Who Are The Assyrian People?

Assyrians are a 'forgotten' ethnic group in the Middle-East.  They make up about 5% of the population in Iraq, mostly concentrated in the north of that country (although there is also a large world-wide diaspora).  Their culture and roots pre-dates the Turks, Kurds and Arab tribes who now make up the majority of the region's population.  Assyrians are Christian and speak their own language, Syriac.  Syriac is in the Aramaic family, has its own alphabet, and is sometimes described as the language of Jesus.  It is believed that the Assyrians descended from the people who ruled in the region during biblical times.  Assyrians have a very strong culture identity.  They are extremely proud of their long and well-documented history and their unique place as direct heirs to the world's oldest cities and civilisations.

The Assyrians may belong to any of several Christian denominations that still have strong following in the Middle-East. All of these churches have more in common with Eastern Orthadox Christianity than with Catholicism, but over time some of the Syriac churches have chosen to merge with Roman Catholicism.