Tur Abdin’s History is as Rich as it's Landscape

Pictured: The Monastery of Mār Ḥanānyā at Mardīn, Ṭūr ʿAbdīn. Founded directly on the site of an ancient Assyrian sun temple, this monastery served as the official headquarters of the patriarchs of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1160 to 1932.

The region of Ṭūr ʿAbdīn, along with its Ṭūrā d-Īzlā “mountain of Īzlā” in the northern reaches of Mesopotamia, is situated in modern-day south-east Türkiye. During the Neo-Assyrian Empire, however, this region pertained to Kashiāri and mount Īzallā, respectively.

Historically, this region was once considered to be the traditional homeland of the Hurrians, an ancient Anatolian people of the Bronze Age Near East. By the early Iron Age, however, the Hurrians were confronted with waves of successive conquests by the neighbouring Assyrians and this region was progressively integrated within Assyria’s political boundary.

According to an ancient Assyrian monument of the eleventh century BCE known as the Broken Obelisk (BM118898), the region of Kashiāri and mount Īzallā, were considered to be among the “mountains of Assyria”. According to archaeologists, this source may be one of the earliest reference to Kashiāri, by name, in an ancient Assyrian record.

Over time, a group known as the Aḥlamū, an Akkadian word meaning “wanderers”, settled in, and occupied parts of Kashiāri. The Aḥlamū, also commonly known as Arameans, waged numerous revolts against the Assyrians vying to assert their dominance over this vast territory and to exploit its riches.

In order to subdue such troublesome population groups— the conquering Assyrians practiced a policy of resettlement. This policy oversaw the uprooting of political opponents, and their territories were resettled by ethnic Assyrians from Assyria.

Pictured: King Āshūrbānīpal (c. 685–631 BCE) in his chariot led by Rēmanni-Adad, the royal chariot driver.

According to an ancient Assyrian administrative text (SAA 12, 050), Rēmanni-Adad, the royal chariot driver of the Neo-Assyrian King Āshūrbānīpal (c. 685–631 BCE), and his household was a notable landowner at Īzallā operating multiple farmlands and vineyards. It was quite common for members of the Assyrian royal court as well as military to own property in this region.

According to another Neo-Assyrian text (SAA 14, 042), a temple was constructed in the vicinity of Mardīn (ancient: Mardiānē). Such evidence may demonstrate that Assyrian settlers exerted significant cultural influence among the diverse population groups in the region.

In addition to the introduction of indigenous cults, one may also find references to the inhabitants of Kashiāri adopting traditional Assyrian names. According to a Neo-Assyrian judicial text (BM 1883,0118.231), the ruler of “the city of Arkuḥi (modern-day Arkaḥ) in Kashiāri” reported “after my son has been born, I shall name him Āshūrbānīpal”.

It should be noted that, mount Īzallā was also renowned among the ancient Assyrians as a provider of wine. Excavations in this region as well as the area of Āmīd (modern-day Diyarbakır, Türkiye) have also unearthed the presence of ancient Assyrian trade colonies.

According to evidence (SAA 07, 184), a private trading route between Kashiāri and the city of Āshūr existed via river traffic. This mode of transport, according to archaeologists, was utilised for the import and export of commodities.

This not only paved the way for territorial expansionism, but also allowed the Assyrians to colonize these regions, and thus, effectively extend Assyria’s presence and sphere of influence outside of its heartland. The region of Kashiāri with its famed mount Īzallā, were considered to be one of the wealthiest territories due to their rich agricultural landscape.

Pictured: The inner chamber of the ancient Assyrian sun temple, situated beneath the Monastery of Monastery of Mār Ḥanānyā.

Kashiāri and mount Īzallā also constituted an integral part of Assyria’s geo-political boundary. In fact, these territories acted as strategic buffer zones between Assyria and its opponents in Eastern Anatolia.

In the final years of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, it was the Assyrians from Īzallā who courageously battled the Neo-Babylonians and Medes, defending Assyria’s Anatolian frontier. By the Persian Achaemenid period, Īzallā was the main centre of resistance and revolt against the Persians, vying to restore Assyrian independence.

It is commonly held that during the Parthian period (c. 247 BCE–224 CE), the region of Kashiāri was renamed to Ṭūr ʿAbdīn— a Syriac name meaning "Mountain of the Servants [of God]". Another tradition argues that the name most probably came from a nearby fortress, Rhabdion (modern-day Hatem Tai Kalesi).

Whatever the origins of the name may be, there can be no doubt that the history of Ṭūr ʿAbdīn is as rich as its landscape.

Abbreviations:

BM: British Museum

SAA: State Archives of Assyria (Online)