Assyrians

The Assyrians, also known as Syriacs, are a people primarily residing in northern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq, particularly around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers). They boast a rich history spanning nearly 4,000 years. In ancient times, Assyria was a militaristic state, frequently engaged in warfare, and its empire, extending across Asia and Africa, once flourished. However, Assyria gradually lost its independence under foreign invasions.

From the 14th to the 10th century BC, the Assyrian Empire, which controlled Mesopotamia, spread Assyrian culture and identity far and wide. Nevertheless, frequent foreign conquests and internal uprisings significantly weakened Assyria’s national power, leading to the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 609 BC. The Assyrians subsequently came under the rule of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greeks, and the Roman Empire.

Before the 3rd century AD, Assyrians worshipped Ashur, their chief deity, but later converted to Christianity. As Arab Islamic power expanded into northern Mesopotamia during the Middle Ages, Assyrians who did not convert to Islam became an oppressed group. In the late period of the modern Ottoman Empire in Turkey, Assyrians living within its borders, due to their Christian faith, suffered large-scale massacres by the Ottoman authorities. Many Assyrians were forced to flee their homeland and become refugees, leading to a sharp decline in the Assyrian population in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Due to persecution and warfare, Assyrians began a worldwide diaspora from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

Contemporary Assyrians are primarily Christians in the Middle East who claim to be descendants of the ancient Assyrians. Currently, there are approximately over 3 million Assyrians worldwide. Significant populations of Assyrians still reside in northern Iraq, Syria, western Iran, Lebanon, and Jordan in West Asia. A small number also live in southeastern Turkey. Iraq is the ancestral homeland of the Assyrians and has historically been the most concentrated area for Assyrians globally. However, due to the Iraq War in 2003 and the ensuing instability, many Assyrians were forced to leave Iraq, relocating to neighboring countries or Western nations. The number of Assyrians in Iraq has since halved, while their numbers in countries like Syria, Jordan, the United States, and Sweden have significantly increased in recent years. Detroit in the U.S. and Södertälje in Sweden, among other places, host large Assyrian communities from the Middle East, where they have built their own churches, shops, and clubs.

Today, most of the more than 3 million Assyrians worldwide are Christians, fulfilling God’s prophecy concerning them: “In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth, for the LORD of hosts has blessed them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance'” (Isaiah 19:24-25).