Naum Faiq

May. 27

In February of 1868, Naum “Faiq” Palakh was born in Diyarbakir, located in the Assyrian region of the Ottoman Empire. While pursuing an education, Faiq gained popularity after being selected by the Brotherhood of Ancient Syrians. Following the completion of his studies, he began teaching.

When violence against the Assyrians and other Christians in the Ottoman Empire began, Faiq fled to the United States in 1912. In the US he continued writing and embarked on new endeavors, assuming the role of chief editor for “Hujada,” a magazine that later published under the auspices of the Assyrian Federation in Sweden.

He devoted his life to writing extensively about the Assyrian language and people, with his views reflected in his books, poems, and songs. He established a multilingual newspaper named “Stars of the East,” which was published in Turkey and was printed in various languages such as classical Assyrian, Ottoman-Turkish, and Arabic. Additionally, he published “Bet Nahrain” and “The Unity” in America and authored more than 25 books on diverse topics and subjects.

He succumbed to lung disease in 1930, but his contributions continue to endure. Each year on February 5th, numerous people gather to celebrate Faiq’s impact on the Assyrian nation and his prolific literary abilities in the service of his nation.

 

Written by: Sarah Gawo

 

Bibliography

“Naum Faiq.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naum_Faiq.

“Syriac Poems.” Assyrians [Syriacs], https://assyrians.n.nu/syriac-poems.

SyriacPress. “Patriot Naum Faiq Palakh.” SyriacPress, 5 Feb. 2022, https://syriacpress.com/blog/2022/02/05/patriot-naum-faiq-palakh-2/.

English translation of poem:

 

Awake, son of Assyria awake,

Awake and see the world how enlightened.

The chance is fleeing from us

And time is running out

Awake, son of Assyria, Awake!

In vengeance you will take refuge.