THE ASSYRIANS OF GEORGIA: ETHNIC SPECIFICS SHOULD BE PRESERVED
Abstract
As early as the 1st millennium B.C., Assyrian sources mentioned an ancient Georgian state. Much later, when Christianity reached the Southern Caucasus, Assyrians and Georgians established much closer ties. In fact, the Assyrian monks, known as the 13 Assyrian Fathers, who arrived in the 6th century from Mesopotamia, played a great role in promoting Christianity in Georgia.1
The first Assyrian community appeared in Georgia thanks to King of Kartli and Kakheti Irakliy II, who secretly corresponded with Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Mar Avraam with the aim of pooling forces against the Ottoman Empire. Their joint march against the common enemy failed; later several Assyrian families settled in Georgia in the Mukhrani district. The resettlement process continued when the Georgian kingdom-principalities became part of the Russian Empire.
The Turkmanchai Peace Treaty of 1828 between Russia and Persia allowed Assyrians (who were Persian subjects) to move to Tbilisi, which offered better employment prospects. By the 1890s,there were about 5,000 Assyrians in Tbilisi. To avoid persecutions in the Ottoman Empire, Assyrians moved in large numbers to Georgia (and Armenia) during and after World War I. To help their compatriots, the Tbilisi Assyrians set up an Aid to Assyrian Refugees Committee and an Assyrian National Council.
Under Soviet power, or to be more exact, in 1947, thousands of Assyrians were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan—only some of them were able to return to Georgia when the ethnic group was rehabilitated in 1954.2 According to the 1959 population census, there were 5,000 Assyrians in Georgia (0.1 percent of the total population); the figure for Tbilisi was 2,600, or 0.4 percent. According to the 1989 population census, there were 5,200 Assyrians in Georgia (0.1 percent)3; according to the 2002 census, their number dropped to 3,299, while their percentage remained the same.4
Today, Assyrians live in compact groups in two Tbilisi districts (Vaka and Kukia) and also in other cities and towns (Gardabani, Senaki, Zugdidi, Kutaisi and the village of Dzveli (Staraia)Kanda).
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References
See: A.K. Matveev, K.P. Matveev, Istoria i etnografia assiriytsev, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1990,pp. 35-38.
See: Vystuplenie vitse-presidenta Mezhdunarodnogo natsional’nogo kongressa assiriytsev Gruzii Davida Adamo-va na konferentsii “Gruzia—mnogonatsional’noe gosudarstvo,” Tbilisi, 4-5 March, 2002, pp. 38-40; D. Adamov, Konfer-entsia “Istoria i realii etnicheskikh obshchin Gruzii,” 9 November, 2001, pp. 6-7.
See: Gosudarstvenny departament statistiki Gruzii, Statisticheskiy ezhegodnik Gruzii-2001, “National’ny sostav naselenia, 37.” According to the statements of the Assyrian organizations in Georgia, these figures are wrong—there are 12,000 Assyrians living in Georgia.
See: Rezul’taty pervoi natsional’noy perepisi naselenia Gruzii v 2002 g., Vol. I, Tbilisi, 2003, p. 110.
See: World Assyrian Population [www.aina.org].
Significantly, since 2002 a team of Georgian Assyrians has been taking part in the annual International Sport-Cul-tural Festival of Assyrians that takes place in Iran and brings together teams from various countries: “Assyrians hold inter-national sport-cultural festival in Orumiyeh,” IRNA, 19 July, 2003; newspaper Aviuta, 6 April, 1999.
See: J. Pacal, “What Happened to the Turkish Assyrians?” Turkish Daily News, 29 August, 1996; R. Donef,
Assyrians in Turkey: Ethnic and Religious Recognition Revised” [www.atour.com/government/docs/20030828a.html],28 August, 2003.
See: M. Toumajan, “Armenian Census Results,” Armenian News Network/Groong, 27 February, 2004.
According to the Assyrian organizations of Georgia, there are about 40 Assyrian families from Georgia living in Novopavlovsk (Stavropol Territory).
See: A. Songulashvili, Kul’tura national’nykh men’shinstv v Gruzii, Tbilisi, Metsniereba, 2002, pp. 29-30.
See: D. Bit-Suleyman, “Izuchit’, poka ne ischezli,” Aviuta, No. 7, September 1999.
See: Gruzinskaia sovetskaia entsiklopedia, Vol. 1, “Assiriyskiy iazyk,” 662, Tbilisi, 1975.
See: A. Songulashvili, op. cit., pp. 55-56.
See: L. Bit-Vardi, “Chast’ moey dushi—moia rabota,” Aviuta, 5 March, 1998.
See: “Vystuplenie Davida Adamova…,” pp. 38-40.
See: M. Iukhanova, “Drevnie tantsy vnov’ na stsene,” Aviuta, No. 8, December, 1999.
See: “New AUA Advisors & Committee Chairs Elected in London,” Zinda Magazine, Saturday, 23 July,2005.
See: K. Kokoev, G. Svanidze, L. Melikishvili, “Interview with Mr. Gennadi Ivanov, one of the Heads of the In-ternational Assyrian Congress in Georgia,” National Minorities in Georgia, Tbilisi, 1999, pp. 17-18.
See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Caucasus, Georgia, Tbilisi—Brief History of Mission, Detroit, 2002; The Assyri-an-Georgian Relief Fund, 1998 Annual Report.
See: Assyrian International News Agency [www.aina.org].
See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Assyrian Directory of California, 3 July, 2001 [www.atour.com/~people/
m].
See: I. Chikhladze, “Benjamin Bethyadgar: vse konfessii prizvany zhit’ v mire,” Kavkazskiy aktsent, 1-15 July,2003.
See: M.K. Kobaidze, Minority Identity and Identity Maintenance in Georgia, Lund University, Dept. of Linguistics, Working Papers 47, 1999, pp. 149-168.
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