܀ܬܫܪܪܐ ܥܠ ܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ ܕܓ̰ܘܪܓ̰ܝܐ܀ Ассирийцы Грузии.Этнические особенности должны быть сохранены
Интересная статья грузинского исследователя Мамуки Комахия была опубликована в 3 (39) номере журнала CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS , pp 159-164.
THE ASSYRIANS OF GEORGIA:
ETHNIC SPECIFICS SHOULD BE PRESERVED
Mamuka KOMAKHIA
Research associate at the Institute of Political Studies,
Academy of Sciences of Georgia
(Tbilisi, Georgia)
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
160
Migration and Settlement Patterns
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
1 See: A.K. Matveev, K.P. Matveev, Istoria i etnografia assiriytsev, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1990,
pp. 35-38.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
160
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).
The Assyrian International News Agency estimates the number of Assyrians in the world at
about 3,500,000, two-thirds of whom live in places of their historical settlement.5 The largest Assyrian
community in North America is found in Chicago; there are Assyrians in Europe and Australia,
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran,6 and Turkey. In the 1950s, the Assyrian population of Turkey was
about 50,000 strong. Since that time, Assyrian emigration to Europe has cut down the number to about
5,000. They are mostly urban dwellers; the Assyrian villages have been practically abandoned.7
The largest number of South Caucasian Assyrians is found in Armenia, where they live in
several villages. According to the 2004 Armenian population census, there were 3,409 Assyrians
(0.1 percent of the total population).8 Some of the Assyrians who left Georgia settled in former Soviet
republics (Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan).
Assyrians leave Georgia in search of employment and better social and economic conditions.
Those who used to live in Tbilisi prefer to emigrate to Russia and other European states. Those who
used to live in compact groups in Gardabani prefer Russia (Stavropol and Krasnodar territories) to
join relatives9 already engaged in trade and handicrafts there.
2 See: Vystuplenie vitse-presidenta Mezhdunarodnogo natsional’nogo kongressa assiriytsev Gruzii Davida Adamova
na konferentsii “Gruzia-mnogonatsional’noe gosudarstvo,” Tbilisi, 4-5 March, 2002, pp. 38-40; D. Adamov, Konferentsia
“Istoria i realii etnicheskikh obshchin Gruzii,” 9 November, 2001, pp. 6-7.
3 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.
4 See: Rezul’taty pervoi natsional’noy perepisi naselenia Gruzii v 2002 g., Vol. I, Tbilisi, 2003, p. 110.
5 See: World Assyrian Population [www.aina.org].
6 Significantly, since 2002 a team of Georgian Assyrians has been taking part in the annual International Sport-Cultural
Festival of Assyrians that takes place in Iran and brings together teams from various countries: “Assyrians hold international
sport-cultural festival in Orumiyeh,” IRNA, 19 July, 2003; newspaper Aviuta, 6 April, 1999.
7 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.
8 See: M. Toumajan, “Armenian Census Results,” Armenian News Network/Groong, 27 February, 2004.
9 According to the Assyrian organizations of Georgia, there are about 40 Assyrian families from Georgia living in
Novopavlovsk (Stavropol Territory).
CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS No. 3(39), 2006
161
Like all other Georgian citizens, the Assyrians are badly hit by unemployment: in Tbilisi they
are engaged in petty trade and crafts and live mainly on the money they receive from relatives living
and working in other countries. The Assyrians of Gardabani also live on crafts, hunting, fishing, and
gardening. Recently, some of them found unskilled jobs at large local energy enterprises.
The Gardabani District is losing more Assyrians than any other place of their compact settlement:
half of the 1,500 Assyrians who lived there in 1989 have already left; many of the Assyrian
houses are put on the market. Recently, the emigration wave subsided, mainly because those who stayed
behind have no money to move out. Some of them found jobs, but if they manage to sell their houses
for adequate prices, they will emigrate.
Russian- and Georgian-Speakers
The Assyrians of Georgia, and of the Soviet Union for that matter, were in a very difficult
cultural and political position. Their linguistic skills were limited to their native tongue, therefore
they could not take part in public and political life. Few people mastered Russian, and there were
not that many who were literate in Assyrian. As many as 85 to 90 percent could not read or write;
what is more, at the end of the 1920s, nearly everyone in the Dzveli Kanda village was illiterate (90
to 95 percent).
By the second half of the 1920s, there were three Assyrian primary schools (two in Tbilisi and
one in Dzveli Kanda) with no premises of their own. They functioned until 1937; today, there are no
Assyrian schools in Georgia. Many of the Assyrian children were educated in Polish and Russian
schools. Many teenagers willing to study found themselves deprived of an education.10
The Assyrians (Syrians) use the Assyrian tongue, a term for the modern Eastern Aramaic dialect.
The language of the Assyrians abounds in dialects: in one of the Tbilisi districts (Vaka), the
Assyrians use the Jilu dialect; in Kukia District, the Van dialect, while the Gardabani Assyrians speak
the Bohtan dialect.11 Other dialects (Salamas, Tiar, and Urmi) are also used in Georgia. The latter served
as a basis for the literary language created in the 1940s.12
Today, the Georgian Assyrians learn the native tongue at home; normally they use the Russian
language, with the exception of the Dzveli Kanda Assyrians who have perfectly mastered Georgian
and are educated in Georgian villages.
In Gardabani, nearly all the Assyrians are Russian-speakers and are educated at Russian schools.
As distinct from the older generation, young people speak adequate Georgian. The Tbilisi Assyrians
know the Georgian language, their children attend either Russian or Georgian schools. The Russian
schools and the Russian tongue are preferred because of planned emigration to Russia. In recent years,
the Assyrian tongue is taught at church Sunday schools.
Problems
in the Sphere of Culture
In the past, the Assyrians published their own magazine and a newspaper that carried the writings
of local Assyrians, folklore, and translations from the Georgian. In 1913-1914, a bi-weekly
10 See: A. Songulashvili, Kul’tura national’nykh men’shinstv v Gruzii, Tbilisi, Metsniereba, 2002, pp. 29-30.
11 See: D. Bit-Suleyman, “Izuchit’, poka ne ischezli,” Aviuta, No. 7, September 1999.
12 See: Gruzinskaia sovetskaia entsiklopedia, Vol. 1, “Assiriyskiy iazyk,” 662, Tbilisi, 1975.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
162
Modinkha (The Orient), intended for the Assyrians of the Southern Caucasus and Russia, came out in
Tbilisi.
In 1926-1938, an Assyrian newspaper Kokhva Madinkha (Star of the Orient)13 was published in
Tbilisi; there were all sorts of circles that contributed to educating the Assyrian intelligentsia. The
1937 repressions put an end to these positive developments: schools and the publishing house were
closed down, while members of the intelligentsia were persecuted and repressed.
In 1952, an Assyrian Song and Dance Ensemble was founded for the first time in the Soviet Union
under the supervision of Angelina Grigolia,14 there was a club of lovers of Assyrian literature that
promoted the native tongue and literature. Assyrian writer Rabi David Iliani, mentioned in the Georgian
Soviet Encyclopedia, lived and worked in Georgia for many years.15
In the 1990s, the Ninevia and Daiana16 dance ensembles functioned in Georgia, although they
were pestered by great financial problems. The Assyrians’ cultural life still suffers from underfunding:
the state cannot support it, while private donations are few and far between.
Recently, a plot of land for a cultural center expected to preserve and develop the culture of
the Georgian Assyrians was bought in Tbilisi on the initiative of the Assyrian Chaldean Catholic
Mission.
Public
Organizations
The Assyrian International Congress of Georgia registered in April 1992 with the Georgian
Ministry of Justice is the most influential among the Assyrian organizations. It was set up to preserve
the language, culture, and traditions, and to establish and maintain contacts with expatriates; it is
maintaining contacts with similar international structures. The 24th Worldwide Congress of the Assyrian
Universal Alliance, which took place on 7-10 July, 2005 in London, elected David Adamov,
leader of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia, as a member of the Worldwide Congress’
Executive Board. This international organization is resolved to maintain its contacts with the Georgian
Assyrians.17
The Assyrian Beth Nahrain Cultural Center is functioning in Gardabani; the Aviuta18 newspaper
published there in Georgian and Russian by the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia cannot
appear regularly because of financial problems.
The above-mentioned Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Mission headed by Father Benjamin Bethyadgar
was set up in Tbilisi in 1995. It is active in three spheres: the spiritual, humanitarian, and educational.
It helps the socially vulnerable Assyrians in many ways. The mission also holds courses in
the Neo-Syriac tongue and runs youth groups.19
13 See: A. Songulashvili, op. cit., pp. 55-56.
14 See: L. Bit-Vardi, “Chast’ moey dushi-moia rabota,” Aviuta, 5 March, 1998.
15 See: “Vystuplenie Davida Adamova…,” pp. 38-40.
16 See: M. Iukhanova, “Drevnie tantsy vnov’ na stsene,” Aviuta, No. 8, December, 1999.
17 See: “New AUA Advisors & Committee Chairs Elected in London,” Zinda Magazine, Saturday, 23 July,
2005.
18 See: K. Kokoev, G. Svanidze, L. Melikishvili, “Interview with Mr. Gennadi Ivanov, one of the Heads of the International
Assyrian Congress in Georgia,” National Minorities in Georgia, Tbilisi, 1999, pp. 17-18.
19 See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Caucasus, Georgia, Tbilisi-Brief History of Mission, Detroit, 2002; The Assyrian-
Georgian Relief Fund, 1998 Annual Report.
CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS No. 3(39), 2006
163
Orthodox Christians
or Catholics
Throughout their history the Assyrians professed two religions: the earlier of them was Assurism
(Assur was the highest god of the Assyrians, hence their ethnic name). In the 3rd century A.D.,
most of them became Christians. According to the Assyrian International News Agency, Assyrians
belong to different churches: 45 percent to the Chaldean Church; 26 percent to the Syriac Orthodox
Church (Jacobites); 19 percent to the Church of the East; 4 percent to Syriac Catholic Church; and
6 percent to other churches.20
In Soviet times, the Assyrians found it hard to freely profess their religions and were tacitly
patronized by the Christian Orthodox Church. Today, 85 percent of those who attend Assyrian Chaldean
liturgies in the Catholic church are Christian Orthodox. The first such service was held in Tbilisi
in 1995 in a Catholic church, it was led by Father Benny Bethyadgar,21 head of the Assyrian Chaldean
Church in the Southern Caucasus. The church runs a Sunday school that teaches the Assyrian language
and history of religion. There are Sunday services in Gardabani as well. In the Dzveli Kanda
village, most of the population attends Christian Orthodox services; 90 percent of those who attend
liturgies in Tbilisi are also Orthodox Christians.
In the past, when the Assyrians came to Georgia, nearly all of them were Catholics. Under Soviet
power, there were no Catholic churches in the republic, so the Christian Orthodox Church took
them under its wing; as a result, nearly all Assyrians became Orthodox Christians. Liturgies in the
Catholic church are conducted in Aramaic. Today there is no church in Tbilisi with a structure and
architecture suited to the Assyrian Chaldean canons.22
Restoration of
the Traditional Family
Names
Genuine Assyrian family names should begin either with “Bit” (son or daughter) or “Bar” (after).
Some of the Assyrians added the Russian-style “-ov” ending to their family names. (The ending
appeared in their names when they moved to Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire.) The
traditional family name of any Assyrian called “Ivanov” is Bit Iukhanan (son of Johan), Akopov should
be Bit Iaku. In Western Georgia, quite a few Assyrians have Georgian names ending in “-dze:” Ionanidze,
Ashkashidze, Badavidze (Bit Badav), etc. The Russian ending was typical of the Greek and
Azeri family names as well. In the post-Soviet period, people tended to restore their old names: Ivanov
calls himself Bit Iukhanan, Badavidze, Bit Badav, etc.23
20 See: Assyrian International News Agency [www.aina.org].
21 See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Assyrian Directory of California, 3 July, 2001 [www.atour.com/~people/
20010703m].
22 See: I. Chikhladze, “Benjamin Bethyadgar: vse konfessii prizvany zhit’ v mire,” Kavkazskiy aktsent, 1-15 July,
2003.
23 See: M.K. Kobaidze, Minority Identity and Identity Maintenance in Georgia, Lund University, Dept. of Linguistics,
Working Papers 47, 1999, pp. 149-168.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
164
C o n c l u s i o n
It looks as if the Assyrian outflow from Georgia will continue. Assyrians are driven away by
social and economic problems and lack of bright prospects in Georgia. The number of Assyrians will
drop dramatically in the near future.
This is especially true of the Russian-speaking Assyrians from Tbilisi and Gardabani: in the last
10 to 15 years they failed to completely integrate into Georgian society because of the language barrier.
The Dzveli Kanda Assyrians have successfully integrated into, or even assimilated with, Georgian
society. The socioeconomic problems and the task of maintaining their identity are the two main
concerns. It is becoming an uphill job for the people in a small village-they should certainly be helped
by Assyrian organizations.
По мнению автора, отток русскоязычных ассирийцев Тбилиси и Гардабани из страны продолжится.
За последние 10-15 лет они так и не сумели интегрироваться в грузинском обществе. В тоже самое время ассирийцы Канды успешно интегрировались и даже ассимилировались в грузинском обществе.
@Роланд Биджамов
28 августа 2010 г.
THE ASSYRIANS OF GEORGIA:
ETHNIC SPECIFICS SHOULD BE PRESERVED
Mamuka KOMAKHIA
Research associate at the Institute of Political Studies,
Academy of Sciences of Georgia
(Tbilisi, Georgia)
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
160
Migration and Settlement Patterns
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
1 See: A.K. Matveev, K.P. Matveev, Istoria i etnografia assiriytsev, U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1990,
pp. 35-38.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
160
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).
The Assyrian International News Agency estimates the number of Assyrians in the world at
about 3,500,000, two-thirds of whom live in places of their historical settlement.5 The largest Assyrian
community in North America is found in Chicago; there are Assyrians in Europe and Australia,
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran,6 and Turkey. In the 1950s, the Assyrian population of Turkey was
about 50,000 strong. Since that time, Assyrian emigration to Europe has cut down the number to about
5,000. They are mostly urban dwellers; the Assyrian villages have been practically abandoned.7
The largest number of South Caucasian Assyrians is found in Armenia, where they live in
several villages. According to the 2004 Armenian population census, there were 3,409 Assyrians
(0.1 percent of the total population).8 Some of the Assyrians who left Georgia settled in former Soviet
republics (Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan).
Assyrians leave Georgia in search of employment and better social and economic conditions.
Those who used to live in Tbilisi prefer to emigrate to Russia and other European states. Those who
used to live in compact groups in Gardabani prefer Russia (Stavropol and Krasnodar territories) to
join relatives9 already engaged in trade and handicrafts there.
2 See: Vystuplenie vitse-presidenta Mezhdunarodnogo natsional’nogo kongressa assiriytsev Gruzii Davida Adamova
na konferentsii “Gruzia-mnogonatsional’noe gosudarstvo,” Tbilisi, 4-5 March, 2002, pp. 38-40; D. Adamov, Konferentsia
“Istoria i realii etnicheskikh obshchin Gruzii,” 9 November, 2001, pp. 6-7.
3 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.
4 See: Rezul’taty pervoi natsional’noy perepisi naselenia Gruzii v 2002 g., Vol. I, Tbilisi, 2003, p. 110.
5 See: World Assyrian Population [www.aina.org].
6 Significantly, since 2002 a team of Georgian Assyrians has been taking part in the annual International Sport-Cultural
Festival of Assyrians that takes place in Iran and brings together teams from various countries: “Assyrians hold international
sport-cultural festival in Orumiyeh,” IRNA, 19 July, 2003; newspaper Aviuta, 6 April, 1999.
7 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.
8 See: M. Toumajan, “Armenian Census Results,” Armenian News Network/Groong, 27 February, 2004.
9 According to the Assyrian organizations of Georgia, there are about 40 Assyrian families from Georgia living in
Novopavlovsk (Stavropol Territory).
CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS No. 3(39), 2006
161
Like all other Georgian citizens, the Assyrians are badly hit by unemployment: in Tbilisi they
are engaged in petty trade and crafts and live mainly on the money they receive from relatives living
and working in other countries. The Assyrians of Gardabani also live on crafts, hunting, fishing, and
gardening. Recently, some of them found unskilled jobs at large local energy enterprises.
The Gardabani District is losing more Assyrians than any other place of their compact settlement:
half of the 1,500 Assyrians who lived there in 1989 have already left; many of the Assyrian
houses are put on the market. Recently, the emigration wave subsided, mainly because those who stayed
behind have no money to move out. Some of them found jobs, but if they manage to sell their houses
for adequate prices, they will emigrate.
Russian- and Georgian-Speakers
The Assyrians of Georgia, and of the Soviet Union for that matter, were in a very difficult
cultural and political position. Their linguistic skills were limited to their native tongue, therefore
they could not take part in public and political life. Few people mastered Russian, and there were
not that many who were literate in Assyrian. As many as 85 to 90 percent could not read or write;
what is more, at the end of the 1920s, nearly everyone in the Dzveli Kanda village was illiterate (90
to 95 percent).
By the second half of the 1920s, there were three Assyrian primary schools (two in Tbilisi and
one in Dzveli Kanda) with no premises of their own. They functioned until 1937; today, there are no
Assyrian schools in Georgia. Many of the Assyrian children were educated in Polish and Russian
schools. Many teenagers willing to study found themselves deprived of an education.10
The Assyrians (Syrians) use the Assyrian tongue, a term for the modern Eastern Aramaic dialect.
The language of the Assyrians abounds in dialects: in one of the Tbilisi districts (Vaka), the
Assyrians use the Jilu dialect; in Kukia District, the Van dialect, while the Gardabani Assyrians speak
the Bohtan dialect.11 Other dialects (Salamas, Tiar, and Urmi) are also used in Georgia. The latter served
as a basis for the literary language created in the 1940s.12
Today, the Georgian Assyrians learn the native tongue at home; normally they use the Russian
language, with the exception of the Dzveli Kanda Assyrians who have perfectly mastered Georgian
and are educated in Georgian villages.
In Gardabani, nearly all the Assyrians are Russian-speakers and are educated at Russian schools.
As distinct from the older generation, young people speak adequate Georgian. The Tbilisi Assyrians
know the Georgian language, their children attend either Russian or Georgian schools. The Russian
schools and the Russian tongue are preferred because of planned emigration to Russia. In recent years,
the Assyrian tongue is taught at church Sunday schools.
Problems
in the Sphere of Culture
In the past, the Assyrians published their own magazine and a newspaper that carried the writings
of local Assyrians, folklore, and translations from the Georgian. In 1913-1914, a bi-weekly
10 See: A. Songulashvili, Kul’tura national’nykh men’shinstv v Gruzii, Tbilisi, Metsniereba, 2002, pp. 29-30.
11 See: D. Bit-Suleyman, “Izuchit’, poka ne ischezli,” Aviuta, No. 7, September 1999.
12 See: Gruzinskaia sovetskaia entsiklopedia, Vol. 1, “Assiriyskiy iazyk,” 662, Tbilisi, 1975.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
162
Modinkha (The Orient), intended for the Assyrians of the Southern Caucasus and Russia, came out in
Tbilisi.
In 1926-1938, an Assyrian newspaper Kokhva Madinkha (Star of the Orient)13 was published in
Tbilisi; there were all sorts of circles that contributed to educating the Assyrian intelligentsia. The
1937 repressions put an end to these positive developments: schools and the publishing house were
closed down, while members of the intelligentsia were persecuted and repressed.
In 1952, an Assyrian Song and Dance Ensemble was founded for the first time in the Soviet Union
under the supervision of Angelina Grigolia,14 there was a club of lovers of Assyrian literature that
promoted the native tongue and literature. Assyrian writer Rabi David Iliani, mentioned in the Georgian
Soviet Encyclopedia, lived and worked in Georgia for many years.15
In the 1990s, the Ninevia and Daiana16 dance ensembles functioned in Georgia, although they
were pestered by great financial problems. The Assyrians’ cultural life still suffers from underfunding:
the state cannot support it, while private donations are few and far between.
Recently, a plot of land for a cultural center expected to preserve and develop the culture of
the Georgian Assyrians was bought in Tbilisi on the initiative of the Assyrian Chaldean Catholic
Mission.
Public
Organizations
The Assyrian International Congress of Georgia registered in April 1992 with the Georgian
Ministry of Justice is the most influential among the Assyrian organizations. It was set up to preserve
the language, culture, and traditions, and to establish and maintain contacts with expatriates; it is
maintaining contacts with similar international structures. The 24th Worldwide Congress of the Assyrian
Universal Alliance, which took place on 7-10 July, 2005 in London, elected David Adamov,
leader of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia, as a member of the Worldwide Congress’
Executive Board. This international organization is resolved to maintain its contacts with the Georgian
Assyrians.17
The Assyrian Beth Nahrain Cultural Center is functioning in Gardabani; the Aviuta18 newspaper
published there in Georgian and Russian by the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia cannot
appear regularly because of financial problems.
The above-mentioned Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Mission headed by Father Benjamin Bethyadgar
was set up in Tbilisi in 1995. It is active in three spheres: the spiritual, humanitarian, and educational.
It helps the socially vulnerable Assyrians in many ways. The mission also holds courses in
the Neo-Syriac tongue and runs youth groups.19
13 See: A. Songulashvili, op. cit., pp. 55-56.
14 See: L. Bit-Vardi, “Chast’ moey dushi-moia rabota,” Aviuta, 5 March, 1998.
15 See: “Vystuplenie Davida Adamova…,” pp. 38-40.
16 See: M. Iukhanova, “Drevnie tantsy vnov’ na stsene,” Aviuta, No. 8, December, 1999.
17 See: “New AUA Advisors & Committee Chairs Elected in London,” Zinda Magazine, Saturday, 23 July,
2005.
18 See: K. Kokoev, G. Svanidze, L. Melikishvili, “Interview with Mr. Gennadi Ivanov, one of the Heads of the International
Assyrian Congress in Georgia,” National Minorities in Georgia, Tbilisi, 1999, pp. 17-18.
19 See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Caucasus, Georgia, Tbilisi-Brief History of Mission, Detroit, 2002; The Assyrian-
Georgian Relief Fund, 1998 Annual Report.
CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS No. 3(39), 2006
163
Orthodox Christians
or Catholics
Throughout their history the Assyrians professed two religions: the earlier of them was Assurism
(Assur was the highest god of the Assyrians, hence their ethnic name). In the 3rd century A.D.,
most of them became Christians. According to the Assyrian International News Agency, Assyrians
belong to different churches: 45 percent to the Chaldean Church; 26 percent to the Syriac Orthodox
Church (Jacobites); 19 percent to the Church of the East; 4 percent to Syriac Catholic Church; and
6 percent to other churches.20
In Soviet times, the Assyrians found it hard to freely profess their religions and were tacitly
patronized by the Christian Orthodox Church. Today, 85 percent of those who attend Assyrian Chaldean
liturgies in the Catholic church are Christian Orthodox. The first such service was held in Tbilisi
in 1995 in a Catholic church, it was led by Father Benny Bethyadgar,21 head of the Assyrian Chaldean
Church in the Southern Caucasus. The church runs a Sunday school that teaches the Assyrian language
and history of religion. There are Sunday services in Gardabani as well. In the Dzveli Kanda
village, most of the population attends Christian Orthodox services; 90 percent of those who attend
liturgies in Tbilisi are also Orthodox Christians.
In the past, when the Assyrians came to Georgia, nearly all of them were Catholics. Under Soviet
power, there were no Catholic churches in the republic, so the Christian Orthodox Church took
them under its wing; as a result, nearly all Assyrians became Orthodox Christians. Liturgies in the
Catholic church are conducted in Aramaic. Today there is no church in Tbilisi with a structure and
architecture suited to the Assyrian Chaldean canons.22
Restoration of
the Traditional Family
Names
Genuine Assyrian family names should begin either with “Bit” (son or daughter) or “Bar” (after).
Some of the Assyrians added the Russian-style “-ov” ending to their family names. (The ending
appeared in their names when they moved to Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire.) The
traditional family name of any Assyrian called “Ivanov” is Bit Iukhanan (son of Johan), Akopov should
be Bit Iaku. In Western Georgia, quite a few Assyrians have Georgian names ending in “-dze:” Ionanidze,
Ashkashidze, Badavidze (Bit Badav), etc. The Russian ending was typical of the Greek and
Azeri family names as well. In the post-Soviet period, people tended to restore their old names: Ivanov
calls himself Bit Iukhanan, Badavidze, Bit Badav, etc.23
20 See: Assyrian International News Agency [www.aina.org].
21 See: Father Benny Bethyadgar, Assyrian Directory of California, 3 July, 2001 [www.atour.com/~people/
20010703m].
22 See: I. Chikhladze, “Benjamin Bethyadgar: vse konfessii prizvany zhit’ v mire,” Kavkazskiy aktsent, 1-15 July,
2003.
23 See: M.K. Kobaidze, Minority Identity and Identity Maintenance in Georgia, Lund University, Dept. of Linguistics,
Working Papers 47, 1999, pp. 149-168.
No. 3(39), 2006 CENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS
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C o n c l u s i o n
It looks as if the Assyrian outflow from Georgia will continue. Assyrians are driven away by
social and economic problems and lack of bright prospects in Georgia. The number of Assyrians will
drop dramatically in the near future.
This is especially true of the Russian-speaking Assyrians from Tbilisi and Gardabani: in the last
10 to 15 years they failed to completely integrate into Georgian society because of the language barrier.
The Dzveli Kanda Assyrians have successfully integrated into, or even assimilated with, Georgian
society. The socioeconomic problems and the task of maintaining their identity are the two main
concerns. It is becoming an uphill job for the people in a small village-they should certainly be helped
by Assyrian organizations.
По мнению автора, отток русскоязычных ассирийцев Тбилиси и Гардабани из страны продолжится.
За последние 10-15 лет они так и не сумели интегрироваться в грузинском обществе. В тоже самое время ассирийцы Канды успешно интегрировались и даже ассимилировались в грузинском обществе.
@Роланд Биджамов
28 августа 2010 г.