Assyria (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

Assyria, officially the Republic of Assyria is a landlocked country located in the Middle East. It is bordered with Syria to the northeast, Turkey to the north, and Iraq to the south.

History
Ancient Assyria is a home of earliest human civilization which evolved originally as one of a number of Akkadian kingdoms in Mesopotamia. In the Old Assyrian period of the Early Bronze Age, Assyria had been a kingdom of northern Mesopotamia, initially competing with other Sumero-Akkadian states in southern Mesopotamia for dominance of the region.

Beginning with the campaigns of Adad-nirari II (911-892 BC), Assyria once more became a great power, growing to be the greatest empire the world had yet seen. The empire expanded its hegemony over Egypt, Babylonia, Elam, Urartu, Media, Persia, Mannea, Gutium, Canaan, Aramea, Arabia, Israel, Judah, Edom, Moab, Samarra, Cilicia, Cyprus, Chaldea, Nabatea, Commagene, Dilmun and the Hurrians, Sutu and Neo-Hittites.

The Assyrian Empire was severely crippled following the death of Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, the nation descending into a prolonged and brutal series of civil wars and finally came to an end in 605 BC after being defeated by the Babylonians and Medes. After successively conquered by Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, Parthia, and Roma, the Assyrians began to convert to Christianity during the period between the early 1st and 3rd centuries AD. After the Arab Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD Assyria was dissolved as an entity.

Under the rule of Ottomans, the Assyrians mostly concentrated in northern part of Mosul Vilayet and maintained their cultural and religious autonomy. The persecutions suffered by the Assyrians from the Ottomans and the Kurdish between late 19th century and early 20th century triggered the movement for the establishment of an Assyrian nation state.

During World War I, the Assyrians allied with the British to fight against the Ottomans. The British appreciated the Assyrian for their fighting qualities, loyalty, bravery and discipline. The Assyrians also played a greater role for the incorporation of Mosul Vilayet into the British Mandate of Mesopotamia and repression of 1920 Iraqi Revolution.

The Assyrian Independence Party (Atturaya A’zad Mthakasta) established in New York on 1925 with Naum Faiq as its president. The Congress campaigned for the establishment of Assyrian national homeland in northern Iraq and the revival of Syriac language, bearing a resemblance with the struggle of Zionist World Organisation. The AIP actively persuaded the British government to grant the sociopolitical and cultural autonomy for the Assyrians within the Mandatory Mesopotamia.

In 1929, the Assyrian nationalists in the Mandatory Mesopotamia founded the Assyrian Revolutionary Party (Atturaya Duba’rutta Mthakasta) with Freydun Bet-Abram Atturaya as its general secretary. Atturaya formerly was a pro-Soviet socialist before successfully escaped from Russia for his nationalist activities. The ARP’s goal was not just to establish a national home for Assyrian people, but also to create a democratic and independent republic in northern Iraq.

The Assyrian Congress assembled for the first time in Beirut, Lebanon on August 24-30, 1930. The Congress adopted the future national flag and national anthem for Assyria. The Assyrian national flag designed by Shlimon Olam of the AIP, while the Assyrian national anthem was adopted from the anthem of ARP, “A’zad Atturaya”.

In 1935, the ARP split between the right-wing faction and the left-wing faction. The former founded the Atturaya Gil’iara Party (literally means “the Soldier of Assyria”) while the latter founded the Assyrian Democratic Party (Atturaya Nasitaia Mthakasta).

After the formation of the Peel Commission in Palestine to solve the problem occurred between the Arabs and the Jews, the AIP pressured the British to form a similar Royal Commission to solve the Assyrian Question in Iraq. In his speech before the AIP Party Congress on January 12, 1936, Naum Faiq stated the establishment of Assyrian Commonwealth in Nineveh Plain would guarantee the loyalty of Assyrian people to the British Empire, He also proclaimed King George VI as the King of the Assyrians. This attempt, however, was unsuccessful after boycotted by pro-republic Atturaya Gil’iara and the ADP.

In 1937, the far-right Umta Phlaggha Party (literally means “the Phalanx of Nation”) founded by Farid Nazha in Iraq. The Umta Phlaggha supported for the establishment of Assyrian national homeland by the revolutionary way and as a secular state. The short-lived alliance also formed by the Atturaya Gil’iara and the Umta Phlaggha in 1938 and ended in 1942 following the former’s support for the formation of Assyrian Brigade.

Following the 1941 Iraqi Revolution carried by Nazi-supported Arab nationalist, Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani, and Mesopotamia War between 2 to 31 of May 1941, the Assyrian Question taken seriously for the first time by the British government. The AIP and the Atturaya Gil’iara sought to establish the Assyrian fighting units under the British flag within the British Royal Army. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who recognized the efficiency and the discipline of Assyrian forces agreed for the formation of Assyrian Brigade in 1942.

Naum Faiq died in July 7, 1943 and replaced by Yossip Qaqnos for the leadership of AIP. Qaqnos, who tried to restore the good relation with the Atturaya Gil’iara, denounced the title of King of the Assyrians from King George VI of the United Kingdom. The meeting between Qaqnos and Bet-Abram Atturaya in February 11, 1944 united the goal of independence between both parties.

At the end of World War II, the British established the Mesopotamia Royal Commission to inquire the transition of Mandatory Mesopotamia into the fully independent states. In 1946, the Commission adopted a resolution for the formation of an Assyrian national homeland in Assyrian Triangle and the establishment of an independent state in Arab and Kurdish area.

The first election of Assyrian Parliament held in March 1, 1947 with the Assyrian Independence Party gained the majority of seats. In December 12, 1948, the Parliament of Assyria declared the independence of Assyria as the Republic of Assyria in Tel Keppe. Yossip Qaqnos elected as its first President and Freydun Bet-Abram Atturaya as its first Prime Minister.