Server Information Website statistics: • over 50,000 unique visitors per month, coming from 100+ different countries • over 100 GB (gigabytes) of information (documents, photos, audio and video) is transmitted monthly to those visitors • over 1,000,000 hits per month are received and maintained by the server • 300 GB (gigabytes) of existing data files, consisting of audio, video, images, photographs and thousands of web documents, gradually being updated to the various websites • the server has monthly expenses, similar to any company or organization having an Internet presence.  Due to our increasing website growth and bandwidth usage (amount of information viewed by Internet visitors), the server is now financed primarily by partners, sponsors, business affiliations and individual donations.

To preserve.  To inform.  To inspire.

Welcome to Assyrian Information Management (AIM), the virtual Internet-based academic repository which created and continues to manage atour.com was founded on December 10, 1996, during the early years of the Internet.  The organization's primary objective is to promote Assyrian history, language and culture by having editorial independence to present our perspective and related information into accurate articles, freely available for everyone.

AIM has developed and managed many Assyrian-related projects.  AIM is also independent of political persuasion, tribal affiliation, religious creed and is financed primarily by partners, sponsors, business affiliations and individual donations.

We are socially responsible and believe in promoting Assyrian businesses and organizations by investing in their goods and services.  We accomplish this by advertising their banners through our highly effective website advertising platform.

We are selective in choosing companies and organizations to list in our advertising system.  This ensures our Internet presence and advertising system are free from distracting marketing clutter that is present throughout the Internet.  We do not accept any outside advertisements, preferring to manage our own affiliation, advertising and search systems.

In addition to balancing between selective business affiliations and conscious capitalism, we freely promote Ad Council public service announcements of significant public issues to create awareness, cultivate understanding and motivate action within our communities.

The server system and its websites consisting of web documents, images, photographs, audio and video files, are blended together to form a unique Internet presence — an activist model of operations and independence.

Activist model summary:

• Independent, trusted, professional online presence
• Thousands of Assyrians visit monthly for activism and research
• Respected by Assyrian individuals, activists and organizations
• Referenced by universities, websites and search directories
• Unique activists' publishing features and information

We are a volunteer-based organization.  The people developing the website(s) are Assyrian activists, artists, authors, engineers, journalists, writers, scholars and students, and their scope of work and participation varies according to their professional experience and skill levels.  There are also English-speaking scholars who write, translate and forward articles.  We are volunteers and devote our time to bring tangible results for our communities.

Please support Assyrian activists and friends of Assyrians.

Would you like to help?

• Share — linking your website to atour.com and/or posting this website's links of important documents on other websites, it's free and simple
  
• Display/Embed — displaying AIM|Atour information instantly on your website, it's free and simple
• Donate — donating and helping support these online projects
• Shop — shopping and purchasing items through our business affiliations website links
• Fundraise — having fundraising efforts within your local organizations and communities to financially support our Internet presence
• Volunteer — volunteering to write articles or gathering historical documentation and photographs, and sharing that information with us through our development forums which will eventually appear on various sections of the website

Are you part of an active Assyrian organization or business?

• Sponsorship — short-term advertising of your business or organization in this server project.
• Partnership — long-term advertising of your business or organization and investing in this server project.

Are you interested in sharing your knowledge with fellow Assyrians?

  Assyrian Forums  Make a difference, collaborate and share information!
Register and share your activism in the Assyrian Forums.

R E C O M M E N D E D   A P P L I C A T I O N S

Technology has improved to help with Internet privacy concerns, especially for human rights activists, artists, authors, journalists, and writers.  We highly recommend using the following applications to protect your online privacy, specifically Signal for your phone, Tor for your Internet browser program, and Tails for your operating system.

Signal is a free open source application and cross-platform encrypted messaging service developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC for Android and iOS phones and desktop computers, that employs end-to-end encryption, allowing users to send end-to-end encrypted group, text, picture, and audio & video messages, and have encrypted phone conversations between Signal users.

Tor mission is to advance human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open source anonymity and privacy technologies, supporting their unrestricted availability and use, and furthering their scientific and popular understanding. Browse privately, explore freely, defend yourself against tracking and surveillance, circumvent censorship. Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept Internet communications, or see where communications are coming from or going to.

Tails is a live operating system, that you can start on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card and aims at preserving your online privacy and anonymity.

Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network.

WikiLeaks is an international non-profit organisation that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media provided by anonymous sources. See also: WikiLeaks Research Community - user contributed research based on documents published by WikiLeaks.

The Courage Foundation is an international organisation that supports those who risk life or liberty to make significant contributions to the historical record.

activist \ak-ti,-vist\ noun (1915) 1 : a person who campaigns for political or social change 2 : a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action (as a mass demonstration) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue — ac•tiv•is•m \ak-tiv-,iz-em\ noun — ac•tiv•is•tic \ak-tiv-,'is-tik\ adjective

mentor \'men-tór, 'ment-er\ noun [Latin, from Greek Mentor] 1 cap : a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus' son Telemachus 2 : an experienced person in an organization or institution who trains and advises new employees or students 3 a : a trusted counselor or guide b : TUTOR, COACH — men•tor•ship \-,ship\ noun

moderator \'mäd-e-,rät-er\ noun (1560) 1 : one who arbitrates : MEDIATOR 2 : one who presides over an assembly, meeting, or discussion: as a : the presiding officer of a Presbyterian governing body b : the nonpartisan presiding officer of a town meeting c : the chairman of a discussion group 3 : a substance (as a graphic) used for slowing down neutrons in a nuclear reactor — mod•er•a•tor•ship \-,ship\ noun

teacher \te-cher\ noun (14th century) [Aramaic: malpana | Assyrian: mulammidu] 1 : one that teaches; esp : one whose occupation is to instruct 2 : a Mormon ranking above a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood

Sources: Helsinki Neo-Assyrian Dictionary | Aramaic Dictionary | Oxford English Dictionary | Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary

Do you have a question?  Please search our Frequently Asked Questions, FAQs.

Beth-Nahren, Assyria Assyrian National Broadcasting (ANB) TV Studio Forced Closure in Ankawa, northern Iraq by KRG Kurdish Tribes Stealing Assyrian Christian Lands (Arabic) Faysh Khabur is being destroyed - فيشخابور تتعرض للتدمير Assyrian Journalist Khlapieel Bnyameen Detained by KRG since October 31, 2019 Spanish reporter Ferran Barber detained for weeks without charge, deported from Iraqi Kurdistan New Assyrian archaeology findings near Faidah on Mount Daka, Nohadra, northern Iraq [Assyria] 2018 Human Rights Report: Struggling to Breathe: the Systematic Repression of Assyrians Iraq's Stolen Election: How Assyrian Representation Became Assyrian Repression Recognition of the Simele Massacre of 1933 Erasing Assyrians: How the KRG Abuses Human Rights, Undermines Democracy, and Conquers Minority Homelands News Forum News: Bet-Nahren, Assyria Archives Assyrian Population Iraq 1,928,000 Syria 815,000 USA 490,000 Armenia 206,000 Brazil 98,000 Iran 74,000 Lebanon 68,000 Germany 60,000 Russia 52,000 Sweden 48,000 Australia 38,000 Turkey 24,000 Canada 23,000 France 18,000 Jordan 15,000 Georgia 15,000 Holland 12,000 Denmark 10,000 England 9,000 Austria 8,000 Greece 8,000 Belgium 5,000 Switzerland 5,000 New Zealand 4,000 Dubai (UAE) 3,000 Italy 3,000 Argentina 2,000 Mexico 2,000 Poland 2,000 Spain 1,000 Kazakhstan 250      TOTAL  4,036,250

To know your past, is to know yourself. In the villages, however, the reign of terror had begun. The Kurds had been informed of the Russian retirement, and were soon at work plundering and massacring the Christians in the Baranduz district (S. Urmi). Dizateka, Satloui, Aliabad, Shimshadjean, Babaroud, Darbaroud, Sardaroud, Teka, and Ardishai were already in their hands. Looting, plundering, massacre and rape were the order of the day... Kasha Ablakhat, the Syrian (Assyrian) priest, was escaping on horseback with his daughter ; he was killed and the girl carried off to Kurdistan, where she was married by force to a Kurd. Four months later came the sad news that she had died... -- Mr. Paul Shimmon (Assyrian Holocaust Survivor) Assyrian Holocaust | History Timeline | 1900's section

Assyrians — a historical summary

The Assyrians of today are the indigenous Aramaic-speaking descendants of the ancient Assyrian people, one of the earliest civilizations emerging in the Middle East, and have a history spanning over 6760 years.  Assyrians are not Arabian or Arabs, we are not Kurdish, our religion is not Islam.  The Assyrians are Christian, with our own unique language, culture and heritage.  Although the Assyrian empire ended in 612 B.C., history is replete with recorded details of the continuous presence of the Assyrian people until the present time.  

The Assyrian kingdom, being one of the base roots of Mesopotamia, encouraged urbanization, building of permanent dwellings, and cities. They also developed agriculture and improved methods of irrigation using systems of canals and aqueducts.  They enhanced their language that served as a unifying force in writing, trade and business transaction.  They encouraged trade, established and developed safe routes, protecting citizens and property by written law.  They excelled in administration, documented their performance and royal achievements, depicting their culture in different art forms.  They built libraries and archived their recorded deeds for prosperity.  They accumulated wealth and knowledge; raised armies in disciplined formation of infantry, cavalry and war-chariot troops with logistics; and built a strong kingdom, an unique civilization and the first world empire.

The heartland of Assyria lays in present day northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran.  The remains of the ancient capital of Assyria, Nineveh, is next to Mosul in northern Iraq.

Prior to the Assyrian Holocaust which occurred before, during and after World War I, the major Assyrian communities still inhabited the areas of Harran, Edessa, Tur Abdin, and Hakkari in southeastern Turkey, Jazira in northeastern Syria, Urmia in northwestern Iran, and Mosul in northern Iraq as they had for thousands of years.

The world’s 4 million Assyrians are currently dispersed with members of the Diaspora comprising nearly one-third of the population.  Most of the Assyrians in the Diaspora live in North America, Europe and Australia with nearly 460,000 residing in the United States of America.  The remaining Assyrians reside primarily in Iraq and Syria, with smaller populations in Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The Assyrians are not to be confused with Syrians even though some Syrian citizens are Assyrian.  Although the name of Syria is directly derived from Assyria and Syria was an integral part of Assyrian civilization, most of the people of Syria currently maintain a separate Arab identity.  Moreover, the Assyrians are not Arabs but rather have maintained a continuous and distinct ethnic identity, language, culture, and religion that predates the Arabization of the Near East.  In addition, unlike the Arabs who did not enter the region until the seventh century A.D., the Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia.  Until today, the Assyrians speak a distinct language (called Aramaic [Syriac]), the actual language spoken by Jesus Christ.  As a Semitic language, the Aramaic language is related to Hebrew and Arabic but predates both.  In addition, whereas most Arabs are Muslim, Assyrians are essentially Christian.

The Assyrians were among the first to accept Christianity in the first century A.D. through the Apostle St. Thomas.  Despite the subsequent Islamic conquest of the region in the seventh century A.D., the Church of the East flourished and its adherents at one time numbered in the tens of millions.  Assyrian missionary zeal was unmatched and led to the first Christian missions to China, Japan, and the Philippines.  The Church of the East stele in Xian, China bears testament to a thriving Assyrian Christian Church as early as in the seventh century A.D. Early on, the Assyrian Church divided into two ancient branches, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of the East.  Over time, divisions within these Assyrian Churches led to the establishment of the Chaldean Church (Uniate Catholic), Syrian Catholic Church, and Maronite Church.  Persistent persecution under Islamic occupation led to the migration of still greater numbers of Assyrian Christians into the Christian autonomous areas of Mount Lebanon as well.  With the arrival of Western Protestant and Catholic missionaries into Mesopotamia, especially since the nineteenth century, several smaller congregations of Assyrian Protestants arose as well.  A direct consequence of Assyrian adherence to the Christian faith and their missionary enterprise has been persecution, massacres, and ethnic cleansing by various waves of non-Christian neighbors which ultimately led to a decimation of the Assyrian Christian population. Most recently and tragically, Great Britain invited the Assyrians as an ally in World War I.  The autonomous Assyrians were drawn into the conflict following successive massacres against the civilian population by forces of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, Kurds, Arabs and Persians.  Although many geopolitical and economic factors were involved in provoking the attacks against the Assyrians, a jihad or holy war was declared and served as the rallying cry and vehicle for marauding Turks, Kurds, and Persians.  Although the Muslim holy war against the Armenians is perhaps better known, over three-fourths, or 750,000 Assyrian Christians were also killed between 1843-1945 during the Assyrian Holocaust.

The conflict and subsequent Assyrian Holocaust led to the decimation and dispersal of the Assyrians.  Those Assyrians who survived the Holocaust were driven out of their ancestral homeland in Turkish Mesopotamia primarily toward the area of Mosul Vilayet in Iraq, Jazira in Syria, and the Urmi plains of Iran where large Assyrian populations already lived.  The massacres of 1915 followed the Assyrians to these areas as well, prompting an exodus of many more Assyrians to other countries and continents.  The Assyrian Holocaust of 1915 is the turning point in the modern history of the Assyrian Christians precisely because it is the single event that led to the dispersal of the surviving community into small, weak, and destitute communities.

Most Assyrians in the Diaspora today can trace their emigration from the Middle East to the Assyrian Holocaust of 1915.  Many, who fled from their original homes into other Middle Eastern countries subsequently, just one generation later, once more emigrated to the West.  Thus, many Assyrian families in the West today have experienced transfer to a new country for three successive generations beginning, for instance, from Turkey to Iraq and then to the United States.

During World War I, after the Assyrians ["Our Smallest Ally"] sided with the victorious Allies, Great Britain had promised the Assyrians autonomy, independence, and a homeland.  The Assyrian question was addressed during postwar deliberations at the League of Nations.  However, with the termination of the British Mandate in Iraq, the unresolved status of the Assyrians was relinquished to the newly formed Iraqi government with promises of certain minority guarantees specifically concerning freedom of religious, cultural, and linguistic expression.  The Assyrians lost two-thirds of their population during the World Wars.

The Simele Genocide (Syriac: ܦܪܡܬܐ ܕܣܡܠܐ: Premta d-Simele) was the first of many massacres committed by the Iraqi government during the systematic genocide of Assyrians of Northern Iraq in August 1933. The term is used to describe not only the massacre of Simele, but also the killing spree that continued among 63 Assyrian villages in the Dohuk and Mosul districts that led to the deaths of an estimated 3,000 innocent Assyrians.  Today, most of these villages continue to be illegally occupied by Arabs and Kurds.

The Assyrians are a stateless people and continue to be religiously and ethnically persecuted in the Middle East due to Islamic fundamentalism, Arabization and Kurdification policies, leading to land expropriations and forced emigration to the West.