Armash, Iraq
Armash (or Harmashi in Kurdish) (Syriac: ܥܪܡܫ) is an Assyrian village in northern Iraq that falls on the main road that connects the cities of Dohuk and Arbil. Armash is a very old village with a fellow Assyrian "sister" village right next to it called Azakh. The inhabitants do not know when the village was founded. The inhabitants are Assyrians who are mainly followers of the Chaldean Catholic Church, as is the same with other villages in the region such as Azakh, Tellan and Bebozy.
The village was subject to destruction and was burnt down many times, but the inhabitants came back to rebuild their village. In 1961, about 45 families lived in the village, but due to the circumstances that stormed the northern part of Iraq, many of these families fled the village to Iraqi cities seeking peace and stability. Prior to 1961 there was no school or any governmental project in the village. Students from Armash and Azakh would walk to the town of Atroush (7 kilometers away), where the local school was. The village church was also destroyed in the last destruction of the village 1987.
After the Kurdish uprising of 1991, the majority of the families came back to the village where a humanitarian organization built some 20 shelters; however, those shelters were not suitable for permanent living conditions
In 2003 a multifunctional community hall was built to serve the Assyrian community in the town.
As of 2006, the population of the village is around 200 inhabitants.
The village is famous for its groves and fruits as well as its grains. Because it falls on the main road between Arbil and Dohuk most of its produce is sold to the passengers on the road.
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See also