Ishtartv.com - syriacpress.com
05/02/2026
Naum “Faiq” Palakh was born in
Omid (Diyarbakir) in 1868 in the Ottoman Empire. As a member of the Syriac
Orthodox Church he was educated at the local Syriac school established by the
Brotherhood of Ancient Syrians (“Süryani”). He learned Classical West Syriac,
Ottoman-Turkish, and Arabic. During his formative years he educated himself and
became proficient in the Syriac language. As a subdeacon, he prepared the
letters of the archbishop and church councils.
From 1888 he started teaching
Syriac language, history, catechism, and liturgy. He was an important member of
the Syriac Church in Omid and a member of the leadership of the Syriac schools
where he taught and spoke at gatherings. He motivated Syriacs to open schools
and establish social organizations. His teaching career and love for the Syriac
language brought him to many places throughout the Middle East, where he
visited churches, monasteries and libraries in Mardin, Homs, Beirut, and
Jerusalem. Naum Faiq was much found in these libraries and an avid reader of
old Syriac manuscripts and books. His diligence earned him the epithet “Faiq”
at a young age.
Naum Faiq Palakh is counted among
the founding fathers of the modern notion of Syriac nationhood. His idea of
Syriac nationhood transcended locality, sectarianism and Syriac church
denomination. Instead, he based his notion of Syriac nationhood on the ancient
imperial linguistic and cultural riches of Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and the
ancestral peoples that dwelled the fruitful lands of Beth Nahrin – the
Arameans, Assyrians and Chaldeans.
In his 2022 book “Naum Faiq and
The Assyrian Awakening“, author Abboud Zeitoune calls Naum Faiq a pioneer of
the idea of unity among the Syriacs; “As an activist, journalist and author, he
laid the foundation [of the national and unity movement] for later
generations.” And; “With his writings and poems published in his journals, he
called on the people of the different churches to unite and work for their
rights.”
Journalist, writer, poet and
patriot Naum Faiq lived, taught, wrote, and travelled in what would turn out to
be the latter days of the Ottoman Empire. Great Brittan, France, Russia and,
then emerging power, the United States were knocking on the door and each
wanted their share of the crumbling Ottoman Empire. It was the time of the
Great Game in which the greater imperial powers divided and ruled by supporting
proxies, raising tribal leaders to kings, and appropriating land under
protectorate or mandate. It was during this turbulent period that Naum Faiq and
his contemporaries awoke to the Syriac nation.
Through nineteenth century
archaeological expeditions and findings in the Middle East, the world learned
about the Syriacs’ Mesopotamian ancestors and their Assyrian, Aramean, Chaldean
and Levantine civilizations; how they 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 ancestral peoples had passed over to the Syriac people
their language, culture, architecture and historical standing. In his writings,
Naum Faiq uses the Aramean, Assyrian and Chaldean designations indifferently,
and irrespective of Syriac 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, national awareness and awakening
from the dormant subordinate condition in which the Syriac people were thrown.
He did this with great zeal and unwearyingly devoted all his time to his nation,
culture, and language.
In the year 1912, the Ottoman
government introduced stricter rules on political and social life and started
to crackdown and suppress patriotic movements. That made Naum Faiq leave Omid
(Diyarbakir) and his beloved homeland in September 1912 for Beirut. From there
he and his family travelled to the United States where he arrived in New York
on December 5, 1912. His name and writings had preceded him to New York.
Contemporaries and followers
in patriotic thought and spirit
Ranked amongst the first
patriotic Syriac intellectuals to passionately call for a national awakening
and ardently calling for the establishment of the Syriac nation in the
twentieth 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 had also
emigrated to the United States.
In America, Naum Faiq made
friends and held correspondence with Syriac academics and authors like
historian and writer Dr. Philip Hitti from Lebanon, poet Gibran Khalil Gibran,
founder of the Museum of Beirut Philip Ditrazi, Chaldean Jesuit priest Louis Cheikho
al-Yasuci from Mardin, and Chaldean Catholic priest Alphonse Mingana, orginally
from Zakho.
Archbishop Hanna Dolabani
(1885-1969) of Mardin and Syriac teachers in his following like Abrohom
Hakverdi of Urhoy, Hanna Harun, Paul and Jan Jiragos of Adiyaman, and Malke
Assad read Faiq’s books, magazines and articles and followed in his patriotic
spirit. In the orphanage school called “Taw Mim Simkath” in Adana, Faiq’s
songs, poems and opinions were taught and sung. They 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 influenced by the Faiq’s poems and
writings.
Malfono (‘Teacher’) Naum Faiq
passed away in the US on February 5, 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 death is commemorated annually by many
Syriac associations, assemblies, and schools all over the world.
Works by Naum Faiq
In 1908 he founded in Omid the
Syriac magazine called “Cirutho” or “Awakening”. He then started to write and
publish his newspaper called “Kawkab Madenho” or “Star of the East”, where he
informed about the situation of the Syriacs. In 1916 in the US, Faiq published
the magazine “Beth Nahrin” in Syriac, Arabic and Ottoman-Turkish. The magazine
was circulated biweekly and he would publish it until his death in 1930.
Faiq was also the lead writer of
the magazine “Huyodo” or “Unity” (May 1921 – March 1922). This magazine 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 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, from the 1950s on, by composers and singers
like Gabriel Assad, Paul Michael, Yusuf Shamoun, Evelyn Dawud, and Suad
Yusuf. Elias Boyaci was the first one to sing and record, in 1929, the poems of
Naum Faiq.
Other works by Naum Faiq
- Translations of the poems of Persian poet Omar
al-Khayyam from Persian to Syriac;
- 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 the Syriac language.
Reprinted by publishing house Nineveh Press;
- Book about the history and geography of Beth Nahrin;
- Poems about the Syriac immigrants in the United
States;
- Writing on the origin of words in Arabic;
- Sayings and examples in Arabic that were common in
Omid;
- History of the schools in Nusaybin and Urhoy in
Syriac;
- A book of his collected poems in 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. Until then, there was only
one copy of it in Urhoy.
Literature on Naum Faiq
Palakh:
- “Naum Faiq and The Assyrian Awakening“, by Abboud
Zeitoune, Lulu publishing, 2022;
- “Naum Faiq Palak – A Pioneer Journalist, Writer,
Poet & Leader of a National Awakening”, edited by Tomas
Beth-Avdalla, Nineveh Press, 2021.
- “Naum Faiq; Kawkab Madenho“, by Aydin Be-Naqše,
Jan Bet-Şawoce, Abboud Zeitoune; Bet-froso Qën-Nëšrin, 2022.
Poem by Naum Faiq. Source: Abboud Zeitoune.
Huyodo Magazine published in the USA. Naum Faiq was editor-in-chief In 1921-22.
|
