Badarash

Badarash is a village in the Iraqi providence of Dohuk.The village of Badarash is located at a distance of 1.5 kilometres from the centre of Sarsink. Its name is of Kurdish origin which means “The Black Air”. This is because of the heavy cold winds and snow that come during the winter.

Most of the village’s houses are built from stone and mud and few from stone and cement and concrete ceilings. This village was never evacuated. Some residents have left their village for Duhok and Baghdad, but majority stayed in Badarash. Many houses and fields were burned and destroyed, but owners, nevertheless rebuilt them.

1900 - 2000

The village was built in 1922 after the 1915 Assyrian exodus from Hakkari,
Turkey to the effect of Turkish Ottoman and Kurdish attack on Assyrians and Armenians during WW1.

Many of Assyrian families settled in the region after their long and suffering retreat from Turkey. During this tragedy which lasted nearly three years, thousands of Assyrians died at the hands of their attackers or from hunger, cold and disease such as plague. Around 25 Assyrian families settled in Badarash in 1922.

Before Kurdish rebellion in 1961 there were 55 families living in the village. But due to the outbreak of civil war in 1961, the village was burned as well as the apple groves, which were the main source of income to the inhabitants of the village. Farming and growing up domesticated animals formed a second source of income. As destruction and war pushed younger residents to immigrate to cities, inhabitancy shrank to 35 families. The village however was relatively big comparing to other Christian villages. After stability and security improved life became more visible in Badarash. The farmers began cultivating their farms and fields and replanting apple trees that were burned to ashes and various crops.

The church of the village which is called Mar Gewarges (St. George) was built in 1925 in the centre of the village. Another church was built in 1975. Residents of Badarash are mixed of two churches: Chaldean Catholic Church and Assyrian Church of the East, but nevertheless all go and pray in the Chaldean church.

Badarash families live on agriculture to get their income. They have both sorts of planting lands, the lands that depend on rain and lands that are irrigated. They plant fruit trees, vegetables, wheat, and other basic plants. However, the water is not enough to plant the lands, and a great percentage of the water is wasted due to the miserable condition of the irrigation canal.

Badarash community had many families who are scattered in Iraq and in Exile due to the political situation.

ee also

List of Assyrian villages