MARCH 2023

CULTURE & HISTORY
CULTURE continued from page 33
to Europe, visiting many European
countries including the United Kingdom,
then on to the USA. Major cities
on the tour included New York,
Detroit, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
San Diego, and the state of Hawaii.
He flew from Hawaii to Sydney,
Australia, then Singapore, returning
to Kuwait on Sunday March 11, 1984.
He made it in 80 days!
Habib the poet and historian
“I am very proud of my early poetic
attempts,” says Habib. “My hobby began
in the early sixties of the last century,
reading local magazines (including
Alf Ba/ABC magazine) and Iraqi
newspapers at the time; some of them
were broadcast by the BBC London
Arabic Radio.”
This pleasant early journey with
words led to his cultural achievements
in the field of writing history.
His research, studies, and topics were
of interest to many, especially with
what Iraq has gone through since
1958, and the tragic events post-2003
that forced thousands of (Christian)
families to leave their homeland under
extinction circumstances, threats,
and murder.
“My love of history stems from my
love for the homeland, for it is the
resting place of parents and grandparents,
and it is the place where
even if we leave it, our heart will remain
in it forever. As for history, reading
history becomes a station of the
cross and reminder that gives hope
and reassurance to man. It is a great
human school, from which we draw
lessons upon lessons.”
Love of Karemlash (Karamlesh)
“Karemlash, my hometown, it is an
ancient town, says Habib. “Its roots
go back to the stone ages and prehistoric
times. Some considered it one
of the oldest human colonies in the
world.”
The oldest name given to Karamles
or Karemlash is “Kar – Mulissi.”
It is an Akkadian name which means
“The City of Goddess Mulissi.” It is
presumed to have been given that
name during the Akkadian Empire in
the Third Millennium BC, most likely
during the era of King Sargon of Akkad
(2371-2316 BC).
World Peace Star Award September 28, 2022
When the Assyrian King Sennacherib
(704 – 685 B.C.) built the Wall of
Nineveh, he named one of the gates
as the Gate of Kar-Mulissi. Sennacherib
also built an underground irrigation
system in the northwestern territories
of Karamles, known today as
Qnaiwat (canals). The current well at
St. Barbara Church in Karamles was a
part of that Qnaiwat irrigation water
system.
The other names given to Karamles
were Er-Ilu-Banu, Uru-Dingir-Nin-
Lil, and Gaugamela.
Present-day Karemlash is a Chaldean
town in Nineveh Governorate. It
is administratively linked to Bartella
sub-district, within the Hamdaniya
district and its center Qarah Qosh-
Baghdida.
Most of the townspeople are Chaldean
Christians, with a minority belonging
to the Syriac Catholic Church,
in addition to a minority of Shabaks.
The history of the town extends back
to more than five thousand years. Famous
for many historical events, the
most famous of which is the great battle
that took place between Alexander
the Great and Darius III in 331 BC.
The town became an important
commercial and religious center in
the region during the Middle Ages.
Among the most prominent churches
and monasteries are St. George Monastery
(6th Century AD), Mar Younan
Monastery, Rabban Yokhana Monastery,
Daughters of Mary Monastery,
Church of the Forty Martyrs, St. Barbara
Church, Virgin Mary Church,
and St. Addy the Messenger Church.
Karemlash has kept pace with
Iraqi history since ancient times, today
it continues its role as a bright
spot on the Iraqi geographical, political,
and religious map.
Interest in Archeology
As a youngster, Habib used to roam
the fields around his beloved Karemlash
and climb its nearby hills. He
was amazed to see that those hills
and dunes surrounding the town are
full of remnants of pottery pots and
artifacts.
Since childhood, he was fascinated
by the hills scattered in his beautiful
hometown, picking up pieces of
pottery scattered here and there and
asking questions: “I wondered who
these belong to, and who used to live
here,” said Habib. Innocent questions
are not devoid of the world of
magic and imagination, and life takes
its course. Habib was immersed in
study, family, sources of living, but
the obsession remains stuck there,
deep inside his soul, looking for answers
that relieve it of anxiety.
“I decided to search for the history
of my hometown of Karemlash. This
made me a permanent visitor to the library
of the Iraqi Museum and its resident
for a long time. I am proud that
my first book was the “The History of
Karamles,” which was published in
1988. The book was a big hit and won
the approval of everyone who viewed
it or acquired it. What made me most
happy was this book became a valuable
reference for many Iraqi as well
as foreign researchers and historians,
such as the American historian Walter
Kaiki. The book was later recognized
within dozens of books written
by researchers who referenced the
book, Karemlash History, as a prime
source for their research.”
Habib’s particular interest was
to write and record historical information.
As a result of his continuous
visits to the Iraqi museum since
the late fifties and sixti esof the last
34 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2023