Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal Relations on the Pe ...

District of Gawer

As has been mentioned, all Assyrians, whether they were independent, semi-independent, or Ra’aya tribes, were in constant contact with their patriarch as their religious head, while he was the civil leader of the independent tribes as well. All districts maintained their strong attachment to the see of their church and remained loyal to its doctrine. People from all districts were paying regular visits to the Patriarch, even if they came from such distant provinces as Gawer.²⁹

In the second decade of the nineteenth century, J. S. Buckingham passed through ancient Assyria and was able to see the large numbers of the Assyrians in their homeland, including the region of the upper Zab River. He stated that the whole population was Christian Nestorians and whole villages could not speak any language except their native Syriac.³⁰

3. Transport and Communications

A country with such difficult terrain as the homeland of the Assyrian independent tribes must have presented serious daily challenges to its inhabitants. The movement of the people was very restricted in all provinces of Tiyari and Hakkari, owing to the inaccessible nature of the terrain. This was true during all seasons; however, in winter, the difficulties were compounded by snow, which usually blocked all the routes and access so completely that hardly anyone ventured to take even a short journey.

As the most populous place, and hence the most active economically, Asheetha became a hub for business, commerce, and transport to other provinces; however, this applied only to the Upper Tiyari and the eastern provinces of Hakkari. Lizan, which was also a large village, had the advantage of its location on the Zab, with a very busy bridge across the river joining the two halves of the country. Mosul was the main source of supply for the Assyrian tribes, and the most useable route to it passed through Chamba in the centre of Upper Tiyari to Asheetha Dory, Amadia, and Dohuk.³¹