Dawid Mar Shimun (
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
: ܕܘܝܕ ܡܪܝ ܫܡܥܘܢ) was a
Assyrian
Assyrian may refer to:
* Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia.
* Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire.
** Early Assyrian Period
** Old Assyrian Period
** Middle Assyrian Empire
** Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Assyrian ...
military leader From
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
up until the
Simele Massacre
The Simele massacre, also known as the Assyrian affair, was committed by the Kingdom of Iraq, led by Bakr Sidqi, during a campaign systematically targeting the Assyrians in and around Simele in August 1933. An estimated 600 to 6,000 Assyrians ...
in 1933 when he was exiled to Cyprus along with his son
Mar Eshai Shimun. His first hand experience and contribution during the years leading up to the family’s exile to
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in 1933 cannot be overlooked, for his presence was common place beside the Patriarchs (
Mar Benyamin Shimun XIX,
Mar Paulos Shimun XXII and
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII ( syr, ܡܪܝ ܐܝܫܝ ܫܡܥܘܢ ܟܓ.) (26 February 1908 – 6 November 1975), sometimes known as Mar Eshai Shimun XXI, Mar Shimun XXIII Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse,Foster, p. 34 served as the 119th Catholicos ...
) and his sister, Lady
Surma.
Early life
Rab Khaila Dawid d’Mar Shimun was born in
Qudchanis
Qudshanis, "Kochanis" or "Kochanes" (officially ''Konak'', syr, ܩܘܕܫܢܝܣ, translit=Qūdšānīs , ; ku, Qoçanis, script=Latn), is a small village in the Hakkâri District of Hakkâri Province, Turkey. The village is populated by Kurds of ...
, located in South East Turkey in 1889. His parents, Eshai and Asyat had eight children, two of which were patriarchs,
Mar Benyamin Shimun XXI and
Mar Paulos Shimun XXII. Dawid was trained in the military arts and discipline at an early age in which he later took his place as one of the primary advisors to both of his brothers and his son, the last of the three patriarchs from the d’Mar Shimun succession.
In 1904, Dawid married Lady Esther De Matran, sister of
Mar Yosip Khnanisho
Mār Yōsip Khnanisho ( syr, ܡܪܝ ܝܘܣܦ ܚܢܢܝܫܘܥ), the twelfth Metropolitan or ''Matran'' of Shemsdin from 1918 to 1977.
Life
Hakkari
As it was the custom for an uncle to pass on to the first born nephew the Sacred Episcopal Office, ...
. They had twelve children, starting with Theodore in 1906 and
Eshai Shimun XXIII, Catholicos Patriarch in 1908.
World War I
Agha Petros
Petros Elia of Baz ( syr, ܐܝܠܝܐ ܦܹܛܪܘܼܣ) (April 1880 – 2 February 1932), better known as Agha Petros, was an Assyrian military leader during World War I.
Early years
Petros Elia was from the Lower Baz village, Ottoman Empire in ...
was given command of the left wing of the army of
Assyrian volunteers
The Assyrian volunteers was an ethnic Assyrian military force during WW1, led mainly by General Agha Petros Elia of Baz and several tribal leaders known as Maliks ( syr, ܡܠܟ) under the spiritual leadership of the Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Shi ...
(the right wing being commanded by Dawid, the center being under the command of
Mar Benyamin Shimun).
On May 21, 1916 Malik Ismail II And
Malik Khoshaba
Malik Khoshaba Yousip ( syr, ܡܠܟ ܚܕܒܫܒܐ ܝܘܣܦ) was an Assyrian tribal leader (or "malik") of the Tyari tribe (''Bit Tyareh'') who played a significant role in the Assyrian independence movement during World War I.
Early life
Malik Kh ...
with their fighters left the district of Urmia for
Salamas
Salmas ( fa, سلماس; ; ; ; syr, ܣܵܠܵܡܵܣ, Salamas) is the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. It is located northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. According to the 2019 census, the city's population is 127,864. ...
, there they met Dawid and Malik Shamisdin. On the 23rd of the month they left on the road to
Khanasor to the town of Bashgalan. On the 27' of May they arrived at the village of Qudshanis and found that whole territory empty of the enemy, that is from the fort of
Albaq to
Qudshanis
Qudshanis, "Kochanis" or "Kochanes" (officially ''Konak'', syr, ܩܘܕܫܢܝܣ, translit=Qūdšānīs , ; ku, Qoçanis, script=Latn), is a small village in the Hakkâri District of Hakkâri Province, Turkey. The village is populated by Kurds of ...
. In Qudshanis there were one thousand
Russian Cossacks
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
guarding those borders temporarily. From Qudshanis the
Assyrian forces split into two branches, the first under the leadership of Malik Ismael, went on the road to Khananis and Aselayeh to Darawa. The second branch with Dawid, Malik Shamisdin and Malik Oshana of
Tkhuma
Prior to World War I, the Tkhuma ( syr, ܬܚܘܡܐ, Tkhūmā "Borderland") were one of five principal and semi-independent Assyrian tribes subject to the spiritual and temporal jurisdiction of the Assyrian Patriarch with the title Mar Shimun. Th ...
. They went on the road to the city of
Julamerg. They laid down a bridge on the Great Zab river and crossed it on the way to the valley of Tal, to Tkhuma. That territory was also in ruins and empty of inhabitants. There both Assyrian forces met up with each other in the village of Chal. After a fierce battle six of the best and most inaccessible castles were destroyed by the Assyrians, after crushing and tearing apart the enemy, along with a part of their established homes.
On October 22, 1916 The Russian
Palkonik (Colonel) Kondriatoff gave orders to Dawid to send a battalion of a thousand to
Gawar for the destruction of the Valley of Hark. Here Malik Khoshaba of Lizan was assigned commander of the battalion by Patriarch Mar Benyamin. He accepted the order to take his one thousand to Gawar and destroy the Valley of Hark. They marched to Gawar and from there to Neery the capital of the province of Shamisdin. In the evening they arrived at the foot of a mountain occupied by the enemy. Rab trimma (commander of 200) Daniel of Malik Ismail and Rayis (chief) Boko Oshana of
Asheeta attacked. The enemy was crushed with many of them killed, The whole valley was destroyed.
Suto
agha of the Kurdish
Oramar tribe actively participated in the mass slaughter of Assyrian Christians in the region, the Assyrians retaliated against Suto and, in early September 1917, he was besieged at
Oramar by an army led by
Agha Petros
Petros Elia of Baz ( syr, ܐܝܠܝܐ ܦܹܛܪܘܼܣ) (April 1880 – 2 February 1932), better known as Agha Petros, was an Assyrian military leader during World War I.
Early years
Petros Elia was from the Lower Baz village, Ottoman Empire in ...
whilst an army led by Dawid attacked from another direction, killing 16 and capturing 30 Kurds, and suffered one death and two wounded. The village had fallen to the Assyrian forces by the time an additional force led by the patriarch arrived, but Suto and a number of Kurds fled to Nervi. Assyrian women who had been held captive by Suto were released from his
harem
Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...
, and Assyrian forces under the patriarch's command pursued Suto westward whilst Agha Petros marched east.
Battle of Charah
On 16 March 1918 he participated in the
Battle of Charah in an attempt to avenge his brother Mar Benyamin Shimun after he was assassinated by Simko Shikak.
After the surrender of thousands turkish prisoners on 12 of September 1918 1,500 Assyrian fighting under the command of Dawid joined the British in the city of
Hamadan
Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') ( Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ha ...
.
Later life
From 1933 until 1954 the family lived in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
and later moved to England, until 1960. In 1960 the family immigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, settling in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
until his death in 1974. In 1920 several dispatches were signed by Winston Churchill, In 1925, Dawid was promoted to the rank of Rab Khaila (Commander/Force Leader) for the
Assyrian Levies
The Assyrian Levies (also known as the Iraq Levies) were the first Iraqi military force established by the British in British controlled Iraq. The Iraq Levies originated in a local Arab armed scout force raised during the First World War. After I ...
, in their vital but overlooked role supporting the Allies. Throughout his military career serving his people Dawid was recognized with various medals including receiving a
Military Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) in 1928.
References
{{Reflist
Military leaders of World War I
Assyrian military leaders
People from Hakkari
Assyrians from the Ottoman Empire
1889 births
1974 deaths