Dashqotan is a small Assyria

Assyria

Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...

n village located in northern Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, about 40 kilometers north of Mosul

Mosul

Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...

 and 15 kilometers east of Alqosh

Alqosh

Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...

. Dashqotan is bordered by four Assyrian villages: Aenbaqre, Karanjok, Perozawa and Germawe.

Population

Dashqotan was home to four hundred and fifty (450) people who settled in Dashqotan after coming from the mountains in northern Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

. Currently, there are eighty (80) people still living in the village. The majorities of people migrated from Dashqotan and now are living in USA, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Land

Dashqotan has about 5 square kilometers of good plain farming land. The village is situated on a hill and is surrounded by many meadows. It also has a small river that runs along the west side of the village.

Agriculture

Farming is number one source of income for the residence of Dashqotan. The farmers depend heavily on rainwater to grow their crops: wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sunflower and in summer the farmers depend on the water from the village’s river to grow their vegetable garden (Bostana): tomato, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, onion, cucumber etc.

History

According to the local sources, the Yezidis lived in Dashqotan for around fifty years led by the head of the village Phaqer Gendy. The Yezidis left the village in 1955 because of a dispute with Dashqotan’s Assyrian landlord Gabriel Aphende over land tax.

In 1915 during World War I many Assyrians of Hakkari were forced to espace because of the ongoing Assyrian Genocide

Assyrian genocide

The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...

 committed by Turkish army. At first, many fled to Urmiya, Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. They returning to Iraq in 1918 and they spent few years in refugee camps of Baquba and Manden. Later they returned to Hakkari

Hakkari

Hakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...

 to rebuild their destroyed villages however, again they were forced by the Turk

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

ish army to flee their villages and never allowed to return.

In 1956, those Assyria

Assyria

Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...

n families were looking for a place to settle in permanently and when they heard that the landlord of Dashqotan village Gabriel Aphende was looking for new tenants they went to see him to discuss the possibility of their settlement in Dashqotan. After agreeing for the settlement those families moved to live in Dashqotan and later many other families followed.

In 1958, Iraq became republic, many land laws and tax systems changed and people of Dashqotan became the owners of nearly 90% of the land

In 1959, number of families grew and Dashqotan became a well establish village. However, Dashqotan had no running water, no electricity and no school. The children had to travel over one hour to reach a primary school in the nearby Yezedes village of Jarraheia. Meetings and discussions were held between all the five Assyrian villages and a decision was finally reached to build a primary school in Dashqotan because of its prime location in the centre of the other four Assyrian villages: Aenbaqre, Karanjok, Perozawa and Germawe.

In 1961, the Kurdish/Iraqi war broke out and Dashqotan was effected by this because of its location close to the Kurdish controlled zone. This forced many families to flee to the town of Tel Keppe

Tel Keppe

Tel Keppe , is one of the largest formerly Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located in the Ninawa Governorate, less than 8 miles North East of Mosul in northern Iraq.-Etymology:...

, which they lived in for few years but later returned after declaring the area a safe zone.

In 1965, primary school in Dashqotan was completed and officially opened. Students from the neighboring Assyrians villages of Aenbaqre, Karanjok, Perozawa and Germawe attended Dashqotan Primary School.

In 1968, hailstorms hit the area and Dashqotan was the most effected. The Hailstorm destroyed all farmers’ crops that also killed wild birds and animals. None of the villagers was seriously injured.

The war between Iraq and Iran forced the majority of Dashqotan’s residences to flee to the neighboring countries escaping the war. In 1986, around 80 people fled to Iran escaping the war. These people are now live in Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand.

In 1989, electricity reached Dashqotan and people's life started to improve a little. Some families started to go and live in the town of Tel Keppe

Tel Keppe

Tel Keppe , is one of the largest formerly Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located in the Ninawa Governorate, less than 8 miles North East of Mosul in northern Iraq.-Etymology:...

during the school terms to send their children to high school and to be close to hospital. However, since the 1991 Golf War many families have fled to neighboring countries escaping the war and the continues instability in the country. Life is still very difficult for the residents.