Patriot Naum “Faiq” Palakh

Naum Faiq Palakh is counted among the founding fathers of the modern notion of nationhood within the Syriac people. His notion of Syriac nationhood transcended locality, sectarianism and Syriac church denomination. Instead he based his notion of Syriac nationhood on the historical ancient imperial linguistic and cultural riches of Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the ancient peoples that dwelled the fruitful lands of Beth Nahrin – the Arameans, Assyrians and Chaldeans.

Journalist, writer, poet and nationalist Naum Faiq lived, taught and travelled in what would turn out to be the latter days of the Ottoman Empire. Great Brittan, France, Russia and emerging power the United States were knocking on the door and each wanted their share of the Ottoman pie. It was the Great Game where the greater imperial powers divided and conquered by supporting proxies, raising tribal leaders to kings and appropriating land under protectorate or mandate.

It was in this turbulent period up to the Sayfo Genocide of 1915 and World War I that Naum Faiq and his contemporaries awoke to the Syriac nation.

Strengthened by nineteenth century archaeological expeditions and findings in the Middle East it became evident that the Assyrian, Aramean and Chaldean peoples had dwelled, dominated and ruled the ancient lands of Mesopotamia and the broader Middle East. For Naum Faiq it was clear that it was these peoples that had given the Syriacs their language, culture, architecture and historical standing. In his writings, Naum Faiq uses the Aramean, Assyrian and Chaldean designations indifferently and irrespective of Church denomination, to identify his Syriac people and to designate their place and role in past and future.

He had a very clear political and ideological opinion on this matter. In all his writings, Chaldean, Assyrian and Aramean are part of one unified Syriac nation. To his Syriac contemporaries and to future generations, he transmitted this message through his writings, books, poems and songs. He called for patriotism, awareness and awakening from the dormant subordinate state Syriacs were in. He did it with great zeal and unwearyingly gave all his time for his nation, culture and language.

In the year 1912, the Ottoman government introduced stricter rules on political and societal life and started to crackdown and suppress patriotic movements. That made Naum Faiq leave Omid and his beloved homeland in September 1912 for Beirut and from there to the United States. He arrived in New York on the 5th of December of that year. His name and writing had preceded him to New York.

Contemporaries and followers in patriotic thought and spirit

Ranked amongst the first patriotic Syriacs intellectual to passionately call for a national awakening and ardently calling for the erection of the Syriac nation in the 20th century, he was in the company of contemporary likeminded friends, academics, teachers and intellectuals: Ashur Yusuf (1858-1915) of Kharput and co-journalist and writer Sanharib Bali (1878-1971) of Omid, who also emigrated to the U.S.

In America Naum Faiq made friends with Syriac academics and authors as Dr. Philipp Hitte from Lebanon, historian, writer and founder of the Museum of Beirut Philipp Ditrazi, priest Louis Shekho al-Yasuci and priest Alfons Mingana and teachers of Semitic languages in Manchester of Great Britain.

Bishop Hanna Dolabani (1885-1969) and Syriac teachers in his following like Abrohom Hakverdi of Urhoy, Hanna Harun, Paul and Jan Jiragos of Adiyaman, Malke Assad and others read his books, magazines and articles and followed in his patriotic spirit. In the orphanage school called “Taw Mim Simkath” in Adana his songs, poems and opinions were taught and sung and planted the seed of Syriac national thought.

Later authors like Abdelmasih Qarabashi (1903-1983), Faulus Gabriel, Gabriel Assad, Abrohom Gabriel Saume, Danho Ghattas Maqdesi Elyas, Yuhanon Salman and Yuhanon Qashisho were impressed by the poems and writing that Naum Faiq had done and left behind.

Malfono and journalist Naum Faiq passed away in America on the 5th of February 1930. SOme of his latest words were about his homeland Beth Nahrin:

I was born in you,
And I want to die in you as well,
Oh, my beloved homeland Beth Nahrin.
I want my body to be buried in your earth.

His date of death is remembered in the associations, meetings, magazines and the schools of the Syriacs in Gozarto.

Workings of Naum Faiq

• 1908 he founded in Omid the Syriac magazine called “Cirutho” or “Awakening”;
• he started to write and publish his newspapers called “Kawkbo d-Madenho” or “Star of the East”, where he informed about the situation of the Syriacs;
• 1916, U.S: Faiq publishes the magazine “Beth Nahrin” in Syriac, Arabic and Ottoman-Turkish. The magazine was published biweekly and Naum Faiq would publish it until his death in 1930;
• Naum Faiq was also the lead writer of the magazine “Huyodo” or “Unity”. This magazine (May 1921 – March 1922) was founded by the Assyrian-Chaldean Union of America. From 1978 onwards, the Union of the Assyrian Associations in Sweden started to publish this magazine anew under supervision of Yuhanon Qashisho;
• He collected his poems and song lyrics in the book “Cunoye ciruthonoye” or “Zumore Umthonoye u Mothonoye”. It was printed in Paterson, New Jersey. Whole generations of students in Syriac schools in Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Israel, sung these songs for many years. His songs were publicly performed and sung from the 1950s on by composer and singer Gabriel Assad, Paul Michael, Yusuf Shamoun, Evelyn Dawud and Suad Yusuf. Elias Boyaci was the first one to sing and record the poems of Naum Faiq in 1929;
• Translation from Persian to Syriac of the poems of Persian poet Omar al-Khayyam;
• Several dictionaries and lexicons of Syriac, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Armenian. Dictionary of Greek words used in the Syriac language and a Syriac dictionary for academics and researchers; Handwritten text documents and sermons in Syriac; Handwritten Beth Gazo or “House of Treasures” – the Syriac church hymns and melodies; book for beginning readers of Syriac; Book about the history and geography of Beth Nahrin; Poems about the Syriac immigrants in the United States; Writing on the origin of word in Arabic; Sayings and examples in Arabic that were said in Omid; History of the schools in Nusaybin and Urhoy in Syriac; book of his poems in the three languages Syriac, Arabic and Turkish; Translation of the book of Ahikar and other books, texts and documents; In Urhoy and Omid, Malfono Naum Faiq copied the famous history book of Mor Michael the Great with his handwriting. Until then, the book was unique and there was only one exemplar of it in Urhoy.