The Naming Problem of the Nestorian Tiyaris in Historical Sources (1835 - 1914)

Abstract

The Nestorian Tiyaris, who lived in Northern Kurdistan, are a Christian minority with the oldest and deepest history in the region. They were a community with distinctive values ​​and characteristics. Similarly, they have a critical role in the history of the region between (1835 – 1914). However, the main problem facing historians in their research on their history, is the use of an accurate and scientific name for them. Due to religious reasons and political events in particular, they have been called by many names: Syriacs, Chaldeans, Assyrians, etc. This problem, influenced by the events and political developments between (1835 – 1914), emerged as a scientific and source-based issue and continues in academic circles In particular.

The importance of this article lies in the fact that it highlights the ethnology of one of the oldest religious communities in Kurdistan, the Tiyari traditions, and how they were named in the sources, precisely between 1835 and 1914, which is now a number Foreign travelers, orientalists and historians have visited them and researched them, each giving them a name, but they have never been united.

the subject of naming academic texts in Assyrian, Chaldean or Syriac; It is one of the most complex and sensitive issues that is constantly discussed.

The aim of writing this research is to scientifically and academically list the names that were given to the Tiari stories in historical sources and decide on an appropriate name on the basis of ethnology, in order to facilitate research on their history.

The research method is the historical-analytical method based on the identification and comparison of these names and sources related to the subject and their evaluation on a scientific basis in order to identify their correct names.