Assyrians in Iran ( syr, ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܐܝܼܪܵܢ), ( fa, آشوریان ایران), are an

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

and linguistic

minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...

in present-day

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

. The

Assyrians Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

of Iran speak

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Suret ( syr, ܣܘܪܝܬ) ( �su:rɪtʰor �su:rɪθ, also known as Assyrian or Chaldean, refers to the varieties of Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) spoken by ethnic Assyrians, including those identifying as religious groups rather than ethn ...

, a neo-Aramaic language descended from Classical Syriac and elements of

Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform, early writing system * Akkadian myt ...

, and are Eastern Rite Christians belonging mostly to the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East,, ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية sometimes called Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,; ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسول� ...

and also to the

Ancient Church of the East The Ancient Church of the East is an Eastern Christian denomination. It branched from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964, under the leadership of Mar Thoma Darmo (d. 1969). It is one of three Assyrian Churches that claim continuity with ...

Assyrian Pentecostal Church The Assyrian Pentecostal Church ( syr, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܐܚܘܢܘ̈ܬܐ ܦܢܛܩܘܣܛܝ̈ܐ ܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ, ''‘Ittā d-Akhonāwāthā Pēnṭēqosṭāyē Ātūrāyē''; fa, کلیسای پنطیکاستی آشوری), is a Reformed Eastern Chr ...

Chaldean Catholic Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = Assyrian Church.png , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows Baghdad, Iraq , abbreviation = , type ...

and Assyrian Evangelical Church. They share a common history and ethnic identity, rooted in shared linguistic, cultural and religious traditions, with Assyrians in Iraq, Assyrians in Turkey and

Assyrians in Syria Assyrians in Syria ( syr, ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ, ar, الآشوريون في سوريا) are an ethnic and linguistic minority that are indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia (known in Syriac as '' Gozarto'') which is the name used for the uplands ...

, as well as with the

Assyrian diaspora Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assy ...

. The Assyrian community in Iran numbered approximately 200,000 prior to the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

of 1979. In 1987, there were an estimated 50,000 Assyrians living in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...

. However, after the revolution many Assyrians left the country, primarily for the United States; the 1996 Iranian census counted only 32,000 Assyrians. Current estimates of the Assyrian population in Iran consist of 7,000 combined members of the Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholic Church in addition to less than 10,000 members of the Assyrian Evangelical Church. The Iranian capital,

, is home to the majority of Iranian Assyrians; however, approximately 15,000 Assyrians reside in northern Iran, in

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an a ...

and various Assyrian villages in the surrounding area. To note among the

, the Assyrians residing in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

tend to be originally from

. The

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران, ''Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran'') was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replac ...

, ratified in 1979, recognizes Assyrians as a

religious minority A minority religion is a religion held by a minority of the population of a country, state, or region. Minority religions may be subject to stigma or discrimination. An example of a stigma is using the term cult with its extremely negative conn ...

and

ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

and reserves for them one seat in the

Islamic Consultative Assembly The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...

, the Iranian parliament. , the seat was occupied by

Yonathan Betkolia Yonathan Betkolia ( syr, ܝܘܢܬܢ ܒܝܬܟܘܠܝܐ) is an Assyrian politician and former member of the Iranian Parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called th ...

, who was elected in 2000 and reelected in the 2004 legislative election. In 2010, it was estimated that there were only around 5,000 Assyrians left in the historical center of the city of Urmia.

History

The Assyrian presence in Iran goes back 4,000 years to ancient times, and

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the As ...

was involved in the history of

Ancient Iran The history of Iran is intertwined with the history of a larger region known as Greater Iran, comprising the area from Anatolia in the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Ste ...

even before the arrival of the modern

Iranian peoples The Iranian peoples or Iranic peoples are a diverse grouping of Indo-European peoples who are identified by their usage of the Iranian languages and other cultural similarities. The Proto-Iranians are believed to have emerged as a separat ...

to the region circa 1000 BC. During the Old Assyrian Empire (c.2025-1750 BC) and

Middle Assyrian Empire The Middle Assyrian Empire was the third stage of Assyrian history, covering the history of Assyria from the accession of Ashur-uballit I 1363 BC and the rise of Assyria as a territorial kingdom to the death of Ashur-dan II in 912 BC. ...

(1365-1020 BC) the Assyrians ruled over parts of ''Pre-Iranic'' northern and western Iran. The

Neo-Assyrian Empire The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the fourth and penultimate stage of ancient Assyrian history and the final and greatest phase of Assyria as an independent state. Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew ...

(911-605 BC) saw Assyria conquer the Iranic

Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian. ...

, Medes and Parthians into their empire, together with the ancient ''pre-Iranic'' Elamites,

Kassites The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology). They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylo ...

, Manneans and Gutians, and also the Iranic

Cimmerians The Cimmerians (Akkadian: , romanized: ; Hebrew: , romanized: ; Ancient Greek: , romanized: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people originating in the Caspian steppe, part of whom subsequently migrated into W ...

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

and

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...

of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. The home of the Assyrians in Iran has traditionally been along the western shore of

Lake Urmia Lake Urmia; az, اۇرمۇ گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Urmu gölü; ku, گۆلائوو رمیەیێ, Gola Ûrmiyeyê; hy, Ուրմիա լիճ, Urmia lich; arc, ܝܡܬܐ ܕܐܘܪܡܝܐ is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is ...

from the Salmas area to the Urmia plain. After the fall of Assyria between 612 and 599 BC, after decades of civil war, followed by an attack by an alliance of former subject peoples; the Medes,

, Babylonians,

Chaldea Chaldea () was a small country that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BCE, after which the country and its people were absorbed and assimilated into the indigenous population of Babylonia. Semitic-speaking, it was ...

ns,

and

, its people became an integral part of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

(as did

itself), holding important military, civic and economic positions, and the Achaemenid Persians, having spent centuries under Assyrian domination, were greatly influenced by Assyrian Art and Architecture, modelled their empire upon Assyrian lines, and saw themselves as the successors of the great Assyrian kings. Assyrians are still attested as being extant in the north west of the region during the

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conq ...

(160 BC-223 AD) and

Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Name ...

(224-650 AD), and throughout the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, where the

Bukhtishu The Bukhtīshūʿ (or Boḵtīšūʿ) were a family of either Persian or Nestorian Christian physicians from the 7th, 8th, and 9th centuries, spanning six generations and 250 years. The Middle Persian- Syriac name which can be found as early as ...

family of physicians were held in great regard by the Persian kings. There were about 200,000 Assyrians in Iran at the time of the 1976 census.Iran A Country Study By Federal Research Division - Page 128 Many emigrated after the revolution in 1979, but at least 50,000 were estimated to be still in Iran in 1987. In 1900, Assyrians numbered over 76,000 in northwestern Iran, constituting over a quarter of the Azerbaijan province's population and were the largest non-Muslim majority in

. Of the 300 villages around Urmia, 60 were exclusively Assyrians and 60 were mixed villages with Assyrian, Armenian, and Azeri communities. Nevertheless, there were over 115 documented Assyrian villages to the west of

prior to 1918. Old church of Urmia

During the

Assyrian genocide The Sayfo or the Seyfo (; see below), also known as the Assyrian genocide, was the mass slaughter and deportation of Assyrian / Syriac Christians in southeastern Anatolia and Persia's Azerbaijan province by Ottoman forces and some Kurdish ...

, which took place during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the

Ottoman Army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

together with allied Kurdish and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

militias along the Persian-Turkish and Persian-Iraqi border carried out religiously and ethnically motivated massacres and deportations on unarmed Assyrian civilians (and

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

) both in the mountains and on the rich plains, resulting in the death of at least 300,000 Assyrians.David Gaunt
"The Assyrian Genocide of 1915"
''Assyrian Genocide Research Center'', 2009 This genocide that started in 1914 was said to be started with the Ottomans’ ‘Jihad’ declaration, apparently solely based on its ethnic and religious differences with the Assyrians because of their belief in Christianity, but actually there was an ambition to extend their ‘holy war’ beyond Assyrian territories to spread its Ottoman influences. The Ottomans already implemented massacres of several Assyrian tribes from 1843 to 1845, with the motive of taking over their ancestral lands and making them part of the Ottoman Empire. These tribes were particularly the Tiyari, Tkhuma, Jilu and Baz, who all refused Ottoman command. According to British councils, 10,000 Assyrians were massacred already during this time alone. Women and children were taken while Assyrian leaders were cast out from Ottoman forces. Assyrians felt forced to convert to for example Catholicism or Russian Orthodoxy to receive help from the Russian, French or British. In 1914 alone, they attacked dozens of villages and drove off all the inhabitants of the district of Gawar. The Assyrians defended themselves and for a time successfully repelled further attacks under the leadership of Agha Petros, seizing control of much of the Urmia region and defeating Ottoman forces and their Kurdish and Arab allies in the process. However, lack of ammunition and supplies, due mainly to the withdrawal of

from the war, and the collapse of allied Armenian forces led to their downfall. Massively outnumbered, surrounded, undersupplied and cut off, the Assyrians suffered terrible massacres. These included Assyrian deportations close to the Ottoman-Persian border in January 1915, as well as the invasion of several Assyrian tribes located in the Hakkari mountains. This area already suffered a numerous number of massacres in the 1840s. By the summer of 1918 almost all surviving Assyrians had fled to Tehran or to existing Assyrian communities or refugee camps in Iraq such as Baqubah. Local Kurds and Arabs and took the opportunity of the last phases of World War I to rob Assyrian homes, murder civilians and leave those remaining destitute. The critical murder that sowed panic in the Assyrian community came when Kurdish militias, under Agha Ismail Simko, assassinated the Patriarch, Mar Benyamin Shimon XIX, on March 3, 1918, under the pretext of inviting him to negotiations, although the Assyrian leader Malik Khoshaba exacted revenge upon Simko by attacking and sacking his citadel, forcing the Kurdish leader to flee for his life.

Religious communities

Most Assyrians in Iran are followers of the

, with a minority of 3,900 following the

Chaldean Catholic Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = Assyrian Church.png , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows Baghdad, Iraq , abbreviation = , type ...

. Some also follow Protestant denominations such as the Assyrian Evangelical Church,

and possibly

Russian Orthodoxy Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most C ...

due to a Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Urmia during the 1900s.

Distribution

(): ** Abajalu, Abdulkandi, Adeh (ܥܕܐ), Aliabad, Aliawach, Alikumi, Alqayeh, Anhar, Ardishai, Armutaghaj, Babarud, Badelbu, Badiki, Balanush, Balu,

Borashan Burashan ( fa, بوراشان, also Romanized as Būrāshān; also known as Borāshān in Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Tu ...

Chamaki Chamaki ( fa, چمكي, also Romanized as Chamakī) is a village in Tala Tappeh Rural District, Nazlu District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. In the 1986 census, 33 people in 7 families were reported to live in Chamaki. At the 2 ...

, Chamashajan, Charagushi, Charbakhsh (), Darbarut, Digala (), Dizataka, Diszgeri, Gawilan, Geogtapa, Lower Gniza, Upper Gniza, Gulpashin/

Gulpashan Golpashan was an Assyrian Christian town located on the western shore of Lake Urmia. The town was once one of the most prosperous towns in Urmia plains but was destroyed and abandoned in 1918. The site is now occupied by the village of Gol Pashin. ...

, Gowzgavand, Hesar Babaganja, Ikiaghaj, Iryawa, Jamlawa, Khanishan,

Kosi KOSI (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Denver, Colorado. KOSI is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and airs an adult contemporary music format. Its studios and offices are located on East Orchard Road in Greenwo ...

, Lulpa, Mushawa, Nazlu, Piqabaklu, Qala, Qara-Aghaj, Qarajalu, Qaragoz,

Qasemlu Qasemlu ( fa, قاسملو, also Romanized as Qāsemlū) is a village in Baranduzchay-ye Jonubi Rural District, in the Central District of Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

, Qezel Ashuq, Qurtapa, Saatlu, Sainabad, Sangar,

Saralan Saralan ( fa, سارالان, also Romanized as Sārālān; also known as Sārān) is a village in Baranduzchay-ye Shomali Rural District, in the Central District of Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. As the 2006 census, its popula ...

, Sardarud, Shirabad (ܫܝܪܐܒܕ), Sir, Sopurghan, Taka,

Tarmani Tarmani ( fa, ترمني, also Romanized as Tarmanī) is a village in Bakeshluchay Rural District Bakeshluchay Rural District ( fa, دهستان بکشلوچای) is a rural district (''dehestan'') in the Central District of Urmia County, West ...

, Tazakand,

, Vazirabad, Yaghmiralu, Yengija, Zumalan (ܙܘܡܠܢ). * Margawar: ** Diza,

Gerdik Gerdik ( fa, گرديك, also Romanized as Gerdīk) is a village in Margavar Rural District, Silvaneh District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, ...

, Gullistan,

Nergi Nergi ( fa, نرگي, also Romanized as Nergī) is a village in Margavar Rural District, Silvaneh District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a ...

, Razhani. * Targawar (): **

Anbi Anbi ( fa, انبي, also Romanized as Anbī; also known as Ābnī and Ambi) is a village in Targavar Rural District, Silvaneh District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

, Balulan, Darband, Dastalan, Haki,

Mavana Mavana ( fa, موانا, also Romanized as Mavānā, Mawāna, and Movānā; also known as Mavāneh) is a village in Targavar Rural District, Silvaneh District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1, ...

(ܡܥܘܢܐ), Qurana,

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed i ...

, Shibani, Tuleki, Tulu. * Sumay Baradust: **

Gangachin , native_name_lang = fa , settlement_type = Village , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_alt = , i ...

, Tazakand. * Salmas ():: ** Akhtekhana, Chara, Delemon (), Guliser, Khanaga, Khosrawa, Mahlam, Patamur, Qederabad, Sarna, Sawra, Ulah, Zewajik.

Churches

* Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church –

– Kermanshah – 1955 * St. Joseph (Mar Yozep) Church – Tehran (Forsat St.) – 1950 * St. Thomas (Mar Toma) Church () – Tehran ( Amirabad) – 1967

Famous Assyrians from Iran

* Hannibal Alkhas, poet and visual artist * Andre Agassi, Assyrian-Armenian tennis player * Evin Agassi, music artist *

Mike Agassi Emanoul Aghassian ( fa, ایمانوئل آغاسيان, anglicized as Emmanuel "Mike" Agassi; December 25, 1930 – September 24, 2021) was an Iranian Olympic boxer and the father and coach of American tennis player Andre Agassi. He represented ...

, Olympic boxer and father of Andre Agassi * Ramona Amiri, Miss World Canada 2005 *

Ashurbanipal Babilla Ashurbanipal Ebrahim Babilla (June 25, 1944 – March 30, 2011) was an Assyrian-Iranian actor, theatre director, playwright and visual artist. Babilla's oeuvre received both critical acclaim as well as criticism. He wrote numerous plays in Per ...

, actor, theatre director, playwright and visual artist * Steven Beitashour, MLS player *

George Bit Atanus George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

, designed the current Assyrian flag in 1968. *

family, famous physicians in the Middle Ages * Beneil Dariush, MMA fighter *

Eprime Eshag Eprime Eshag ( fa, اپريم اسحاق , born Urmia, Iran, 6 November 1918 – died Oxford, England, 24 November 1998) was an Assyrian-Iranian-born Keynesian socialist economist.Golestan, Ebrahim and Andrew Roth (1998) Keynes's Iranian pupil, ...

, Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford *

Alexander L. George Alexander L. George (May 31, 1920 Chicago – August 16, 2006 Seattle) was an American behavioral scientist. He was the Graham H. Stuart Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Stanford University. He made influential contributions to political ...

, Graham H. Stuart Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Stanford University *

Mar Youhannan Semaan Issayi Mar Youhannan Semaan Issayi (1914 -یوحنا سمعان عیسائی) ;1999)) was the Chaldean Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tehran, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tehran of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Chaldean Catholics from March 16, 197 ...

, Archbishop of Assyro-Chaldean Metropolitan Tehran *

George Malek-Yonan George Malek-Yonan (1924-2014) was an Iranian Assyrian international attorney, politician and athlete, and father of actress Rosie Malek-Yonan. Biography The Assyrian Malek family claims to trace its roots back eleven centuries. During the Assyr ...

, procured a seat in the Iranian Parliament for Assyrians *

Rosie Malek-Yonan Rosie Malek-Yonan (b. July 4, 1965) is an Assyrian-American actress, author, director, public figure and activist. Malek-Yonan became a noted pianist at an early age. Having graduated from the University of Cambridge, she settled in the United ...

, actress, author and activist * Andrew David Urshan, evangelist and author *

Younan Nowzaradan Younan Nowzaradan ( fa, یونان نوذرادان; born October 11, 1944), also known as Dr. Now, is an Iranian doctor, TV personality, and author. He specializes in vascular surgery and bariatric surgery. He is known for helping morbidly ob ...

, Assyrian-American physician and television personality ('' My 600-lb Life'') * Patrick Bet-David, Assyrian-Armenian entrepreneur

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Eden Naby, “The Assyrians of Iran: Reunification of a ‘Millat,’ 1906-1914" International Journal of Middle East Studies, 8. (1977) pp. 237–249 * Eden Naby, “The Iranian Frontier Nationalities: The Kurds, the Assyrians, the Baluch and the Turkmens,”Soviet Asian Ethnic Frontiers, ed.by McCagg and Silver (New York, Pergamon Press, 1979). * Eden Naby, “Christian Assyrian Architecture of Iran,” News – Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions (Spring 1998) vol. 5, no. 2, p. 7, 10. * Eden Naby, "Ishtar: Documenting the Crisis in the Assyrian Iranian Community," MERIA 10/4 (2006)https://web.archive.org/web/20090124055153/http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2006/issue4/Naby.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Assyrians In Iran

Ethnic groups in Iran