Salamas, or Salmas in Persian, is situated at the northwest end of Lake Urmia, and Urmia (Orumieh in Persian) is about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Salamas, at the southwestern end of Lake Urmia. These are all in the Azarbaijan province, northwest of Iran.

Salamas (Salmas) is the name of the region that comprises many villages, such as Khusrava (Khosrovabad in Persian), Patavour, Sarna, Chara, the city of Dileman or Dilmakan (formerly Shahpour), and the city of Salamas, known as Kohna Shahar (old city). Before World War I, there were about 2500 to 3000 Assyrian Christians in Salamas, most of whom were Catholics converted from the Church of the East (known as Nestorians). The main center of the Assyrian Christians of Salamas was the village called Khusrava. It was the seat of the Catholic archbishop, and, before that, at times, it was the seat of the Patriarch of the Church of the East.

The traditions of the Assyrians of Urmia and Khusrava, regarding the time of their migration to their respective locations, differ.

The Assyrians of Urmia believe that their ancestors descended from the mountains to live in the plain of Urmia. They are not sure about the exact date, but it could be about five or six centuries ago. This tradition, recorded by Rev Justin Perkins, the American missionary in Urmia, was made in the 1800s, which brings us to the thirteenth century for the migration of the Assyrians of Urmia, according to their own tradition.

On the other hand, the French historian J.M. Fiey, in his book “Communautés syriaques en Iran et Irak des origins à 1552” writes that according to a local “tradition,” Christianity appeared in Urmia since Apostolic times. Probably, the truth is somewhere in between.

According to Fiey, the first mention of a bishop of Urmia is in 1111 AD when Mar Awdisho participated in the consecration of Elie II. (Eliya II).

The author Zénaïde Alexeïevna Ragozin, in the book titled “Assyria,” page 384, writing about Ashurbanipal’s conquests in the north-east, mentions an inscription on one of his cylinders, where the name of Urmia is recorded as URMEYATE, in Akkadian (ancient Assyrian and Babylonian language). In the footnote he writes “It is amusing to find among the names of cities captured in this expedition, that of URMEYATE–modern Urumieh, or Urmiah (lake and city),–as an instance of the tenacity with which names survive through ages.”

 The village Khusrava, on the other hand, has a more ancient history, reaching as far back as the seventh century. This is based on the inscriptions found on tombstones of the cemetery. Two of the most ancient tombstones are from 697 & 698 of the Christian era.

The first inscription is written on two sides of the stone, and the first side reads: “Here rests student Suleiman, the blessed son of Khosrov.”

The second side reads: “He was deceased in the month of Kanoun may the Lord grant him [peace], in the year one thousand nine of the Greeks (December 697 of the Christian era).”

The second stone is that of a deacon named Amlad, son of Khosro, deceased April 698 AD.

Today, only a few families live in Khusrava; most have moved to the capital Tehran, to the US, to Canada, Europe, and Australia.

The other village, where there is an Assyrian Christian cemetery near the church of Mar Youkhanna, is Sarna, about four miles south of Khusrava. The inscription’s date is 787 AD.

The inscriptions of the church Mar Givargis of Chara (now a Kurdish village) are dated from 1360 AD.

The inscription of the church Mar Kuriakus of Kohna Shahar is about its construction during the time when Mar Ishoyav was metropolitan of Salamas.

It is difficult to fix the date of the construction of this church, but, it is estimated to be around 1650 AD.

The church of Mar Kuryakus was reconstructed once in a little more than 50 years after its original construction, then once more, in a little less than one century.

 

The tombstone inscriptions mentioned above were provided by Rev Paul Bejan (1838-1920), the son and renowned priest of Khusrava, who traveled to Europe, graduated in Theology, and devoted his life to Assyrian literature, Syriac studies, theology, and the collection of rare Syriac manuscripts. Paul Bejan has written 25 books, and hundreds of articles. Paul Bejan died in the year 1920, in Germany.

(Zinda magazine).