Agha Petros

Date: February 23, 2023

Petros Elia was born in Baz, Hakkari in April 1880, during the reign of the Ottoman empire. He went to school in Hakkari, then later traveled to Urmia, Iran, where he received a Catholic missionary education.

After he finished school, he began teaching in his hometown of Baz. Then, he became an assistant in the Ottoman Empire, and later an ambassador in Iran for the Ottoman consulate, as a result of his fluency in various languages. According to Solomon Solomon, “While serving in his new position, he used his influence to help the Christian population of the area to a degree that the Pope sent him a medal as a token of gratitude.”

When World War I began, Petros Elia resigned from his job to join the war effort. Following Russia’s invasion of Iran, Petros Elia was appointed as a general during World War I and started being referred to as Agha Petros. At this time, the Allies (Great Britain, France, Russia, etc.) gave him command over the left-wing of the Assyrian army.

Throughout the war, Agha Petros led successful campaigns against the Ottomans and Kurds, most notably, the Battle of Souldouze. At Souldouze, Agha Petros beat back the Ottoman force against greater odds. Moreover, Agha Petros defeated the Ottomans in Sauj Bulak and drove them out, as well as the Ottoman and Kurdish forces in Mosul. All things considered, it’s accomplishments, such as these, which earned him the title of being Assyria’s greatest military hero.

In his later years, he participated in the 1923 Lausanne Conference in an attempt to resettle Assyrians. Years later, he moved to France, where he passed away in February, 1932 at the age of 52.

Published by: Brian Banyamin

Written by: Sarah Gawo

Bibliography

“Agha Petros.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Nov. 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agha_Petros#:~:text=Petros%20also%20defeated%20the%
20Ottomans,quite%20a%20few%20of%20them.
Donef, Racho. 1923: Agha Petros and the Lausanne Telegraphs, 29 Sept. 2003,
http://www.atour.com/history/1900/20030929a.html.
Naayem, Joseph. Shall This Nation Die? Lulu Press, 2005.
Shihale, Joe. “Genaral Agha Patrus .” Agha Putrus,
https://www.betnahrain.net/Biographies/agha.htm.
Solomon, Solomon S. Prominent Assyrians. [Publisher Not Identified], 1991.

The Evolution of the Assyrian Flag

Date: August 13, 2021

Did you know that the current Assyrian flag is a relatively new design?  The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) proposed a competition for a new flag in 1968 and, in 1974, ultimately chose the one that we recognize today.  It was designed by George Bit Atanus of Tehran, Iran.  After that, the design quickly spread among Assyrians throughout the world. 

Labeled Design by: Brian Banyamin

You can learn the history of the adoption of the Assyrian flag just by skimming through different issues of the Assyrian-American magazine, the Assyrian Star. 

It appears that beginning in the May/June, 1967 issue of the Assyrian Star, an ad for the Assyrian American Educational Association begins showing up on the back cover of the magazine.  However, starting with the November/December, 1970 issue, this ad begins to depict an Assyrian flag next to it.  This particular Assyrian flag was created by Assyrians in the early twentieth century, and was eventually adopted by the newly-formed Assyrian American National Federation (Assyrian National Federation at the time) in the 1930s.  The ad on the back of the Assyrian Star’s November/December, 1970 issue (depicted below) explains what the flag’s colors meant.  The three stars on the flag represented the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church. 

The January/February, 1971 issue’s ad is in color, giving you a better idea of what the flag looked like. 

Starting in the January/February, 1972 issue of the Assyrian Star, the star of Shamash begins to consistently appear on the magazine’s front cover.  Since the magazine is called the Assyrian Star, this makes sense.  The star matches the one that eventually shows up on the current Assyrian flag. 

Beginning in May/June, 1973, the Assyrian American Educational Association’s ads on the back cover of the Assyrian Star start to offer people the option of purchasing an Assyrian flag.  Since these ads predate the current Assyrian flag, they were most likely selling flags with the older design. 

On page 2 of the September, 1975 issue of the Assyrian Star, you can find a drawing of people holding a flag that looks very similar to our current flag. 

The front cover of the January, 1976 issue of the Assyrian Star officially announces the new Assyrian flag’s design. 

The front cover of the September/October, 1981 issue of the Assyrian Star depicts the 1981 Miss Assyrian winner holding a modern Assyrian flag.  Page 10 of that issue also depicts other people holding a modern Assyrian flag. 

The next two photos come from the March/April, 1982 issue of the Assyrian Star.  The two photos show many elements found in the modern Assyrian flag. 

Finally, beginning in January/February, 1983, the Assyrian Star stops placing the Assyrian American Educational Association’s ad (the one selling the old Assyrian flags) on the back of its cover.  Below is a photo of what shows up on the back of the January/February, 1983 issue instead. 

The back cover of the March/April, 1983 issue falls in a similar vein. 

Thus, by looking through the different issues of the Assyrian Star magazine, we can see that it did not take long for the Assyrian community to adopt the new Assyrian flag. 

By Esther Lang 

Bibliography 

“About Us.” Assyrian American National Federation. https://www.aanf.org/about-us/ (accessed March 3, 2021). 

Ashurian, Homer. “Assyrian Flag.” Assyrian Universal Alliance. March, 1999. http://aua.net/assyrian-flag/ (accessed March 3, 2021). 

Assyrian Star. https://www.assyrianstar.org/ (accessed March 3, 2021). 

Assyrian Star, May/June 1967. 

Assyrian Star, November/December, 1970. 

Assyrian Star, January/February, 1971. 

Assyrian Star, January/February, 1972. 

Assyrian Star, May/June, 1973. 

Assyrian Star, September, 1975. 

Assyrian Star, January, 1976. 

Assyrian Star, September/October, 1981. 

Assyrian Star, March/April, 1982. 

Assyrian Star, January/February, 1983. 

Assyrian Star, March/April, 1983. 

“Flag of the Assyrians.” Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Assyrians.png (accessed March 3, 2021).