The Research of the Assyrian Diaspora in Central Russia on the Example of the Communities of the Ryazan Region Cities

• Main Author: Sergei S. Mikhailov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Publishing house "Sreda" 2021-03-01
• Series: Этническая культура
• Subjects: Kasimov; Mikhailov; Ryazan; Ryazan region; Ryazhsk; assyrians
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.31483/r-97795

The history of the Assyrians who settled on the territory of Russia is an important and understudied topic. The purpose of the article is to acquaint readers and the scientific community with the results of the study of the Assyrian diaspora in the Ryazan region. The local Assyrian communities formed in the 1920s-1930s were studied. Ryazan region of Russia. Using the methods of field research, we find out that in Ryazan in the twentieth century, two small Assyrian necropolises arose – at the historical Lazarevskoye and Skorbyashensky cemeteries. The author inspected the graves preserved for 2019–2020. The Ryazan Assyrian necropolis does not differ from the places of compact burials of representatives of this people in other cities, which were examined by the author. Nevertheless, it is very important for the study of this diaspora. The results of the study showed that the Assyrian people were subdivided by the beginning of the twentieth century. for two dozen subethnos (tribes), representatives of some tribal and groups created diasporas. Regarding Ryazan, this is a large part, natives of the independent («ashiret») region of Djilu (the Jilvai tribe), the Maliks of Djilu Gorta (Big Djilu), from the villages of Alsan (local group of alasnaya), Zirini (grain), Midi (copper). A rather small number of families turned out to be in Russia – natives of the Ashiret independent Maliks – Thuma (the Thumnaya tribe), as well as natives of the small village of Shvava, whose inhabitants make up a small group of Shavetnaya. In the latter case, we have established the name of the genus-otzhah. Ryazan thumnaya, judging by what we know about their fellow tribesmen in neighboring Moscow, Tula, as well as in Georgia, most likely came from the village of Myazrya (maser group). The paper presents facts of the history of small Assyrian communities in other cities of the Ryazan region – Kasimov, Ryazhsk and Mikhailov. The main professional occupation of the representatives of the Assyrian communities in the 1920–1970s was shoe cleaning. It is concluded that the Assyrians, despite the small number of the diaspora, played a role in the urban culture of Ryazan in the twentieth century. In the future, we intend to expand the resources of the research base and continue to study various aspects of the life of the Assyrians in Russia.