Defence of Iwardo
| Defence of Iwardo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Sayfo and Midyat rebellion | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Assyrian villagers and refugees | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Gallo Shabo |
Ahmed Agha Salem Agha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 6,000–7,000 villagers and refugees | 13,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300[3] | 200[3] | ||||||
The Defence of Iwardo (Syriac: ܥܝܢ ܘܪܕܐ - Iwardo or In Wardo, Ayin Warda, Ain Wardo) was a military engagement between Ottoman authorities and Assyrian defenders in 1915, during Sayfo.[5][6] The pockets of resistance during Sayfo were labeled the Midyat Rebellion after Midyat, the largest Assyrian town in Tur Abdin.[7] The Defence of Iwardo is coupled with the Defense of Azakh, which also took place around the same time.
Like that of Azakh, the story of the defense of Iwardo remains significant to the memory of the survivors of Seyfo and their descendants. Survivors of the Assyrian genocide have testified about the events during and after the defence, and it is often cited as one of the key reasons why the region of Tur Abdin is still surviving today.
Background
[edit]The village of Iwardo (modern day Gülgöze) is located 10 kilometers east of Midyat at the foot of a mountain chain.[8] Prior to the start of World War I, the village had about 200 families, all of whom were ethnic Assyrians who belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church. During the Assyrian genocide, thousands of refugees from throughout Tur Abdin arrived there for safety as the structure of the village allowed for considerable defense from the ensuing violence.[9] Up to that point, Assyrians in the Tur Abdin region had engaged in defenses against the massacres, but the Ottoman authorities portrayed this as a rebellion in hopes of justifying the genocide.[10] Refugees arrived from villages including Habasnos, Midyat, Bote, Keferze, Kafro Eloyto, Mzizah and Urnas, and they would typically arrive through tunnels that were kept secret from Turkish officials. Even refugees from outside Tur Abdin arrived, coming from villages such as Deqlath, Bscheriye, Gozarto, Hesno d Kifo and Mifarqin. Iwardo was believed to have had up to 7,000 people inside of the village before the defence began.[11]
Once within the walls of Ayn-Wardo, the refugees were given water and food (of which the village was rich in[12], and then assigned to defensive duties. The villagers were well prepared because they had realized when the First World War started that it would sooner or later be a threat to them. They had reinforced the walls around the village and armed themselves for war.[13]
Defence and battle
[edit]Aware that the Turks and Kurds were coming to Gülgöze, the villagers and refugees created a militia to defend themselves, which was led by Gallo Shabo.[14][15] Shabo was born in 1875 in the village and received education in ecclesiastical doctrines, leading to his appointment as deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church of the village.[16] The leader of the National Assembly that organized the defense was Mas’ud Be-Šlemën, or Mirza.[17] While gathering information and weapons from local Yazidis, Mirza paid attention to the stories of Armenian and Assyrian survivors who were rescued, which helped him in planning his defense.[18]
At the same time, the Kurdish leadership of Midyat was given orders to attack Iwardo and Arnas. However, Aziz Agha, the leader of the Midyat area, told the government that they didn't have enough soldiers to attack both areas, and therefore they would attack Iwardo only, and then go to Arnas later on. Therefore, the Kurds of Tur Abdin and Ramman, under the generalship of Ahmed Agha and Salem Agha, gathered a force of 13,000 men in Mardin.[8] The government authorized the distribution of arms and paid the men who were part of the forces. They headed towards Iwardo in the middle of July, arriving late at night, to begin the siege.
During this siege, the Assyrians of Iwardo melted iron and other materials that could be utilized for producing ammunition, as well as cutting trees and gathering other supplies they could use.[19][20] Women also played a role in the defense, calling out cries when signs of invasion were imminent, and keeping watch over the village.[19] After hours of exchanging fire, the Assyrians defeated the Kurds and drove them out, but there were many casualties on both sides. After 10 days, the Kurds attacked again only to be beaten yet once more, as they lost well over 300 men. Before the beginning of a third attempt, Kurdish leaders called for aid from the mayors of Diyarbakır (Raschid) and Mardin (Badri). However, a third attempt also failed and after 30 days of battle, Aziz Agha suggested a peace treaty between the two sides. An Assyrian delegation met with Aziz to discuss a peace treaty, but refused to lay down their weapons, so the battle continued.[20] The siege continued for another 30 days, leading to many deaths on both sides.
In the end, the Kurdish soldiers retreated and left the Assyrians of Tur Abdin alone. They announced a negotiator of their own while the Assyrians requested one as well, and so the people of Iwardo were promised they wouldn't be harmed.[20] Their resistance lasted 52-60 days[21] and ended in success. The total death toll of the 60-day siege is unknown, but was at least 1,000.[22]
Aftermath
[edit]After the defence, many of the Assyrians who came from the surrounding villages stayed due to the heavy risks associated with returning to their home villages.[11] The number of those who were killed returning to their villages ended up being greater than those who were killed during the defence. Shabo fled to Mosul in 1920 to live with his uncles, before leaving Iraq for Qamishli three years later.[23] He lived there until his death in 1966.
Iwardo was one of the only villages in the region of Midyat that still held out against Ottoman and Kurdish soldiers, similarly to Azakh.[24] Due to the efforts of the defence, nearly 6-7,000 Assyrians were able to survive the Ottoman and Kurdish attacks on the village.[25] Although other battles and fighting took place in Tur Abdin (Benabil (Bulbul), Beth-Debe, Hah, Hebob, Kerboran (Dergecit), and Zaz), the strongest stand was in the villages of Azakh, Iwardo, and Basibrin.[10]
In modern studies of Sayfo, the Defence of Iwardo is discussed alongside the Defense of Azakh as part of the larger Midyat rebellion and the Assyrian resistance to the massacres. Retrospective accounts show how the Assyrians of Diyarbekir Vilayet made significant resistance to Ottoman and Kurdish forces despite the odds being against them. Due to the successful efforts to defend the village, Iwardo has since become a marker of Syriac Christianity in southeastern Turkey, and is why the Tur Abdin region is one of the only major Christian areas left in Turkey outside of Istanbul.[26] The memories of the resistance and the gaboro (Syriac: ܓܢܒܪ̈ܐ, lit. 'heroes') are encountered in several interviews from Assyrian media sources and survivor testimonies.[19] Mor Julius Yeshu Cicek, who was the first Syriac Orthodox archbishop for Central Europe, published a poem that was written by Shabo after the defence, which details its story and theological reasoning behind why the Assyrians had to suffer from the Ottoman and Kurdish soldiers.[27]
In 2018, Hannibal Travis explained that the defence of Iwardo was similar to that of the Armenian's Defense of Van and Musa Dagh.[6]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Björkman, Anders Q. (23 April 2015). "Se bilder från platserna där dramat utspelade sig | SVD". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17.
- ^ "آغا بطرس: سنحاريب القرن العشرين" (PDF). نينوس نيراري. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-12.
- ^ a b c Akçam, Kyriakidis & Chatzikyriakidis 2023.
- ^ Astourian, Stephan (2020). Collective and State Violence in Turkey The Construction of a National Identity from Empire to Nation-State. Berghahn Books. p. 85.
- ^ Akçam et al. (2023), p. 141.
- ^ a b Boyajian, David (2018-11-08). "Prof. Hannibal Travis Speaks on the Assyrian, Armenian, Greek, and Yezidi Genocides". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
In 1915, explained Travis, Assyrians made resistance stands, such as in Ayn-Wardo (in today's southeastern Turkey), against Turkish troops and Kurdish brigands — similar to that period's Armenian defence stands in Van and at Musa Dagh
- ^ Gaunt, David (2009-04-18). "The Assyrian Genocide of 1915". SEYFO CENTER. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
The events of Midyat have enabled Turkish historians to interpret the meager defense as a rebellion, thus justifying the full severity of its repression by the Ottoman authorities
- ^ a b Travis (2017), p. 186.
- ^ Gerçek, Burçin; Akcam, Taner (24 April 2014). Report on Turks who reached-out to Armenians in 1915 (PDF) (Report). The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. pp. 31, 33. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ a b Astourian (2020), p. 85.
- ^ a b "Seyfo 1915 — Sold for a hen". Medium. Syriac Orthodox Youth Association of Sweden. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Travis (2017), p. 183.
- ^ Björkman, Anders (April 23, 2015). "The reason my family exists". Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ "1915: Sayfo and Resistance against Kurds and Turks in ´Ayn-Wardo in 1915, in Turabdin, northern Assyria. (West Syriac text) ~ 1915: Sayfo w Qëwomo mqabël dak kurmanj w dat tërk b Ciwardo".
- ^ Gaunt, Atto & Barthoma (2017), p. 164.
- ^ Gaunt, Atto & Barthoma (2017), p. 158.
- ^ Travis (2017), p. 188.
- ^ Akçam et al. (2023), p. 141-142.
- ^ a b c Akçam et al. (2023), p. 142.
- ^ a b c Travis (2017), p. 187.
- ^ Travis & Bar Abraham, p. 188.
- ^ Gaunt & Bet̲-Şawoce (2017), p. 348.
- ^ Gaunt, Atto & Barthoma (2017), p. 159.
- ^ Lingius (2015), p. 48.
- ^ Björkman, Anders Q. (23 April 2015). "Se bilder från platserna där dramat utspelade sig | SVD". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17.
- ^ Altug, Seda (2011-06-21). "Sectarianism in the Syrian Jazira: community, land and violence in the memories of World War I and the French mandate (1915- 1939)" (PDF). dspace.library.uu.nl. p. 118. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
- ^ Birol, Simon (2017-05-01), "Interpretation of the 'Sayfo' in Gallo Shabo's Poem", Let Them Not Return, Berghahn Books, pp. 157–177, ISBN 978-1-78533-499-3, retrieved 2025-04-08
Bibliography
[edit]- Astourian, Stephan; Kévorkian, Raymond (November 1, 2020). Collective and State Violence in Turkey: The Construction of a National Identity from Empire to Nation-State. Berghahn Books. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-78920-451-3.
- Gaunt, David; Atto, Naures; Barthoma, Soner O. (May 1, 2017). Let Them Not Return: Sayfo – The Genocide Against the Assyrian, Syriac, and Chaldean Christians in the Ottoman Empire. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-78533-499-3.
- Gaunt, David; Bet̲-Şawoce, Jan (May 2017). Massacres, Resistance, Protectors: Muslim-Christian Relations in Eastern Anatolia During World War I. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-78533-499-3.
- Lingius, Lars Hillås (2015). "In Times of Genocide, 1915-2015: report from a conference on the Armenian Genocide and Syriac Seyfo" (PDF). search.worldcat.org. Swedish Christian Study Centre. pp. 47–50. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- Travis, Hannibal (July 20, 2017). The Assyrian Genocide: Cultural and Political Legacies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-98025-8.
- Akçam, Taner; Kyriakidis, Theodosios; Chatzikyriakidis, Kyriakos (31 January 2023). The Genocide of the Christian Populations in the Ottoman Empire and its Aftermath (1908-1923). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-00083-361-4.