Qasha Aprem Alkhori is an Assyrian priest based in Sweden who is currently on a historic and religious tour of the Assyrian region of Hakkari (هكاري), visiting various villages and sites where Assyrians lived for centuries before being forced to leave around a hundred years ago.
He has been documenting his journey through daily Facebook posts, sharing videos and photos of the many villages we’ve heard about from our elders, in songs, and in books. These include Tyareh, Asheetha, Gawar, Tal, Barwar, Dez, Nocheya, Geramon, Halmoun, Aroush, Lezan, and many others.
His video series is fascinating—not only for the visuals but also for the compelling Assyrian narratives that accompany them, including interviews with local Kurds and Turks who acknowledge and attest to the deep Assyrian roots in the region.
But what truly caught my attention is just how many churches existed in Hakkari. It seems that everywhere he goes, there’s not just one, but multiple churches. To put this into perspective: if you compare the size of the Hakkari region to the entire country of Iraq, Iraq is significantly larger and, by the 1990s, had a much bigger Assyrian population. Yet Hakkari likely had double, if not triple, the number of churches that existed in Iraq a century later. Assyrians of that time were deeply devoted to their Christian faith and invested heavily in building churches—many of which still stand and are impressively well-constructed for that era. It’s as if Assyrians had shifted their focus from building palaces and temples to building places of worship.
Another thing that struck me was the sheer, almost surreal beauty of this region. As beautiful as northern Iraq is—and Hakkari is essentially an extension of the same mountainous landscape—Hakkari feels like it’s on a whole different level, with its towering peaks, natural springs, lush trees, and breathtaking scenery.
Here is one of his many videos, showing 'Upper Tyareh' and other villages around it
View: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori/videos/679461488432608
Here is one from village of Lezan and the house of Malik Khoshaba
View: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori/videos/644334184670788
This is from Ashietha and the chuch of Mar Gewargis
www.facebook.com
See all of his videos here: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori
He has been documenting his journey through daily Facebook posts, sharing videos and photos of the many villages we’ve heard about from our elders, in songs, and in books. These include Tyareh, Asheetha, Gawar, Tal, Barwar, Dez, Nocheya, Geramon, Halmoun, Aroush, Lezan, and many others.
His video series is fascinating—not only for the visuals but also for the compelling Assyrian narratives that accompany them, including interviews with local Kurds and Turks who acknowledge and attest to the deep Assyrian roots in the region.
But what truly caught my attention is just how many churches existed in Hakkari. It seems that everywhere he goes, there’s not just one, but multiple churches. To put this into perspective: if you compare the size of the Hakkari region to the entire country of Iraq, Iraq is significantly larger and, by the 1990s, had a much bigger Assyrian population. Yet Hakkari likely had double, if not triple, the number of churches that existed in Iraq a century later. Assyrians of that time were deeply devoted to their Christian faith and invested heavily in building churches—many of which still stand and are impressively well-constructed for that era. It’s as if Assyrians had shifted their focus from building palaces and temples to building places of worship.
Another thing that struck me was the sheer, almost surreal beauty of this region. As beautiful as northern Iraq is—and Hakkari is essentially an extension of the same mountainous landscape—Hakkari feels like it’s on a whole different level, with its towering peaks, natural springs, lush trees, and breathtaking scenery.
Here is one of his many videos, showing 'Upper Tyareh' and other villages around it
View: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori/videos/679461488432608
Here is one from village of Lezan and the house of Malik Khoshaba
View: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori/videos/644334184670788
This is from Ashietha and the chuch of Mar Gewargis
7.3K views · 93 reactions | Qasha Aprem Alkhori on Reels
www.facebook.com
See all of his videos here: https://www.facebook.com/qasha.aphremalkhori