Info about Assyria and Kurdistan

[Teukros]

Well I know my question is strange but I would like to pose it.Searching in the net I saw a great dispute between Kurds and Assyrians concerning their homeland.Can anybody provide me any info about their original land.I search but I found some difficulties since Assyria and Kurdistan are mostly situated in common areas

[Alita]

The Assyrians are the indigenous people of Iraq (since 6,000 years ago); the Kurds came later. In recent times, the Kurds have suffered somewhat at the hands of the Turks and have garnered the world's sympathy. Hence, they have their own administrative area in northern Iraq. Unfortunately, this lies in part of the area where ancient Assyria once existed and where Assyrians still hope to be able to have their own administrative area one day soon. It must be said that however much the Kurds have suffered at the hands of others, the Assyrians have suffered that much and more at the hands of those same others, as well as at the hands of the Kurds themselves, except with much less recognition and sympathy from the world. This may be a slightly biased account, but it is, I believe, mostly true. May I ask (politely of course) why the interest?

[Teukros]

Well just for info.I have a friend in my neighborhood who is originate form Assyria and despite they suffered much from the Turks,something that Kurds pass now, he is angry with Kurds saying that Muslims burn down their churches,oblige people to leave their homes etc etc and Kurds take real interest from that and occupy their land.Is there any map about their modern homeland.I mean since Assyria created a large empire I find it somehow difficult to figure out their exact region,which probably is northern Iraq.

[Alita]

Well just for info.I have a friend in my neighborhood who is originate form Assyria and despite they suffered much from the Turks,something that Kurds pass now, he is angry with Kurds saying that Muslims burn down their churches,oblige people to leave their homes etc etc and Kurds take real interest from that and occupy their land.Is there any map about their modern homeland.I mean since Assyria created a large empire I find it somehow difficult to figure out their exact region,which probably is northern Iraq.

You're right, it was northern Iraq, but it later expanded to cover all the Mesopotamian region and the most fertile parts of Egypt. I'm not good at pasting pics and stuff in posts but you can find heaps more information (including maps and forum discussions) at the following site: Middle East Information - MEIC Issues and analysis of the Middle East: Conflicts, News, History, Religions and Discussions (http://www.middleeastinfo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=11767)
Also, you could check out the following sites for maps of ancient Assyria (Wiki's site map made me angry, hence I haven't included it):
assyria (http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/maptext_n2/assyria.html)
Map of Ancient Assyria (http://www.geocities.com/garyweb65/archaicassyria.html)

There's more than this of course, if you have the time and energy to search online for them.
Cheers. :)

[Truth Bearer]

Alita the Kurds were named in 'Xenophon's 10,000' dated 390 odd B.C roughly they marched passed the area in today's Kurdistan region.

[Alita]

Yeah I know, they were part of the Persian empire; but they have always been nomads, roaming to new lands as they pleased. And now they're trying to take over a piece of land which has belonged to the Assyrians since before the 2nd millennium BC. It must be noted that despite the fall of the Assyrian state in 612 BC, there has always been a strong Assyrian presence in Mesopotamia and only very recently that is being severely threatened (especially if Bush goes to war with Iran as well as Iraq).

[Truth Bearer]

Assyrians are the Babylonians of Nebbucanezar...The Kurds were no nomads they just lived in the mountainous area of south eastern anatolia...Simple people with simple needs...

[Alita]

Assyrians are the Babylonians of Nebbucanezar...The Kurds were no nomads they just lived in the mountainous area of south eastern anatolia...Simple people with simple needs...

No, the Assyrians are not Babylonians. They have always been two separate peoples. The Babylonians became the Chaldeans of today, who belong to the Chaldean Catholic church. The Assyrians belong to the Assyrian Orthodox Church, one of the Eastern Orthodox churches. The Assyrians and Babylonians were enemies. The ancient Assyrians tried to take Babylon but didn't succeed. Eventually Babylon weakened them and the Medes destroyed them. But today the Chaldeans and Assyrians know the only hope for a nation state of their own is if they unite, hence why many of them have become less fussy about the traditional divide.