Experiences and Reports accounted by Assyrian-Suryoye about the mass-killings 1914-1918

The authentic report of the 13-years-old Kerime Cercis about the deportation of Siirt.

(Interviewed by Chaldean priest in Edessa/Urfa,1915 J. Naayem 1918 in Istanbul)

End of 1918 some Muslim families came to Istanbul, who had Chaldean girls with them.

The Kurds took these girls away from their families in 1918. The owners wanted to sell the girls because of the reigning famine or to earn some money. In this way the 13-year-old Kerime returned to her relatives in Istanbul:

"When the massacre began I was 13 years old. My father worked for the customs authorities in Siirt. I lived together with my parents Cercis and Hane, my three brother is Kerim, Yusuf, Latif and my grandfather. Our house in the quarter of Ayn Saliba (cross drain) was raided in springtime 1915 by twenty bandits. Within this raid, my father and my grandfather were stabbed to death. My mother, my brothers and me were taken to a strange village. After the city went through a big massacre, where all my relatives had been killed and thrown into a big hole, the Kurds brought me to the other Chaldean girls in the village Zevida, where I spent one year. Every night the Kurds abused me.

One year later I went back to Siirt in the company of a Muslim woman. This woman brought me to Abdulferid, the new owner of our former home. She believed Abdulferid would feel sorry for me and therefore helps me, but quite the contrary. He threw me out of the house. One Chaldean, who was serving as a nanny for a Turk, helped me. I should carry water for the family and care for the garden. One day when I wanted to take water from the source a soldier came my way.

His name was Abdullah and was carrying water for the hospital of Siirt. He kidnapped and brought me to his mother Fatum Hanum. She showed me the hole where all the killed Christians been thrown in and said:

"The same will happen to you, if you don't follow our rules!" It was a terrible sight, all the bones, scaliest, hair of people lying down there. When we returned to the house! she told me: "Did you get what I told you, little heretic?" I was so frightened that I even could not answer.

Abdullah was abusing me sexually and in many other ways. For three years I had to undergo a terrible treatment, served for the old witch and followed everything she ordered. Than the famine began to reign the village and everyone was suffering from hunger except the slave driver Abdulriza. His depot was full of food, which he had stolen from the Christian’s houses. Abdullah could not nurture his family any longer. Therefore, he told his mother to take his children and go begging for money, but she had decided for the voyage to Istanbul. The voyage lasted three months and what Fatum and the children did to me in the meantime is too unbelievable to describe it. When we reached Istanbul she sold me to a Muslim woman, who knew one of my relatives. I begged her to bring me there and finally she did. Now I am living in my relative's house, which called Zeki Hirize and works as a shoemaker.

These are the names of my killed relatives:

My parents Cercis and Hane, my brothers Latif, Yusuf, Kerim (killed by Abdulferid who inhabits our former house), my grandparents on sides, my uncles Pitiyon, Tevfik, Bulos and my aunts Hatun and Helena.

 

All of our possessions, the house, furniture, gold, jewels, everything belongs now to Abdulferid, who has taken everything."

The report of the Chaldean Hanna Schimun.

(Interviewed by Chaldean priest in Edessa/Urfa, 1915 J. Naayem 1918 in Istanbul.)

 

"Most of the deported people were from the villages which belonged to Sükrü Bey and the others were collected from the villages near to the City Bridge. Their murderers took the possessions of the killed people. That was nothing new to us, it was well known through the deportations of Diyarbakir. Many of the victims belonged to the Chaldean community. In the meantime, the government in Istanbul passed an amnesty for the Chaldeans and Assyrians, but quite a small part of the Chaldeans was still alive. In spite of the amnesty, they were killed. Therefore, the Bishop went to the governor and his assistant Zülfi Efendi and protested against this action. Finally, they assured him in a tricky way that his community is going to be spared. They deceived him, because the actions were still going on. The already mentioned Zülfi Efendi claimed 200 gold lira from me for the release of my brother.

The ethnic clearances in Diyarbakir lasted four months. The governor Rashid Bey was serving for a year. On his last day 150 salesman were captured and brought to Ziran-hill to kill them. Among the victims were many Chaldeans who I used to know very well. All our possessions were stolen and our girls were brought to Muslim harems.

The Bishop was still trying to free the rest of our population by paying the blood thirsty Rashid Bey another 1,5 millions lira, but only a small part of his community was not deported. They were brought to the village Fiskiya and had to serve as street workers. The Bishop was also paying for the slave's daily food.

In the meantime all Chaldean churches in Diyarbakir were plundered and destroyed. Some churches were used as hospitals or horses barns. Rashid Bey put all the possessions of the Christians in 24 train wagons and sent them to Istanbul. Than he gave the rest of the goods to his friends, but Fevzi and Zülfi received the main part."

The report of Deacon Asmar from the village Aynverd (Tur-Abdin)

(The survivors of the First World War)

(Taken in 1961 by Prof. Helmut Ritter in Istanbul)

"I'm Deacon Asmar, my father is Gevergis and I'm the Priest of the village Aynverd. At that time I was teaching at the Mar Severius University of the Suryoye people in Beirut. I am going to tell you what happened 1915 in Aynverd.

The village Aynverd lies in Turabdin, west from the town Midyat. When the Muslims raided the Christians and killed them, the habitants of Aynverd began to defend themselves. Many Christians from the nearer villages like Midyat, Keferze, Arnas, Bate and Kafro sought refuge in our village, too, who was besieged by 12 000 soldiers. Moreover, all Muslims , even women and children, from the surrounding villages gathered and attacked our village from all sides. Maybe they thought the village is so small that they would take it very fast, to kill the Christians and take their possessions. However, Aynverd was defending itself for 2 months and 6 days until the soldiers were tired and wanted to negotiate. They told us: "We don't want to kill and fight you anymore. Give up and follow the governments orders." The Christians had no faith in the officials and answered: "You can send us a Kurdish Sheik to negotiate with us, but first of all the soldiers and Muslims have to draw back." They wanted to meet Sheik Fethullah from Aynkaf and make a decision with him. The Sheik came with one of his nephews Sheik Sidki and claimed, that the Christians sent one of their men to the other side, which done immediately. The Sheik promised that he would prove the peace offer by the officials to make sure if it was a trap for the Christians or not. The code was: "When I say, with my conscience and my honour, than you will understand that the peace offer isn't a trap. But when I don't say these words than you shouldn't trust the officials."

 

Still other villages were besieged and the negotiations were going on. The population claimed: "There are still three other besieged villages: Saleh, Hah and Azach. The soldiers have to draw back from them!" The commander wanted them to send him men for the negotiations. Therefore, the Christians kept the sheikh’s nephew as a guarantee for a week in their village. The Muhtar (Mayor) went to the village Der-Salib to negotiate and finally the soldiers draw back. He was also victorious in Hah. Only the Turkish commander in Azach refused to give up: "The Christians killed many of my men. I'm not going to give up."

The discussions went further and the commander sent a telegraph to Mardin. The answer was: "You have to draw back from Azach immediately." The negotiations lasted for two months from October to November 1915."

Celila, the daughter of Gabriel Musa Gorgis and her information considering the deportations.

(Interviewed by Chaldean priest in Edessa / Urfa, 1915J. Naayen on December 18th 1918 in Aleppo/Syria)

"On a Sunday morning in September they brought women and children to the yard of a military barrack, where we had to spend the night. On the next morning, they brought us to the hospital yard, where they gathered us some days ago together with the men. They wrote down our names on a list. The same moment when the deportation in Bitlis started, we began to march, also. Our group consisted of women, girls and children less than six years. We were about thousand people. We had some of our things, mainly covers, with us and were lead by 4 soldiers.

Those who could not march anymore, especially the elder, were killed immediately. We were fallen over by Kurdish bandits from Gyazere. They tear off our clothes, took our food and money. When we crossed a river, the soldiers began to look for our money, gold or jewels. They did this several times during our march. When we took a break they picked out the most beautiful girls and abused them. Most of them were my relatives and the same happened to me. Three days after we left Siirt, Tahir Qavush came to me and wanted to have my 8 years old daughter Evdoksiya. When I denied he said: "Don't worry about her, she can have a rest with me, than I'll bring her back." I was crying and screaming, but he took her and went away.

We were marching for several days and passed many villages. The women were carrying their children in their arms to save them from the hot merciless sun. When we passed a mountain, hundred armed Kurds raided us with their women and children. The men pounced on us like monsters and the women hit us with stones. They took off our remaining clothes, when Kurdish men recognised that I had still jacket and shoes he took them, too. Than he hit me with his feast before he was gone.

I wanted to escape, as I saw a naked woman who had a dagger thrust in her stomach. She was trying to push back her out-hanging bowels. She wanted to escape from the monster, too.

I held my little child on my breast while my sister-in-law was carrying my 3-year-old child. The Kurds followed our track down the valley. Out of tiredness and fear I fell to earth and was sweating all over my body. In this state a Kurd came my way while he was tearing a kidnapped girl. She was the daughter of Priest Petrus Tschakaya. He took off her clothes and asked me: "Are you woman or girl?" I answered: "Can't you see my child?" When he was ready to go, the voice of a soldier ordered: "Kill the women and take the girls, only!" I jumped up and tried to escape, but the Kurd took a big stone and hit my head with it, so I fell to earth again. Suddenly my child's crying woke me up. It nearly melted under the burning sun. The terrible sight of my poor child made me feel sick. I pressed the delicate body smoothly on my breast and sat under the protecting shadow of a tree.

I raised my hand to feel my head and recognised that my wound was still bleeding. Many Kurdish women passed me carrying the things of the deported people. When they saw me they said: "Another one who's not dead! Let's take off her last clothes!" One of them tried to tear off my socks, but my swollen feet and the running blood from my wounds made them stick to my legs. When the woman noticed that she could not get them, she left. Then 4 Kurds carrying beds noticed me and came my way to kill me. The eldest one persuaded them and saved my life.

Later this Kurd came back and made me the proposition of joining him if I would pay him. However, I had no money left. When he looked on my child and saw it’s miserable state he felt sorry for it. He took off his vest and told me to cover my child with it until he comes back. After a while he came to bring me in his village near to Mardin, where his wife was caring for me until my wounds healed. Therefore, I took all my power together and helped in everyday work to express them my gratitude.

One of my aunts was living in Mardin and I was hoping to get there. After a couple of time, I met another Chaldean woman, who been deported from Siirt. She told me that she was going to leave with 12 other women to Mardin. So I asked the old man, if I could join them. We went they are by foot and many Kurdish women were walking along. In Mardin I found my relatives and paid ransom for my daughter Evdoksiya. After a year I had the chance of moving to Aleppo where I lived in my nephew's house."