Sayfo

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Sayfo

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The Sayfo was the mass killing and deportation of Assyrian/Syriac Christians during WWI.

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Origins & Early Life

The Sayfo (Syriac: ܣܲܝܦܵܐ, lit. 'sword'), also known as the Seyfo or the Assyrian genocide, was the mass killing and deportation of Assyrian/Syriac Christians in southeastern Anatolia and Persia's Azerbaijan province by Ottoman forces and some Kurdish tribes during World War I. The Assyrians were divided into mutually antagonistic churches, including the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Before World War I, they largely lived in mountainous and remote areas of the Ottoman Empire and Persia, some of which were effectively stateless. The Ottoman Empire's nineteenth-century centralization efforts led to increased violence and danger for the Assyrians. Mass killing of Assyrian civilians began during the Ottoman occupation of Azerbaijan from January to May 1915, during which massacres were committed by Ottoman forces and pro-Ottoman Kurds.

Career & Major Achievements

In Bitlis province, Ottoman troops returning from Persia joined local Kurdish tribes to massacre the local Christian population (Armenians and Assyrians). Ottoman forces and Kurds attacked the Assyrian tribes of Hakkari in mid-1915, driving them out by September despite the tribes mounting a coordinated military defense. Governor Mehmed Reshid initiated a genocide of all of the Christian communities in Diyarbekir province, including Syriac Christians, facing only sporadic armed resistance in some parts of Tur Abdin. Ottoman Assyrians living farther south, in present-day Iraq and Syria, were not targeted in the genocide. The Sayfo occurred concurrently with and was closely related to the Armenian genocide, although the Sayfo is considered to have been less systematic.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Local actors played a larger role than the Ottoman government, but the latter also ordered attacks on certain Assyrians. Motives for killing included a perceived lack of loyalty among some Assyrian communities to the Ottoman Empire and the desire to appropriate their land. At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, the Assyro-Chaldean delegation said that its losses were 250,000, about half the pre-war population. The accuracy of this figure is unknown. They later revised their estimate to 275,000 dead at the Lausanne Conference in 1923.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1915: 1915 Milestone — Mass killing of Assyrian civilians began during the Ottoman occupation of Azerbaijan from January to May 1915, during which massacres were committed by Ottoman forces and pro-Ottoman Kurds.
2. 1919: 1919 Milestone — At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, the Assyro-Chaldean delegation said that its losses were 250,000, about half the pre-war population.
3. 1923: 1923 Milestone — They later revised their estimate to 275,000 dead at the Lausanne Conference in 1923.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Sayfo

True or False: “The term 'Assyrian Genocide' was universally accepted by all major international bodies immediately following World War I.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The Wikipedia text notes that the assertion of genocide is rejected by the Turkish government, indicating a lack of universal acceptance.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. A. K. Niazi — Historical peer (Born in 1915) (1915): Pakistani general who commanded Eastern Command during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
• Abba Eban — Historical peer (Born in 1915) (1915): Israeli diplomat, politician, and scholar of Arabic and Hebrew languages.
• Adelina Patti — Historical peer (Died in 1919) (1919): Legendary Spanish-Italian soprano renowned for her bel canto technique and lyrical voice.
• Ahmed Abdallah — Historical peer (Born in 1919) (1919): Comorian politician who served as President of the Comoros from 1978 to 1989.
• Aaron Spelling — Historical peer (Born in 1923) (1923): Pioneering American producer of hit TV series like Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Ahmet Ertegun — Historical peer (Born in 1923) (1923): Pioneering Turkish-American music executive, co-founder of Atlantic Records.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sayfo