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{{Short description|Town in Nineveh, Iraq}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement {{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Alqosh | official_name = Alqosh
| native_name = ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫ
|other_name = <small>ألقوش</small>
| other_name = {{lang|ar|ألقوش}}<ref name="source1">{{cite book |title=معاناة الكورد الايزديين فيá ظل الحكومات العراقية، 1921–2003 |date=2008 |publisher=University of California, Berkeley, US}}</ref>
|native_name = <small>ܐܠܩܘܫ</small>
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'''Alqosh''' ({{langx|syr|ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫ}},<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Maclean|first=Arthur John|date=1901|title=Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac|url=https://archive.org/details/adictionarydial00unkngoog/page/n9/mode/1up|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=13b}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book|last=Payne Smith|first=Robert|date=1879–1901|title=Thesaurus Syriacus|location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|at=221|language=la}}</ref><ref>Thomas A. Carlson, “Alqosh – ܐܠܩܘܫ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified June 7, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/19.</ref> {{langx|tmr|אלקוש}}, {{langx|ar|ألقوش}},<ref name="source1" /> alternatively spelled '''Alkosh''', '''Alqoš''', or '''Alqush''') is a town in the ] of northern ], a sub-district of the ] situated 45&nbsp;km north of the city of ].


The locals of Alqosh are ] who since the 18th century now mostly adhere to the ].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Hirmis|first=Aboona|title=Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal relations on the periphery of the Ottoman Empire|publisher=Cambria Press|year=2008|location=United States|pages=36}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=25 Jan 2017|title=The Fate of Iraq's Indigenous Communities|url=https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/iraq-news-yazidi-assyrian-middle-east-news-43540/|website=Fair Observer}}</ref><ref> quote: Among Chaldean Catholics, the ethnic term ‘Assyrian’ now has had to compete with the theological term ‘Chaldean’ as the preferred ethnic name. Some have adopted ‘Assyro-Chaldean’ as a compromise.</ref>
'''Alqōsh''' , {{lang-ar|ألقوش}}) is an Assyrian town in northern ]. It is located (50&nbsp;km) north of ]. The name Alqosh (or Elqosh) is derived from an ] name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power. Therefore, Elqosh, or as casually pronounced Alqosh, means "The God of Righteousness" or "The God of Power".
During the Iron Age, the Alqosh plain appears to have been home to the small regional kingdom of Qumāne, but was subsequently annexed by Assyria.<ref>K. Radner, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Muṣaṣir, Kumme, Ukku and Šubria – the Buffer States between Assyria and Urarṭu," in: S. Kroll et al. (eds.), ''Biainili-Urartu. The Proceedings of the Symposium held in Munich 12-14 October 2007'', Peeters 2012: 243-264: 245.</ref>


== Landmarks ==
Alqush has adorned the Bayhidhra mountains for more than twenty five centuries. The town glowingly reigns over ]'s northern plateau known for its fertile soil and extends southward across the other Assyrian towns, such as, Telassqopa (]), ], ], ], and ].
The town of Alqosh is set at the foot of a mountain known as ''ṭūrəd-‘Alquš'' meaning “the mountain of Alqosh”. In the vicinity, there are the ''kahfa/kāfa smōqa'' (the red cave)'', guppəd''-''naṭōpa'' (the cave of dripping), ''guppəd-māya'' (the cave of water), ''guppəd-saṭāna'' (the cave of Satan), ''guppa mgurəgma'' (the thundering cave), and a valley ''šwīṯəd-ganāwe'' (the bed of thieves) at the foot of Alqosh mountain.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coghill |first=Eleanor |title=The Neo-Aramaic dialect of Alqosh |year=2003 |isbn=9781607241744 |pages=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-06 |title=عن القوش |url=http://alqosh.net/about_alqosh.htm |access-date=2024-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706074752/http://alqosh.net/about_alqosh.htm |archive-date=6 July 2014 }}</ref>


Behind the mountain there is also the site of '''Bezqin''', known in ] sources as ܒܙܩܝܢ ''bizqīn''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Margoliouth |first=Jesse Payne |title=Supplement to the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith |publisher=Gorgias Press |year=1927 |isbn=978-1-60724-795-1 |pages=52}}</ref> and pronounced by modern Alqosh as ''bisqin'', containing the remains of an orchard and a ] monastery, which may have originally been part of the ], and containing springs. After the ] this was left and came to be ruined by vandals, and most of the ancient trees cut down or burnt.<ref>{{Cite web |title=خــوري ثـيـلـه بهار! (بالسريانية)// لطيف پولا |url=http://www.tellskuf.com/index.php/tha/5-cul/66218-ap84.html |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=www.tellskuf.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pola |first=Latif |date=2015-09-02 |title=بحث تصحيح الفاظ لبعض المواقع القديمة في القوش واخراج معانيها |url=https://khoranat-alqosh.com/?p=2553 |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=خورنة القوش |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=نبيل يونس دمان |url=http://www.al-nnas.com/ARTICLE/NDaman/24f00.htm |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=www.al-nnas.com}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
Alqush traces its history back into the ancient ] and perhaps even further. The earliest mentioning of Alqosh appears in ]'s era 750 BC as evidenced by the mural inside Sennacherib's palace that was discovered in Tel Kuyunjik/Qüyüjik (Sheep Hill in Turkoman) in ]. Behind this mural, the phrase "This rock was brought from Alqosh’s Mountain" is carved.


== Christianity ==
Alqosh is divided into four quarters: Sainna quarter to the west, Qasha quarter to the east, O’do quarter to the north, and Khatetha quarter to the south.
]
]
The Assyrian people had gradually converted from ] to Eastern Rite Christianity between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. The importance of Alqosh for the ] arose from its proximity to the ], named after its seventh-century founder ] (''Rabban'' means "monk"), who is venerated as a saint in the churches descended from the ].


The monastery, built on the mountain slope, was a centre of learning for the Church of the East not far from another centre but of the ]. It was the burial place of the patriarchs of the Church of the East from the late fifteenth century and was their seat from the time of Shimun VI (1503–1538) until the end of the series of patriarchs known as the Eliya line.<ref>]</ref> Isolated and cut off by snow from Alqosh in winter, it never became their permanent residence,<ref name=":3">{{cite book |author=David Wilmshurst |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jB8ir0ek8bgC |title=The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |year=2000 |isbn=978-9042908765 |pages=258}}</ref> and its line of patriarchs is commonly described as the Mosul line or as resident in Alqosh.<ref name=":4"></ref>
==Etymology==
]
Conflicting opinions appear pertaining to the name Alqosh. Some believe it derives from the ] and the word Alqoshtti, which means "My god is my arrow". Others interpret it as Alqoshtta, the god of justice. Yet some others believe it comes from Alqosh, Turkish ''Alkuş''; the red bird. Some contend it belongs to the name AalQoun, father of ] the Alqoshian, one of the Old Testament prophets whose tomb still rests in Alqosh today.


In the ], the abbot of the monastery, ], was elected irregularly to the post of patriarch by several bishops who were dissatisfied with the restriction of patriarchal succession to members of a single family. By tradition, a patriarch could be ordained only by someone of archiepiscopal (metropolitan) rank, a rank to which only members of that one family were promoted. For that reason, Sulaqa travelled to Rome, where, presented as the new patriarch-elect, he entered communion with the Catholic Church, was ordained by the Pope, and recognized as patriarch of the "Church of Mosul and Athura". He and his successors (who eventually formally broke communion with Rome) took up residence further east. This schism gave rise to the ], in opposition to what historians call the traditionalist wing of the Church of the East, that which officially adopted the name ].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Wilhelm Baum|author2=Dietmar W. Winkler|title=The Church of the East: A Concise History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnSCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|date= 2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1134430192|page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Eckart Frahm|title=A Companion to Assyria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avmKDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1132|date= 2017|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-1118325230|page=1132}}</ref>]
The name "Alqosh" could also have originated from the Aramaic "Eil Qushti", which means "The God of the Bow". Here, an association could be drawn in conjunction with the winged disk symbol of God Ashur holding a bow. Meanwhile, in Aramaic language, rainbow is referred to as "Qeshta d' Maran", therefore, the meaning of the "Bow of Our Lord", is possible as well. Alqosh is known also as Yimma d' Mathwatha (Mother of all Villages).
] 2018 in Alqosh]]
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the "legitimist" Alqosh patriarchal line from which Sulaqa broke away in 1552, drew closer to Rome, especially during the 58-year reign of Eliya XI/XII Denkha (1722−1778), who sent several letters to Rome, some with professions of faith in line with Catholic teaching, but no formal papal recognition followed.<ref>], ), p. 247,</ref><ref name="Wilmshurst" /> However, it was a member of the family from whom the "legitimate" traditionalist patriarchs were chosen, ] (1760–1838) who, having considered himself a Catholic since 1778, was chosen as patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1830.<ref name="Frazee">{{cite book |last=Frazee|first=Charles A.|title=Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923 |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0521027007|page=210}}</ref><ref name="Wilmshurst" />


== Association with the Prophet Nahum ==
A number of sites within Alqosh still carry ancient Assyrian names, for example, ''Sainna'' Neighborhood means the ] Neighborhood and ''Bee Sinnat'' is a plain area south of Alqosh. Within approximately 2 miles (3&nbsp;km), to the west of Alqosh, lies the well known ruin of Shayro Meliktha which is marked in the Iraqi ruins Map as a ] carrying a carving of ] aiming an arrow from his ].
], who visited the area in 1847, reported that by "a very ancient tradition" the village contains the tomb of the prophet ], whose ] book begins with: "An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh."<ref>Nahum 1:1</ref> While ] located the birthplace of Nahum in ], Layard considered the Alqosh tradition had some weight in spite of the lack of inscriptions or ancient remains.<ref>{{cite book|author=Austen Henry Layard|title=Nineveh and Its Remains|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13-xbVfqDtcC|year=1849|publisher=J. Murray|page=233}}</ref> ] made pilgrimage to the site during ], and "He who has not made the pilgrimage to Nahum's tomb has not yet known real pleasure" was a common saying.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Neurink|first1=Judit|title=Kurdistan needs help to preserve its Jewish heritage|url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Kurdistan-needs-help-to-preserve-its-Jewish-heritage-407996|access-date=6 July 2015|work=]|date=5 July 2015}}</ref> When Jews were expelled from Iraq or voluntarily emigrated to ] in 1948, the Jewish custodian entrusted the care of the building to a local Chaldean Catholic.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hedow |first=Amer |date=3 August 2009 |title=An AlQosh Man Struggles to Keep a Promise to an Old Friend |url=http://chaldean.org/Home/tabid/36/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/491/An-AlQosh-Man-Struggles-to-Keep-a-Promise-to-an-Old-Friend.aspx |work=chaldean.org |access-date=2020-06-29 |archive-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813103050/http://chaldean.org/Home/tabid/36/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/491/An-AlQosh-Man-Struggles-to-Keep-a-Promise-to-an-Old-Friend.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> A survey conducted in 2017 determined that the structure was in danger of collapse, and in the following year work began on stabilizing it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Progress-made-on-saving-Prophet-Nahums-tomb-in-Iraq-543500|title=Progress made on saving Prophet Nahum's tomb in Iraq|work=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com|access-date=2018-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/nahums-tomb-in-iraq-restoration-begins.html|title=Hebrew prophet's tomb in Iraq saved from collapse|last=Neurink|first=Judit|date=2018-03-21|work=Al-Monitor|access-date=2018-04-23|language=en-us}}</ref>


==Sites in Alqosh== ==Attacks==
* 1401 – the town was attacked and sacked by ] (Tamerlane).<ref name="Wilmshurst" />
]
* 1508 – Alqosh was attacked by Pasha of ] Bar Yak (Murad Bey).<ref name="Wilmshurst" >{{cite book |author1=David Wilmshurst |title=The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913 |date=2000 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |isbn=9042908769 |edition=582nd}}</ref>
Alqosh's stone dwellings are spread along its mountainous slopes up to the tip of its plateau. They share similar decorations with all other colonies within the Nineveh plains, except for the construction that recently swamped its borders, especially in the southern part of the colony to reflect the contemporary nature of building applications in the form of cement, bricks and other materials.
* 1831 – the ] attacked Alqosh, killing nearly 300 villagers.<ref name="Wilmhurst">{{Cite book|last=Wilmhurst|first=David|title=The Ecclesiastical Organization of the Church of the East, 1318–1913|year=2000|pages=205}}</ref>

* 1828 – Mosa Pasha, the governor of ], approached Alqosh and set fire to the ].<ref name="hannetc" >{{cite book |author1=Geoff Hann |author2=Karen Dabrowska |author3=Tina Townsend-Greaves |title=Iraq: The ancient sites and Iraqi Kurdistan |date=2015 |isbn=978-1841624884}}</ref>
A number of sites remain important to ''Alqoshnayes''.
* 1832 – ] attacked Alqosh, killing over 600 of its inhabitants.<ref name="hannetc" />

* 1840 – Resoul Beck, Mira Koor's brother, repeated the attack.<ref name="hannetc" />
* Gu’ppa D’Mmaya (Water Cave) to the north.
* 1843 – the Rabban Hormizd Monastery was attacked by the ], and 1000 manuscripts may have been destroyed.<ref name="Wilmhurst" />
* Gu’ppa Ssmoqa (Red Cave) to the north.
* 2014 – The ] came close to Alqosh, and almost all of the people fled; however, many men and youths did not leave Alqosh due to a desire to protect their town. ISIL failed to take the town after the intervention of the ] and local Assyrian militia known as ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Costa-Roberts|first1=Daniel|title=8 things you didn't know about Assyrian Christians|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/8-things-didnt-know-assyrian-christians/|access-date=6 July 2015|publisher=]|date=15 March 2015}}</ref>
* Gu’ppetha D’Toomin (the small Toomin Cave) to the north, and Toomin may be a proper name.
]
* Gu’ppa D’ Magoar Gama (Thunderous Cave) located to the northeastern.
* Shweetha D’Gannaweh (Sleeping Bed of the Robbers) is a hill to the north. Some of the experts interested in Alqush's history believe that Shweetha D’Ganaweh was a site for the Assyrian god Sىin.
* Rohmta D’Jwannqeh (Mound of the Youths) to the northwest.
* Khoosha (The Container) to the northwest.
* Raoolla D’Mmaya (Water Valley) to the west.
* Gu’ppa D’Hattarein (Cotton’s Carders Cave). In Syriac, Hattarein is a plural for the word Hattara that means cotton’s carders; it was also called Khtertta, and Mosul dwellers used to call it the Khatoora, also taken from Syriac. The word Hatterein may have another connotation.
* Kerrma D’Raysha (Peak's Vineyard), in the past the vineyard was located on top of the mountain.
* Besqeen, an old orchard behind Alqush Mountain in a rough trail valley. Three families own this orchard: the Bendaq Youhana, Kkmikha Dman family, and Shabio Mdallow families. It resembles the remains of a monastery that was erected some ten centuries ago. The inhabitants of Alqush knew the orchard as full of fruits and vegetables and water. Up until the 1930s, a man named Jebrail Youhana worked the orchard. The name Besqeen is a plural Syriac word that means water pond.
* Galeeya D’Qasha Hanna (Priest Hanna's Valley) to the north.
* Tellsha derived from (Toullsha) which is a material used in spreading and covering. This place may have been used by Nader Shah, the Persian ruler, as a rest area when he invaded the region 1732–1742 AD.
* Galeeya D’Dayra or Galeeya D’Qadeesha (Saints Valley or Monastery Valley), a valley leading to Rabban Hermizd monastery in the northeastern corner of Alqush. It is an old monastery that can be traced back when Arab Muslim started to invade the region in 636 AD. Until recently, the monastery was housed by its monks who preferred to worship within its vast expanse and labor in its orchards and farms.
* Towards the plain side opposite to this site, is Virgin Mary's Monastery (Guardian of the Plants), which was built in 1856 AD. It is a huge monastery where the friar life still exists.
* Galeeya Dnerba D’Deyoeh (erroneously pronounced as Neer D’Dayoeh), the Devil Valley, located to the east of Rabban Hermizd Monastery.
* Gu’ppetha D’Hllwi (D’Hllabi), a place for milking sheep.
* Gu’ppetha D’Rrabi Rabba, the small High Priest (Teacher) Cave.

===Prophet Nahum and Alqosh===
AalQoun, father of Nahum, was the son of a ] family among thousands whom the Assyrian king Shelmenassar V, who reigned between 727 and 722 BC, brought to Alqosh. These Hebrews lived in ] with the Alqoshniye and even became ]s such as Biblical Nahum. The interpretation that seems most logical relies on Marotha, the Alqusheian wise man from three centuries ago who asserted that the name Alqush is derived from Sîn, the god known as Siin, meaning "the greatest god". It was located at Shweetha D’Gannaweh, a hill north of Alqush. In this respect, Marotha relays what his ancestors have stated that those living in ] would visit Alqush every ] (the Assyrian and Babylonian New Year) to replay the ] which is the Sumerian Epic of Creation. They then would have a religious ceremony in honor of the ] ] and the image or icon of the god would be carried in a procession on their way back to Nineveh passing through the old Nineveh Alqush road.

To its south is an agricultural area known as Bee Siinnat is clearly derived from the word Siin. Forty days later the inhabitants of Nineveh would return the statue or icon of the god to its original place in Alqush. Based on the foregoing, we believe that the name Alqush is taken from the Assyrian or earlier Sumerian name for god Siin/Alqush. Some Sumerologists claim that ], the Sumerian goddess of love and war, was also the offspring of the moon god ] or as he is was originally known ''Nanna''. Alqoshniye are still awaiting the day when excavations of Shweetha D’Gannaweh, will hopefully reveal new cultural artifacts from its Assyrian or possibly even Pre-Assyrian history.

]

Since its establishment, Alqush was a place for worshiping weather for the Assyrian god El-Qustu or ] when various Hebrew peoples were brought by the Assyrian army during the eighth and ninth century BC.

==Christianity and Alqosh==
Since its establishment, Alqush was a place for worship. either for the ]ian god ], who was also worshiped at ] as the Sumerian equivalent ''Nanna'', or for the god El-Qustu. Alqosh was also a site of worship for the Hebrew peoples when they were brought by the Assyrian army during the eighth and ninth century BC{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}.

Alqush became an important town for Eastern Christianity after the coming of the ] monk Hirmiz who carved out a monastery out of the mountains of Alqosh. This abbey is called "]" and which was crafted in 640 AD at the outskirts of the Mountains of Alqosh. It was used as the Seat for many ] of the ]. From this monastery came ], who decided to unite with the ] in 1553 and established the ].

Before that, all of the inhabitants of Alqosh, like their brothers in other Assyrian towns, followed the ] faith and were part of the ]. From 1610 to 1617, the Patriarchate of Alqosh, under Mar Eliyya VIII, entered in ] with ]. After this short-time union, from about the 1700 on, also Alqosh had a ] minority,<ref name="Frazee">{{cite book |last=Frazee|first=Charles A.|title=Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923 |year=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-02700-7|page=210}}</ref> and in 1771, the patriarch Eliya Denkha signed a Catholic confession of faith, but no formal union resulted till the reign of patriarch ] (1760–1838).

By 1780, most of the inhabitants of Alqush accepted the union with the Catholic Church. There are also people in Alqosh who adhere to their original ] faith.

==The monastery of Rabban Hormizd==
{{Main|Rabban Hormizd Monastery}}
The monastery of Rabban Hormizd is carved out of the mountains about 2 miles (3&nbsp;km) from Alqosh. It was founded in the seventh century, and has been the See of the Patriarch of the ''Eliya'' line of the ] from 1551 and 1804. Revived in 1808 by Gabriel Dambo, in the nineteenth century it was the main monastery of the ].

In 1859 a new monastery (''Notre-Dame des Semences'') was erected in the plain near Alqosh, but the ancient building is still in use.

The collection of manuscripts of this monastery is of very great importance for the study of Syriac literature, and manuscripts from it feature in almost every discussion of Syriac texts.

==Disasters==

Major attacks
Throughout history, Alqosh has fallen victim to many calamities, most due to their oppressive Muslim neighbors and various overlords

Many attacks occurred after Alqosh started to house the abbey of Rabban Hirmizd, which was used as the Seat for several patriarchs of the Chaldean Church, as it attracted the attention of several Muslims looking to harass their Christian neighbors.
Major attacks/raids on Alqosh
In 1743 Alqush became a victim to the destructive acts of their ] overlord Nader Shah.<ref></ref>

According to the ], written in a letter by the Qasha Habash Bin Jomaa from 1746, he describes; "... first they attacked ] and stole its peoples valuables and kidnapped many of its children and women. They then did the same to the inhabitants of ] they killed many of her men, stole their valuables, and also kidnapped its children and women. They did the same to the people of Tel Keppe and Alqush, however, many of those two neighboring villages took refuge at the Monastery of Rabban Hirmizd. There they were surrounded by the soldiers of Nader Shah who attacked them and then massacred them. There they committed horrendous crimes that I just don't have the stomach to describe!"

In 1828, Alqush was attacked by the army of Mosa Pasha, the governor of Amadeya, who was instigated by some of his Muslim subjects to attack the Rabban Hirmizd Monastery which he did. His army arrested and imprisoned several monks and priests and caused tremendous damage to the monastery.

In 1832, Alqush was attacked by the Kurdish Governor of ], nicknamed "Merkor" whose hatred for Assyrians is well known. He killed over 400 of its inhabitants. Merkor attacked Alqosh again on 15 March 1833 and killed another 172 of its men, not counting children, women, and strangers (according to church records).

In 1840, Alqush was attacked by the brother of Merkor, Rasoul Beg, who surrounded it for several months after which he set on fire the Rabban Hirmizd Monastery and stole over 500 of its valuable books.

===Other attacks===
Alqush through history has fought many times for its existence, such as:

* Attacks by the ] and Tartars in 1235 AD.
* Their resistance to tribes attacking from the north and west and from Mosul area in 1258 AD.
* Alqush was attacked by the Tatars or Tartars prince Betaymewsh in 1289 AD.
* Taymor Lank Al Selhooqi's attack of 1395 AD.
* ]'s campaign, ] the son of Taymor Lank in 1400 AD.
* A second strike by Taymor Lank in 1401 AD.
* A fierce battle with the army of Baryak, ]'s Pasha, in 1508 AD.
* An attack by some ] tribes in 1534 AD.
* A strike by the Iranian Nader Shah Koli Khan in 1742 AD.
* Mosa Pasha, the governor of ], approached Alqush and put fire to Rabban Hermizd Monastery in 1828 AD.
* Mohammed Pasha (Mira Koor), the prince of ] attacked Alqush. killing, robbing and raping. Those killed among the young members only were around 380 in 1832 AD.
* Resoul Beck, Mira Koor's brother, repeated the attack in 1834 AD.
* Ismail Pasha of Amadiya in 1842 attacked it and robbed Rabban Hermizd Monastery, detained its head Hanna Jesra together with a number of monks.
* Groups of Alqusheans faced the atrocities and aggressions of Klan, one of the heads of Sendiya Tribe, and his mercenaries and killed him in 1876 AD.
* Al Sheikh year incident in 1899 where many of Alqusheans immigrated after Haji Agha Al Desooki attacked Alqush and demanded that Alqusheans join him in attacking the Kurdish Mesrouie tribes.
* In 1903 AD, the youth of the colony steadfastly to repeal the aggressions launched by Khalid Agha Al Zaydki till they captured and imprisoned him together with his men in shear humiliation.
* In 1905 AD. they revenged the murder of Segha Khosho by the Kurdish Horman Tribe who came to Alqush to purchase wheat. The Alqusheans killed four whose tombs remained in the houses of Alqush till recently.
* In the same year, they defeated sixty armed Kurds of the Zedkiya Tribe who wanted to take kickbacks.
* In 1919 AD, they followed the children of some Arab tribes and forced them to leave the sheep they stole earlier.
* In 1924 AD, they revenged from the Tohla Tribe of Mosul that murdered Yousif Oudo in the Plains of Alqush. They killed two of the aggressors.
* The attack carried by Farouq Beck in 1969, the younger brother of the Yezidis, was defeated.
]
Besides all these incidents, a number of natural catastrophes forced hundreds of families to immigrate due to hunger and disease:
* In 1572, Alqush suffered diseases and famine.
* In 1596, Cholera spread among the inhabitants; as a result, 700 died. Priest Israel Shkwana described this tragedy in a poem written in 1611.
* In 1711, hunger and high cost of living returned.
* In 1757, the grasshopper year, known as the grasshopper year due to the destruction this bug/insect inflicted on the agricultural crops. It is reported that the flocks of grasshoppers blocked the sun's light during the day's peak time.
* In 1778, plague attacked Alqush and killed many of its people.
* In 1842, cholera again arrived and eliminated hundreds of Alqusheans of various ages.
* Between 1866 and 1869, another wave of hunger and high cost of living dominated the place.
* In 1880 extreme high prices appeared.
* In 1906, a well-known agricultural insect, the alsouna, inflicted heavy comprehensive damages to the agricultural crops.
* Between 1907 and 1908, alsouna appeared again to damage flour crops.
* Between 1917 and 1918, World War One caused extreme high prices.
* In 2014, the fighters associated with the ] (ISIL) or ] (IS) came close to Alqosh. Almost all of the people fled Alqosh; however, many men and youths did not leave Alqosh due to a desire to protect their town. The Islamic state did not manage to take the town, and in return many people have came back, and with the Islamic states recent invasions, some Christian refugees from neighboring towns as well.

As a result of these painful incidents, many families left for ], ], ], ], ], and some left for ], ], and ] and established themselves in those regions.


==Demographics== ==Demographics==
] ]
]
Many have immigrated outside of the country in huge numbers since the 1970s. It is estimated that at least 40,000 "Alqushnaye" immigrants and their 2nd and 3rd generations now live in the cities of ], ] and ], ].
According to a CAPNI Organization report in January 2023, the residents of the Alqosh town were all ], whereas in the broader Alqosh subdistrict, Yazidis made up 80% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CAPNI |date=2023-01-06 |title=Sub-district Of Alqosh |url=https://capni-iraq.org/reports/sub-district-of-alqosh/ |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=CAPNI |language=en-US}}</ref>


In March 2020, ] reported that the town had a population of 4,567: 1,015 families of Chaldean Catholic denomination, the remainder being Assyrian Church of the East and Syriac Orthodox.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSVm9_G9M7Bi-7nUaTJ50VBQOMW--zQYzPyvimw9gbwgmAPsxKWZ7Xs1noqsWFAZX-oMNmzGgHp4wkC/pubhtml?gid=891834841&single=true|title=Population - Tel Keppe District - Google Drive|website=docs.google.com}}</ref>
In February 2010, The attacks against Assyrians in Mosul forced 4,300 Assyrians to flea from Mosul to the ] where there is an Assyrian majority population. A report by the United Nations stated that 504 Assyrians at once migrated to Alqosh. Many Assyrians from Mosul and Baghdad since the post-2003 Iraq war have fled to Alqosh for safety. There is no actual official census for Alqosh, but many estimate the population between 2,500 and 20,180.<ref></ref>


According to the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization, most of the inhabitants are ], with a smaller percentage of ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNPO: Assyria: Crowds Gather to Protest Mayor's Unfounded Expulsion|url=https://unpo.org/article/20231|website=unpo.org|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref> In 1913, the town of Alqosh, was according to Joseph Tfinkdji inhabited by 7,000 Chaldean Catholics.<ref>Joseph Tfinkdji, "L'Église Chaldéenne Catholique autrefois et aujourd'hui", in ''Annuaire Pontifical Catholique'' 17 (1914). pp. 449–525.</ref> Many have emigrated since the 1970s. It is estimated that at least 40,000 "Alqushnaye" immigrants and their 2nd and 3rd generation descendants now live in the cities of ], ], the western suburb of ] in ], ] and ], ].
"Alqoshniye" speak ], a dialect of ], the ancient language spoken by ] of ].


In February 2010, the attacks against Assyrian people in northern Iraq forced 4,300 to flee from Mosul to the ]. A report by the United Nations stated that 504 Assyrians at once migrated to Alqosh. Many Assyrians of all denominations from Mosul and Baghdad since the post-2003 Iraq war have fled to Alqosh for safety. The town's population in 2020 is estimated to be roughly 4,600.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Population Project|url=https://www.shlama.org/population|website=Shlama Foundation|language=en|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref>
The popular clothing for men is identical to that of the ] peoples. It is believed that the men of Alqush adopted this clothing at the end of the nineteenth century as they gradually abandoned their historic clothing which was long pants and "zaboon". Instead of the ], they would throw braids. Their features and clothing brings them close to their Assyrian practices.


==Relations with KRG==
As for women, their clothing originality extends to the history of ]. Some signs of the Hatra's kingdom clearly appear in the ''posheya'' (Assyrian headscarf) that adorns the head and in the Mazer worn by the women. The Assyrian signs in the Alqushian female would appear in the long braids made of wool that extend to her ankle after connecting it to the woman's original braids. The Alqushean women exaggerated wearing golden and silver ornaments around their neck and ear and in her Poosheya that used to cover her head, that was decorated with colorful beads. The forehead was surrounded with a golden belt that skirts this ''posheya'' front the front side whereas black strings dangle from both sides. The skirted part of various colors and decorations would cover the woman's body from the front after it hangs from the shoulder to extend to the two knees.
In 2014 the mayor of Alqosh, Faiz Jahwareh, was detained and replaced by KDP member ], only to be reinstated after protests by Alqosh residents.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraqi Christians reject second mayor installed by pro-Kurd council|url=https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/coe/iraqi-christians-reject-second-mayor-installed-by-pro-kurd-council/|website=World Watch Monitor|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-23}}</ref> Jahwareh was again detained and replaced by the KRG in July 2017 on the basis of corruption charges that were dismissed by the Iraqi Federal Court.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.assyrianpolicy.org/post/assyrian-mayor-of-alqosh-detained-and-beaten-by-the-kurdistan-democratic-party|title=Post - Assyrian Policy Institute|website=assyrianpolicy|date=17 July 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/coe/iraqi-christians-reject-second-mayor-installed-by-pro-kurd-council/|title=Iraqi Christians reject second mayor installed by pro-Kurd council|website=World Watch Monitor|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-12}}</ref>


==Climate==
==Cultural and religious situation==
Alqosh has a ] (''BSh'') with extremely hot and dry summers, and cool wet winters.
]
{{Weather box
]
|location = Alqosh
Though Roman Catholicism is usually assumed with the inhabitants of Alqush, there is a higher number of Atheists, most of them affiliated with the Iraqi Communist Party in the 1950s which grew as an opposition to the Ba'ath Party.
|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes
Alqush, like so many other ]i cities which depended on its own ] and resources, had a high percentage of illiteracy, but that does not prevent having a long standing educational movement represented by Mar Mikha Al Nuhedri School at the beginning of the fifth century. The efforts of priests and ] who stressed teaching the Aramaic language and its literature and many of them left their writings. Some of those names are:
|Jan high C = 12
* Qasha Attaya AlMeqdesi in 1517, a writer and a great calligrapher.
|Feb high C = 14
* Qasha Hermizd Alqushi, writer and poet in Aramaic, lived in mid-sixteenth century till the dawn of the seventeenth.
|Mar high C = 20
* Qasha Israel Alqushi, writer and poet in Aramaic, founder of writers and calligraphers school, 1541–1611.
|Apr high C = 26
* Qasha Yosip Qasha Keryakoos- writer and poet, probably in the same era as Israel.
|May high C = 34
* Qasha Georgis Alqushi, talented in Aramaic.
|Jun high C = 38
* Qasha Yelda, son of Reverend Aabid Yeshoaa, writer and literary figure in Aramaic during the eighteenth century.
|Jul high C = 43
* Qasha Israel, son of Reverend Shemaa’on son of Reverend Israel, known as the Israel junior, writer and poet, lived in the eighteenth century.
|Aug high C = 40

|Sep high C = 38
A number of Alqushean men have their names planted in the conscious of the people of Alqush among them are:
|Oct high C = 30
* Yosip Rayes (Kozlah)
|Nov high C = 20
* ], a freedom fighter
|Dec high C = 14

|year high C =
After ] and after establishing the kingdom rule in Iraq, the first elementary school was founded. The school taught topics in Arabic till the fourth grade and it gradually improved to offer six-year education. The Alqushean graduates of the elementary school were forced to pursue their education for the intermediate and secondary school in Baghdad, Mosul, Dehuk, and even Telkeppeh. After the national revolution of 1958, the first intermediate school in Alqush was established. Currently, Alqush houses the following schools:
|Jan low C = 2
* Alqush Official Kindergarten
|Feb low C = 4
* Alqush First Elementary School for Boys
|Mar low C = 8
* Alqush Elementary School for Girls
|Apr low C = 11
* Alqush Second Elementary School for Boys
|May low C = 16
* Alqush Secondary School for Boys (Intermediate and secondary)
|Jun low C = 21
* Alqush Secondary for Girls
|Jul low C = 25
* Commerce Secondary School
|Aug low C = 24

|Sep low C = 20
The residents of Alqush are Assyrians belonging to the ]. Alqosh of course also houses many individuals who adhere to their own philosophies.
|Oct low C = 14
]
|Nov low C = 6
Alqush was a Patriarch center for this church for many centuries. A number of Alqusheans became Patriarchs themselves when it became hereditary in Abouna's family (Aamokka). Eleven Patriarchs consecutively were from this family to head the ]. Their tombs are still in Rabban Hermizd Monastery:
|Dec low C = 4
* Mar Shemaa’on VI, 1504–1538
|year low C =
* Mar Shemaa’on VII Bermama, 1538–1551
|precipitation colour = green
* Mar Shemaa’on the eighth Denkha, 1551–1558
|Jan precipitation mm = 39
* Mar Elia VI, 1558–1576
|Feb precipitation mm = 69
* Mar Elia VII, 1576–1591
|Mar precipitation mm = 51
* Mar Elia VIII, 1591–1617
|Apr precipitation mm = 27
* Mar Elia IX Shemaa’on, 1617–1660
|May precipitation mm = 0
* Mar Elia X Youhana Merojean, 1660–1700
|Jun precipitation mm = 0
* Mar Elia XI Merojean, 1700–1722
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
* Mar Elia XII Denkha, 1722–1778
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
* Mar Elia XIII Esho Eyaab, 1778–1804
|Sep precipitation mm = 0

|Oct precipitation mm = 6
Also, Alqush is honored with another 5 of her sons to head the Chaldean Catholic Church as Patriarchs:
|Nov precipitation mm = 36

|Dec precipitation mm = 60
* Mar ], founder of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1552.
|year precipitation mm =
* Mar ], 1830–1838 (from Abouna family as well). He transferred the Patriarch's headquarter to Mosul.
|Jan precipitation days = 10
* Mar ], 1848–1878.
|Feb precipitation days = 10
* Mar ], 1900–1947.
|Mar precipitation days = 11
* Mar ], 1958–1989.
|Apr precipitation days = 9

|May precipitation days = 0
==Economy==
|Jun precipitation days = 0
]
|Jul precipitation days = 0
Most of Alqosh inhabitants practiced dry agriculture since ancient and rely on the fertile plains to the south, growing agricultural products like grain, wheat, beans and in the summer products such as cantaloupe and cucumber. Farmers followed old non-technological methods in their farming for several centuries, and their livelihood was always threatened due to nature's betrayal in situations of drought or plant epidemics such as ] and ]s.
|Aug precipitation days = 0

|Sep precipitation days = 0
Towards the beginning of the sixties, Alqosh was introduced to modern agricultural machinery such as tractors, harvester-threshers (reapers), along with new methods of treating and curing plant epidemics. However, irrigation are still a problem in the area, and farming still relies on rain. Currently, many farms now belong to the government and are deputized to their owners to use them, as most were taken during Saddams control.
|Oct precipitation days = 5

|Nov precipitation days = 8
Besides farmlands, other agriculture also occurs in grape vineyards. grapevines spread all over the village and produce various types of grapes, among which are the black grapes that are well known in northern Iraq. Many of those who know about Alqosh's history believe that there were over two hundred vineyards in the village. Below are names of some of these vineyards:
|Dec precipitation days = 12

|year precipitation days =
Kerrmanneh D’Deyrra, Kerrma D’Rrheyqah, Kerrma D’Be Jemma, Kerrma D’Be Jaoroo, Kerrma D’Be Jejoo Rayes, Kerrma D’Be Sadeq Rayes, Kerrma D’Be Houbentta, Kerrma D’Be Zorra, Kerrma D’Be Ptooza, Kerrma D’Be Qoodda, Kerrma D’Be Peeyous Chiekho, Kerrma D’Be Mogeena Zorri, Kerrma D’Be Tayzee, Kerma D’ Reysha, Kerma D’Be Kottrra, Kerma D’Be Selow Be Dayy, Kerma D’Be Sayddah, Kerma D’Be Yaqou Gorjee, Kerma D’Be Mercous Pouleth, Kerma D’Be Shemaa’on, Kerma D’Be Benna, Kerma D’Be Yako Zorra etc.
|source 1 = World Weather Online (2000-2012)<ref>{{cite web
]
| url = https://www.worldweatheronline.com/alqosh-weather-averages/ninawa/iq.aspx
Up until recently, Alqush enjoyed being an important trade center for the various ], ], and Arab villages in the region and it houses an large market that receiving agricultural and animal products from across the region. Its market has many stores and shops containing all types of commodities for shoppers. Many local specialists manufacture goods sold and used by residents in the city and surrounding areas:
| publisher = World Weather Online |title = Alqosh, Ninawa Monthly Climate Average, Iraq |access-date = 22 January 2017}}</ref>
* Shoe making
|date= 2017
* Carpentry&nbsp;– making agricultural tools such as sickles
}}
* Smithery
* Making packsaddle for mules and donkeys
* Knitting&nbsp;– needle work
* Dying&nbsp;– dying local yarns
* Tailoring&nbsp;– tailoring the clothes of the region using local or imported fabric
* Tinsmithery&nbsp;– whitening kitchen utensils that were made of tin in the past
* Jewelry making silver and golden ornaments
* Sesame mills to produce Tahiniyi (Metthanat Bet Yaldkou, Metthanat Bet Khoubear, Metthanat Bet Bejee)
* Prepare annual ration from wheat such as Bulgur (crushed wheat), Granule, and Grits. The important tools used for this purpose are Denng, granulating machine, and Reshda making machine.
]
In addition to that, the residents of Alqush raised cattle, sheep, and bees. It is important to note that Alqush has no river, it once relied on spring and well water, but It also has ravines with water from the mountains. Some of these water wells and water fountains are:

* Aaynna Mehalat or quarter Sainna: the old fountainhead (Aaynna Aateqtta)
* Keshffah: it was in Mehalat or quarter Sainna previously
* Aaynna Mehalat or quarter Qasha
* Aaynna Albaladiya: used to be in Hamietha area
* Aaynna Al Zeqayee: a very old fountainhead that used to be in Mehalat or quarter Qasha on Aaynna Zeqyaa valley. It was filled up with earth more than two centuries ago after an Alqushean girl from Shekwana family was killed there by the Persians.

Following are some of the wells:

* In Mehalat or quarter Qasha: Shushani, Kakka, Ballo, Ramo, Khubeir, Shekwana, Berno, Rayyes

* In Mehalat or quarter Khteytha: Khabeen, Ghazala, Khesrou, Cholagh, Jaji, Kherou, Shahara, Khoushou, Shmoona, Semaa’n, Sheaa’ya Babee, Ballo, Goula, Matti, Naim, Chenou.

* In Mehalat or quarter Sena: Odisho, Zora, Kchoucha, Toma, Qenaya, Kina, Yeldkoo, Sipo, Goharah.


== Notable people ==
Many influential and wealthy families in Alqosh are the Raies, Koja, Boudagh, Shikwana, Shahara, Zoree, Tomas, Aboona, Shushani, Kakka, Khubeir, and Tomika. Some remnants of these families remain in Alqosh, but many have established themselves elsewhere.


* ] (1760–1838), Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church 1830–1838
==Modern Services==
* ] (1790–1878), Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church 1847–1878
In 2009, the Assyrian Democratic Movement installed a new sewage system for the town. In late 2011 CSAPC supported an electricity tower for the town, which is now fully installed for the people. In 2012 September the KRG carried out large scale projects in the town worth 12.5 billion dinars. The length of the Hungarian-stretch of the mountainside go far north of Alqosh all the way to the south, into the street leading to the industrial district leading to 1500 meters of the stretch. The basic purpose of the projects is to maintain Alqosh of environmental pollution, which will collect water cleaning, washing, and rain in the winter in one channel to serve the latter outside Alqosh away from the population in addition to getting rid of the negative effects of heavy rains in the winter, which before washed away soil and rocks into the streets of Alqosh.
* ] (1854–1918), Archbishop of ]
* ] (1852–1947), Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church 1900–1947
* ] (1906–1989), Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church 1958–1989
* ] (1940–2009), historian
* ] (1967– ), Archbishop of Mosul 2009–2015, Eparch of ] 2015–


==See also== == See also ==
{{Portal|Assyrians}} *]
*] *]
*]
*]
*]—an Assyrian tribe also situated in Northern Iraq *]
*]
*]—an Assyrian tribe in the ], Turkey, which borders the northern bounds of Iraq


==References== ==References==
* Some of the article is ''Originally based on an article by alqosh.net, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, used with permission.''{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==Further reading== ==Sources==
* {{Cite book|last=Frazee|first=Charles A.|title=Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923|year=2006|orig-year=1983|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521027007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X6DM4szwUpEC}}
* ], ''Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conservés dans la bibliothèque du couvent des Chaldéens de Notre-Dame-des-Semences'', Journal Asiatique Sér. 10: 8, 9 (1906). This may be found online at by searching for "Journal Asiatique". An English translation of the first portion is at
* ], ''Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conservés dans la bibliothèque du couvent des Chaldéens de Notre-Dame-des-Semences'', Journal Asiatique Sér. 10: 8, 9 (1906). This may be found online at by searching for "Journal Asiatique". An English translation of the first portion is at


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*
* *
*
*


{{Assyrian topics}}
{{Nineveh Plains}} {{Nineveh Plains}}
{{Authority control}}


] ]
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Latest revision as of 05:25, 6 November 2024

Town in Nineveh, Iraq

Town in Iraq
Alqosh ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫألقوش
Town
Entry way sign, spelling "I ♡ Alqosh"Entry way sign, spelling "I ♡ Alqosh"
Alqosh is located in IraqAlqoshAlqosh
Coordinates: 36°43′56″N 43°5′43″E / 36.73222°N 43.09528°E / 36.73222; 43.09528
Country Iraq
GovernorateNineveh Governorate
DistrictTel Kaif District
Founded1500 BC
Time zoneGMT +3
 • Summer (DST)GMT +4

Alqosh (Syriac: ܐܲܠܩܘܿܫ, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אלקוש, Arabic: ألقوش, alternatively spelled Alkosh, Alqoš, or Alqush) is a town in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District situated 45 km north of the city of Mosul.

The locals of Alqosh are Assyrians who since the 18th century now mostly adhere to the Chaldean Catholic Church. During the Iron Age, the Alqosh plain appears to have been home to the small regional kingdom of Qumāne, but was subsequently annexed by Assyria.

Landmarks

The town of Alqosh is set at the foot of a mountain known as ṭūrəd-‘Alquš meaning “the mountain of Alqosh”. In the vicinity, there are the kahfa/kāfa smōqa (the red cave), guppəd-naṭōpa (the cave of dripping), guppəd-māya (the cave of water), guppəd-saṭāna (the cave of Satan), guppa mgurəgma (the thundering cave), and a valley šwīṯəd-ganāwe (the bed of thieves) at the foot of Alqosh mountain.

Behind the mountain there is also the site of Bezqin, known in Classical Syriac sources as ܒܙܩܝܢ bizqīn and pronounced by modern Alqosh as bisqin, containing the remains of an orchard and a Syriac Orthodox monastery, which may have originally been part of the Church of the East, and containing springs. After the Simele Massacre this was left and came to be ruined by vandals, and most of the ancient trees cut down or burnt.

Christianity

Rabban Hormizd Monastery
Views around the town of alqosh

The Assyrian people had gradually converted from Mesopotamian Religion to Eastern Rite Christianity between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. The importance of Alqosh for the Assyrian Church of the East arose from its proximity to the Rabban Hormizd Monastery, named after its seventh-century founder Rabban Hormizd (Rabban means "monk"), who is venerated as a saint in the churches descended from the Assyrian Church of the East.

The monastery, built on the mountain slope, was a centre of learning for the Church of the East not far from another centre but of the Syriac Orthodox Church. It was the burial place of the patriarchs of the Church of the East from the late fifteenth century and was their seat from the time of Shimun VI (1503–1538) until the end of the series of patriarchs known as the Eliya line. Isolated and cut off by snow from Alqosh in winter, it never became their permanent residence, and its line of patriarchs is commonly described as the Mosul line or as resident in Alqosh.

In the schism of 1552, the abbot of the monastery, Yohannan Sulaqa, was elected irregularly to the post of patriarch by several bishops who were dissatisfied with the restriction of patriarchal succession to members of a single family. By tradition, a patriarch could be ordained only by someone of archiepiscopal (metropolitan) rank, a rank to which only members of that one family were promoted. For that reason, Sulaqa travelled to Rome, where, presented as the new patriarch-elect, he entered communion with the Catholic Church, was ordained by the Pope, and recognized as patriarch of the "Church of Mosul and Athura". He and his successors (who eventually formally broke communion with Rome) took up residence further east. This schism gave rise to the Chaldean Catholic Church, in opposition to what historians call the traditionalist wing of the Church of the East, that which officially adopted the name Assyrian Church of the East.

Supposed tomb of the Prophet Nahum
Palm Sunday 2018 in Alqosh

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the "legitimist" Alqosh patriarchal line from which Sulaqa broke away in 1552, drew closer to Rome, especially during the 58-year reign of Eliya XI/XII Denkha (1722−1778), who sent several letters to Rome, some with professions of faith in line with Catholic teaching, but no formal papal recognition followed. However, it was a member of the family from whom the "legitimate" traditionalist patriarchs were chosen, Yohannan Hormizd (1760–1838) who, having considered himself a Catholic since 1778, was chosen as patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1830.

Association with the Prophet Nahum

Austen Henry Layard, who visited the area in 1847, reported that by "a very ancient tradition" the village contains the tomb of the prophet Nahum, whose Old Testament book begins with: "An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh." While Jerome located the birthplace of Nahum in Galilee, Layard considered the Alqosh tradition had some weight in spite of the lack of inscriptions or ancient remains. Iraqi Jews made pilgrimage to the site during Shavuot, and "He who has not made the pilgrimage to Nahum's tomb has not yet known real pleasure" was a common saying. When Jews were expelled from Iraq or voluntarily emigrated to Israel in 1948, the Jewish custodian entrusted the care of the building to a local Chaldean Catholic. A survey conducted in 2017 determined that the structure was in danger of collapse, and in the following year work began on stabilizing it.

Attacks

  • 1401 – the town was attacked and sacked by Timur (Tamerlane).
  • 1508 – Alqosh was attacked by Pasha of Baghdad Bar Yak (Murad Bey).
  • 1831 – the Soran Emirate attacked Alqosh, killing nearly 300 villagers.
  • 1828 – Mosa Pasha, the governor of Amadiya, approached Alqosh and set fire to the Rabban Hormizd Monastery.
  • 1832 – Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz attacked Alqosh, killing over 600 of its inhabitants.
  • 1840 – Resoul Beck, Mira Koor's brother, repeated the attack.
  • 1843 – the Rabban Hormizd Monastery was attacked by the Kurds, and 1000 manuscripts may have been destroyed.
  • 2014 – The Islamic State came close to Alqosh, and almost all of the people fled; however, many men and youths did not leave Alqosh due to a desire to protect their town. ISIL failed to take the town after the intervention of the Peshmerga and local Assyrian militia known as Dwekh Nawsha.
Old farming methods in Alqosh

Demographics

Party in Alqosh
General view of Alqosh as of 2006

According to a CAPNI Organization report in January 2023, the residents of the Alqosh town were all Assyrian Christians, whereas in the broader Alqosh subdistrict, Yazidis made up 80% of the population.

In March 2020, Shlama Foundation reported that the town had a population of 4,567: 1,015 families of Chaldean Catholic denomination, the remainder being Assyrian Church of the East and Syriac Orthodox.

According to the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization, most of the inhabitants are Assyrians, with a smaller percentage of Yazidis. In 1913, the town of Alqosh, was according to Joseph Tfinkdji inhabited by 7,000 Chaldean Catholics. Many have emigrated since the 1970s. It is estimated that at least 40,000 "Alqushnaye" immigrants and their 2nd and 3rd generation descendants now live in the cities of Detroit, Michigan, the western suburb of Fairfield in Sydney, Australia and San Diego, California.

In February 2010, the attacks against Assyrian people in northern Iraq forced 4,300 to flee from Mosul to the Nineveh Plains. A report by the United Nations stated that 504 Assyrians at once migrated to Alqosh. Many Assyrians of all denominations from Mosul and Baghdad since the post-2003 Iraq war have fled to Alqosh for safety. The town's population in 2020 is estimated to be roughly 4,600.

Relations with KRG

In 2014 the mayor of Alqosh, Faiz Jahwareh, was detained and replaced by KDP member Lara Zara, only to be reinstated after protests by Alqosh residents. Jahwareh was again detained and replaced by the KRG in July 2017 on the basis of corruption charges that were dismissed by the Iraqi Federal Court.

Climate

Alqosh has a semi-arid climate (BSh) with extremely hot and dry summers, and cool wet winters.

Climate data for Alqosh
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 12
(54) 		14
(57) 		20
(68) 		26
(79) 		34
(93) 		38
(100) 		43
(109) 		40
(104) 		38
(100) 		30
(86) 		20
(68) 		14
(57) 		27
(81)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2
(36) 		4
(39) 		8
(46) 		11
(52) 		16
(61) 		21
(70) 		25
(77) 		24
(75) 		20
(68) 		14
(57) 		6
(43) 		4
(39) 		13
(55)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 39
(1.5) 		69
(2.7) 		51
(2.0) 		27
(1.1) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		6
(0.2) 		36
(1.4) 		60
(2.4) 		288
(11.3)
Average precipitation days 10 10 11 9 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 12 65
Source: World Weather Online (2000-2012)

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ معاناة الكورد الايزديين فيá ظل الحكومات العراقية، 1921–2003. University of California, Berkeley, US. 2008.
  2. "Al Qūsh, Tel Keppe District, Muḩāfaz̧at Nīnawá, Iraq".
  3. "Iraq: Situation report No. 19". ReliefWeb.
  4. Maclean, Arthur John (1901). Dictionary of the Dialects of Vernacular Syriac. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 13b.
  5. Payne Smith, Robert (1879–1901). Thesaurus Syriacus (in Latin). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 221.
  6. Thomas A. Carlson, “Alqosh – ܐܠܩܘܫ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified June 7, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/19.
  7. Hirmis, Aboona (2008). Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal relations on the periphery of the Ottoman Empire. United States: Cambria Press. p. 36.
  8. "The Fate of Iraq's Indigenous Communities". Fair Observer. 25 January 2017.
  9. James F. Coakley, "Assyrians" in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, edited by Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay quote: Among Chaldean Catholics, the ethnic term ‘Assyrian’ now has had to compete with the theological term ‘Chaldean’ as the preferred ethnic name. Some have adopted ‘Assyro-Chaldean’ as a compromise.
  10. K. Radner, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Muṣaṣir, Kumme, Ukku and Šubria – the Buffer States between Assyria and Urarṭu," in: S. Kroll et al. (eds.), Biainili-Urartu. The Proceedings of the Symposium held in Munich 12-14 October 2007, Peeters 2012: 243-264: 245.
  11. Coghill, Eleanor (2003). The Neo-Aramaic dialect of Alqosh. p. 2. ISBN 9781607241744.
  12. "عن القوش". 6 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  13. Margoliouth, Jesse Payne (1927). Supplement to the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith. Gorgias Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-60724-795-1.
  14. "خــوري ثـيـلـه بهار! (بالسريانية)// لطيف پولا". www.tellskuf.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  15. Pola, Latif (2 September 2015). "بحث تصحيح الفاظ لبعض المواقع القديمة في القوش واخراج معانيها". خورنة القوش (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  16. "نبيل يونس دمان". www.al-nnas.com. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  17. ^ David Wilmshurst (2000). The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913. Peeters Publishers. p. 258. ISBN 978-9042908765.
  18. List of Patriarchs of the Church of the East#Patriarchal lines from the schism of 1552 until 1830
  19. F. Kristian Girling, "The Chaldean Catholic Church: A study in modern history, ecclesiology and church-state relations (2003–2013)" (Department of Theology, Heythrop College, University of London), p. 43
  20. Wilhelm Baum; Dietmar W. Winkler (2003). The Church of the East: A Concise History. Routledge. p. 4. ISBN 978-1134430192.
  21. Eckart Frahm (2017). A Companion to Assyria. Wiley. p. 1132. ISBN 978-1118325230.
  22. Heleen Murre-van den Berg, "The Patriarchs of the Church of the East from the Fifteenth to Eighteenth Centuries" in Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies Volume 2 (1999 [2010), p. 247,
  23. ^ David Wilmshurst (2000). The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913 (582nd ed.). Peeters Publishers. ISBN 9042908769.
  24. Frazee, Charles A. (2006). Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0521027007.
  25. Nahum 1:1
  26. Austen Henry Layard (1849). Nineveh and Its Remains. J. Murray. p. 233.
  27. Neurink, Judit (5 July 2015). "Kurdistan needs help to preserve its Jewish heritage". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  28. Hedow, Amer (3 August 2009). "An AlQosh Man Struggles to Keep a Promise to an Old Friend". chaldean.org. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  29. "Progress made on saving Prophet Nahum's tomb in Iraq". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  30. Neurink, Judit (21 March 2018). "Hebrew prophet's tomb in Iraq saved from collapse". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  31. ^ Wilmhurst, David (2000). The Ecclesiastical Organization of the Church of the East, 1318–1913. p. 205.
  32. ^ Geoff Hann; Karen Dabrowska; Tina Townsend-Greaves (2015). Iraq: The ancient sites and Iraqi Kurdistan. ISBN 978-1841624884.
  33. Costa-Roberts, Daniel (15 March 2015). "8 things you didn't know about Assyrian Christians". PBS. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  34. CAPNI (6 January 2023). "Sub-district Of Alqosh". CAPNI. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  35. "Population - Tel Keppe District - Google Drive". docs.google.com.
  36. "UNPO: Assyria: Crowds Gather to Protest Mayor's Unfounded Expulsion". unpo.org. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  37. Joseph Tfinkdji, "L'Église Chaldéenne Catholique autrefois et aujourd'hui", in Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 17 (1914). pp. 449–525.
  38. "Population Project". Shlama Foundation. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  39. "Iraqi Christians reject second mayor installed by pro-Kurd council". World Watch Monitor. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  40. "Post - Assyrian Policy Institute". assyrianpolicy. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  41. "Iraqi Christians reject second mayor installed by pro-Kurd council". World Watch Monitor. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  42. "Alqosh, Ninawa Monthly Climate Average, Iraq". World Weather Online. Retrieved 22 January 2017.

Sources

External links

Media related to Alqosh at Wikimedia Commons

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