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

The majority of western visitors agreed on the antiquity of the people in their homeland, and that they were the lineal descendants of the people of Nineveh. Badger, however, advanced the theory that the people were refugees from the south, driven northward by the Mongol invasions and massacres, particularly the horrible slaughter of Timur Lang (1393–1401), which had forced the people to take refuge in the mountainous regions of Assyria. The contemporary western scholars and missionaries who observed the conditions and investigated the history of the people in question rebutted this theory and affirmed the antiquity of the people in their homeland, providing concrete evidence to support their convictions.⁵⁷

Refutation of Badger’s Theory

Badger’s theory of refugees from the south does not stand on any solid historical foundation and betrays a lack of insight into the history of the region and its people. At first acquaintance, one might be led to believe that there are some facts to support it, since it was connected to a period that witnessed bloodshed, general disorder, and insecurity. The region that came under Timur Lang’s attacks might have offered some of the victims many alternatives to escape the pressing danger. Normally when people are faced with immediate danger, they attempt to flee to safer places; and in this case, the Mongols under Timur Leng dominated the plains of Mesopotamia, which could not provide the same safety as the mountainous regions to the north. But a thorough inquiry must consider both the geography and the political and military factors, notably, how Timur Lang and his huge armies were constantly scouring throughout Mesopotamia for eight years. This fact enables us to account for the fate of the people who fell under the direct thrust of the invading armies and provides much evidence to disprove Badger’s theory.