̈ܪܠܝܗܐ ܐ ܥܒܡܪ ܼܟܒ ܝܠܐܬܘܡܬܘ ܬܼܟܢ ܘܢܒ،ܘ ܪܚܒܼܒܙ̈ܪܬܘܐ ܬܘ ܼܚܟܘܡܢܐ ܠܘ̈ܪܟܚܠܢܡ ܘܒܼܟܚܘܘܢ.ܠ ܡܢܐ ܘܚܕܘܬܐ. all God’s blessings shower over our scattered nation and Jackie Yelda keep everyone safe, healthy, and happy! .ܐܬܘܕܚܘ ܐܢܡܠܘܚܒ ܢܠܟܠ ܐܡܚܘ ܐܬܙܒܪܘܒ ܢܬܡܘܐܠ ܟܼ ܪܒ ܐܗܠܐ ܐܝܪܡ 21 Recipes Shirvet Lobya 40 Assyrian Section ̰ܓܟܠ ܼܝܢ ܝܠܕܐ، ܡܕܒܪܢܬܐ Jackline Yelda, AFA President ̰ܓܟܠ ܼܝܢ ܝܠܕܐ، ܡܕܒܪܢܬܐ Articles submitted for publication will be selected by Assyrian Foundation of America established in June Address letters to: the editorial staff on the basis of their relative merit to Crew: 1964 and incorporated in the state of California as a The Editor Assyrian literature, history, and current events. Dr. Ninwe Maraha (Editor) Sargon Shabbas, Circulation non-profit, tax- exempt organization dedicated to the NINWE MARAHA advancement of the education of Assyrians. Dr. Robert Karoukian Donatella Yelda Opinions expressed in NINEVEH are those of the Dr. Elizabeth Mickaily-Huber George Bet-Shlimon NINEVEH MAGAZINE respective authors and not necessarily those of Tamara Odisho Benjamin Heather Bou (Layout Designer) P.O. Box 2660 Yearly subscription fees NINEVEH or the Assyrian Foundation of America. Berkeley, California 94702 US...........................$40 [email protected] International ...........$50 2 3 This event is commemorated by the Ban- The True Story of quet Stela, which recorded thousands of guests and a celebration that lasted for 10 Semiramis days. Ashurnasirpal II stabilized the em- pire, putting down revolts with a level of Legendary Queen of Babylon cruelty that he made no attempt to hide. Courtesy of Nationalgeographic.com One inscription tells of the vengeance meted to rebels at one particular city of his realm: I had a column built at the city gate and I flayed all the leaders who had rebelled and I covered the column with their skins. Some, I impaled upon the column on stakes and oth- ers I bound to stakes around it. The empire that Ashurnasirpal II’s Queen Semiramis surveys the building of Baby- grandson inherited may have been stable lon, of which she is the legendary founder. Edgar Degas’s mysterious, otherworldly 1861 painting and wealthy, but it did not stay that way at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, reveals how the for long. King -Shamshi-Adad V appears Inspired by legends about the fierce Assyrian queen, 17th-century painter Louis de Caullery depicts Semiramis myth had lost none of its power. Semiramis hunting a lion, a symbol of royalty, in front of the gates of Babylon. The painting is part of to have spent a great deal of -resources the collections at Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France. in defeating his rebellious elder brother, who wanted to take the throne. By the time Shamshi-Adad died in 811 B.C., the III, was too young to rule. It would be left tradition, a certain amount of embellish- The only woman ever to have ruled the no where she is punished for her “sen- 2,800 years ago that so fascinated the empire was financially and politically to Queen Sammu-ramat to restore stabil- ment crept into her story, which seemed mighty Assyrian Empire, Semiramis sual vices.” The French Enlightenment world and allowed romantic legends to weakened. His young son, Adad-nirari ity to Assyria through her regency. to grow larger from one telling to the titillated writers and painters from the writer Voltaire wrote a tragedy about her, sprout around her legacy? next. In the fifth century B.C., the great Roman period to the 19th century. which was later made into Rossini’s 1823 FROM MEMORY TO MYTH classical historian Herodotus perpetuat- opera, Semiramide. Archaeologists have found four prin- Although the four main sources do not ed the memory of this queen using the Female rulers in ancient Meso- cipal artifacts that offer at least spell out whether she claimed the re- Greek form of her name: Semiramis. It is potamia were rare. But those who some evidence to piece together gency, the inscriptions make it clear that by this name that she is best known to- did rule made their mark on his- LIFE AND LEGENDS her biography. In the ancient city Sammu-ramat exercised a degree of po- day. tory. In the Neo-Assyrian regime of ! of Nimrud (in modern-day Iraq), litical power—unlike that of any other 823-811 B.C. woman in the history of Mesopotamia. It was Diodorus Siculus, a Greek schol- the ninth century B.C., one wom- Grandson of Ashurnasirpal II, Shamshi-Adad V two statues dedicated to Nabu, the an commanded an entire empire secures Assyria by defeating his rebellious older Babylonian god of knowledge and The stela from the city of Kizkapanli, ar writing in the Roman world of Julius stretching from Asia Minor to what brother. He marries Sammu-ramat, who will bear writing, mention her name. There for -example, mentions that the queen Caesar and Augustus, who solidified is today western Iran. She was Sam- his heir, Adad-nirari. are also two stelae, one from Kiz- accompanied her son when he crossed much of Semiramis’s legend. His colos- mu-ramat, thought to mean “high 810-783 B.C. kapanli, a town in present-day the Euphrates River to fight against the sal, semi-historical work Bibliotheke The widowed Sammu-ramat becomes queen regent king of the Assyrian city of Arpad. Her surveys events from creation myths to heaven.” Her five-year rule, while for the first five years of her son’s reign.