For over 40 years a rubbing reproduction of an eighth century Assyrian monument hung in Samuel Ayoubkhani's home as a treasure that only friends and family saw.

Now, the artifact of two cultures is on display for all to see through Ayoubkhani's donation to California State University, Stanislaus.

The rubbing reproduction of the Nestorian Monument was unveiled Friday night to an overflow crowd at the university's library and there it will hang for all to enjoy.

"It has made me very happy to give this to the university, because first of all, it's educational for the students and because there are thousands of Assyrians in Stanislaus that can now come and see it," Ayoubkhani said.

The Nestorian Monument was erected in 781 AD in China during the Tang Dynasty. The black marble monument was to recognize the work of Assyrian missionaries, who 150 years earlier, had helped introduce Christianity to China. The monument bears inscriptions in both Chinese and Syriac that were composed by an Assyrian priest. It's believed that the monument was buried by Christians in 845 AD as a way to save the stone from destruction during a religious persecution by Emperor Wa-Tsung.

It's date of rediscovery is up for debate as well as the exact location. Most scholars now believe it was found in 1625. Some accounts say it was found when a Chinese family was digging a foundation for their home. Other stories said it was found 30 miles away.

The monument's rediscovery in the 17th century raised considerable excitement for the Jesuit missionaries in China. The emperor at the time had railed against Christian teachings and had banned the practice because it was a new religion. Missionaries used the monument to prove Christianity had been in China a thousand years earlier.

The discovery of the rubbing reproduction of the ancient Assyrian artifact was itself a monumental moment for Ayoubkhani.

It was 1965 and he was a post-graduate student at Manchester University in the United Kingdom. His landlords would often invite him over for visits and conversation. One day, the chat turned to Ayoubkhani's ancestry and language. As Ayoubkhani described the Aramaic language and how it is written right to left, a twinge of remembrance came up in the man's eye. He shuffled off and a few moments came back with the rubbing.

"I was amazed the first time I saw it," Ayoubkhani said. "I knew it was about my ancestors."

Ayoubkhani bought the rubbing for 500 pounds, paid for in three installments.

It was at the May 2008 Mayor's Prayer Breakfast that Ayoubkhani first had the notion of donating the treasure.

"Dr. (Ham) Shirvani was reading from a passage in Jeremiah and it came to my mind the best place for it would be at the university," he said.

The mounted and framed monument rubbing will be displayed in the library along with other Assyrian artifacts that include a rare Assyrian Christian book collection donated by the Rev. Eshoo Sayad and a pair of bronze sculptures of King Ahurbanipal and Queen Shamiram, the last rulers of Assyria during the 6th and 7th centuries BC.

"It is in a place now where it can really be useful to the young people and all the knowledge can be shared with our neighbors and friends," said Lazar Piro, who spoke at the unveiling.

By Sabra Stafford
www.turlockjournal.com