{"id":14241,"date":"2026-04-07T20:16:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/07\/the-last-christians-of-iraq-between-exile-and-return\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T20:16:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:16:46","slug":"the-last-christians-of-iraq-between-exile-and-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/07\/the-last-christians-of-iraq-between-exile-and-return\/","title":{"rendered":"The last Christians of Iraq: Between exile and return"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u201cHezbollah or Allah?\u201d \u2013 \u201cGod or his party?\u201d\u2013 someone from Dilan Adamat\u2019s group joked as a violent storm broke over a place where rain is rare.<\/p>\n

The thunder was so loud it could easily have been mistaken for a ballistic missile or drone strike \u2013 like the hundreds that have hit Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Adamat\u2019s group did not flinch. They are used to the sound of explosions: Ankawa, the city\u2019s Christian district, lies close to the airport and a US base \u2013 prime targets for groups operating on behalf of Tehran.<\/p>\n

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Muhammed speaks fluent Greek and notes that life continues in Iraq despite the challenges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The conversation lingered on the rain rather than the attacks. After all, even before the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran \u2013 now spilling into Iraq through paramilitary groups \u2013 the country had long been at the center of the Middle East\u2019s most severe crises: political upheaval, the rise of the Islamic State and the fall of major cities such as Mosul, sectarian conflict between Shiites and Sunnis, the 2003 US invasion that led to the fall of Saddam Hussein, the international embargo following Iraq\u2019s invasion of Kuwait, and the Gulf War. These are only some of the events that have unfolded since 1990 in this land between the Tigris and the Euphrates \u2013 events that also shaped Adamat\u2019s life; he immigrated with his parents to France when he was a year old, in search of a better future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to hate the rain, but now it makes me happy because the soil here needs it,\u201d Adamat tells Kathimerini. He returned permanently to his homeland in 2019, leaving behind a legal career in France, driven by a desire to give back to Iraq.<\/p>\n

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In Akre, residents prepare for the Newroz celebrations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost everyone in the region is multilingual. Switching between Kurdish dialects and Arabic is common; many also speak Turkish, as well as fluent English \u2013 particularly among the younger generations. A Chaldean-Assyrian himself, Adamat embodies the cultural density of a random city block in Erbil and, more broadly, the country\u2019s linguistic and religious diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not Arabs, nor Kurds, nor Turkmen \u2013 we are Assyrians, descendants of an ancient civilization,\u201d he says with evident pride. \u201cWe are the last people in the world who still speak Aramaic.\u201d<\/p>\n

He notes that 90% of Iraq\u2019s Christians have left over the past 25 years. \u201cWe were more than one million before 2003; now we are just 130,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

To support the return of the country\u2019s Christian diaspora, Adamat founded the NGO The Return, which operates a Western-style co-working space for expatriates, local startups, and returning Iraqis who work remotely. It is located in a neighborhood where residents order quality Italian pizza from across the street \u2013 in the language once spoken by Christ.<\/p>\n

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Fluent in Aramaic, Kurdish, and Arabic, the owner of this small shop in Ankawa is renowned for having the best kebabs in Erbil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere is normal life here, too,\u201d Adamat says. \u201cPeople have a home and a car they don\u2019t owe to a bank, unlike in the West. There is no street crime. If you forget your phone and come back hours later, you will find it in the same place. My uncle was robbed and had his leg broken while walking around Omonia Square. That happened in Athens \u2013 not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decades of conflict and instability have done little to erode the sense of belonging. Perhaps that is what Adamat means \u2013 half in jest \u2013 when he writes on his Instagram page: \u201cMake Mesopotamia Great Again,\u201d echoing the well-known slogan of the president whose country maintains troops and bases in the region, making it a frequent target of attacks.<\/p>\n

Ancient Arbela\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Erbil \u2013 ancient Arbela \u2013 is Iraq\u2019s commercial hub, as reflected in its high-rises and modern luxury residences that house the country\u2019s economic and political elite. Yet the urban fabric remains largely defined by the typical Middle Eastern architectural style: one- or two-story homes turned inward around a central shaded courtyard \u2013 the core of private life.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the city rises the 6,000-year-old citadel, a UNESCO-listed site of continuous habitation. It has not received tourists since the airspace was closed. The shops surrounding it are struggling with frequent power outages caused by the war, and the area is unusually quiet on what would otherwise be an ordinary Ramadan morning.<\/p>\n

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Children play freely in the outdoor market of the Kawa refugee camp, on the outskirts of Erbil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Two men pose for a photo in front of the Kurdish flag at the Kawa camp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A short distance away lies the kayseri, the covered bazaar dating back to the late 12th century, where one can find everything from ornate fabrics and imitation jewelry to rat poison. In the tailors\u2019 alleys within the bazaar, Muhammed still runs the cafe he inherited from his father \u2013 a five-decade-old establishment lined with photographs of customers, both famous and unknown. He speaks fluent Greek, having lived for years in Greece, and notes that life here goes on as usual because people \u201care used to such things.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Muhammed\u2019s shop in the Kayseri bazaar has few customers due to the war, giving him a chance to renovate it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the narrow neighborhood streets, children play freely and women are visibly present. This is not the case everywhere. On Iskan Street, the city\u2019s main artery, known for its nightlife and crowds, women are rarely seen \u2013 and when they are, they are always accompanied. So much so that locals refer to it simply as the \u201cmen\u2019s street.\u201d During the Ramadan fast, few people linger in the open shops; some offer makeshift curtain coverings for customers who eat or drink, so as not to disrupt the observance of others.<\/p>\n

Torches aflame\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Residents of northern Iraq say they share little in common with life in Baghdad. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) maintains strained relations with Iraq\u2019s federal authorities over issues such as the distribution of oil revenues and, more recently, regional security. Over the past month, the north has endured more than 400 attacks, resulting in at least 14 deaths \u2013 some claimed by groups that the KRG believes are backed by Baghdad.<\/p>\n

Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and the wider Erbil region are targeted on a near-daily basis, despite repeated declarations by regional officials that they are not involved in the current conflict.<\/p>\n

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After iftar, the fast-breaking meal, the streets come alive with renewed activity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In Iraqi Kurdistan, the market is largely a male-dominated space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Yet in the city of Akre, the capital of Newroz \u2013 the festival marking the new year and coinciding with the spring equinox \u2013 a sense of calm prevails. Although the stage set up on the hill for official speeches was dismantled for security reasons just days before the celebrations, people had no intention of forgoing their most important holiday.<\/p>\n

On March 20, the eve of Newroz, heavy rain fell, but it did not deter residents from climbing the mountain, carrying lit torches to celebrate the arrival of spring \u2013 a symbol of renewal \u2013 and to wish for good fortune in the year 2726 for those who bear the burden of their geography.<\/p>\n

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The ancient town of Akre, nestled against craggy mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan, has been the focal point for Nowruz celebrations for decades.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n