Shranish is a small village at a
distance of 23 Km, North West of the city of Zakho on the
Turkish border. It is the centre of the district of Al-Sindy,
which consists of 67 mid-sized villages.
Shranish is considered the most beautiful
resort in that region, where coal is found and subterranean
water is abundant (from the book: Iraq, past and present; by Abd
Al-Razzaq Al-Hasany – Beirut, 1958, page 61-261), and the book
(Guide to Archaeological and Civilization Habitats – Third
Journey - by Taha Baqir and Fuad Safar – Baghdad, 1966, page
55).
On 15/11/1954, an archaeological excavation of
the village took place. Among the historical areas that were
documented at the time within file number 1562 and 68, were (the
caves of the village of Shranish) as settlements for ancient
humans, and the site named ( Catherine), which is a cave and a
grave: from the book (Archaeological sites in Iraq – Department
of Archaeology – Baghdad, 1970, page 271).
Shranish is built upon the foot of Mount
Khantour and Qala (fort). It is surrounded by high mountains
from all sides, and is very high above sea level. It is
distinguished by a heavy winter, when snow falls continuously
throughout a few months, whereas in summer, it enjoys a pleasant
climate.
There are numerous historic witnesses that
confirm the antiquity of this village. There are two churches,
the Church of Mar Quryaqos dating back to 400 years, and the
Church of Mart Shmony, which is considered to be so ancient that
no one knows when it was built, because its history goes back to
times prior to Christianity. It is said that this church
followed the Jewish religion.
Furthermore, many ancient coin pieces have
been found, dating back to a few royal dynasties of ancient
history, including the Persian era. It is claimed that Shranish
was once a kingdom known as Anosh, which is the name of the
daughter of the Persian king. There are lots of age-old graves
spread throughout many sites, proving that it was inhabited
through different historic phases. Many ancient ruins have been
found in various sites, and so have a few fortifications built
from huge rocks for defence purposes.
The village is famous for growing a variety of
fruits and other agricultural produce. Its inhabitants have
pursued the occupation of weaving traditional wool clothing
(scarf and mesh).
Shranish enjoys a lively position where the
road passes through it to many villages within the vicinity of
Al-Sindy district, and further to Turkish areas. Thus it was
vulnerable to Kurds of the Al-Gowey tribe residing in nearby
Turkish lands. It was burned three times during the eighteenth
century, but its steadfast people held onto their forefathers’
land and rebuilt it every time it was subjected to destruction.
In 1987, the village was completely devastated. Not even its
ancient churches could escape the campaign to destroy the
villages during the reign of Saddam Hussein.
2005 is considered to be the year of rebirth
of this village, when 50 houses were built and the number is on
the increase as many of its inhabitants residing in Baghdad and
other cities have started returning to its fold again as did
their forefathers before them. There are more than 350 families
of the village’s original inhabitants spread all over Iraq,
Australia, Canada, USA, Sweden and other overseas countries.
There is certainly a lot for history to tell
its tale about this ancient spot which needs a lot of research
and excavation to discover its historic treasures that will
prove the authenticity of our people and their deep roots into
the history of Northern Bet-Nahrain (Mesopotamia).
(Towards the later part of the last few
decades, a number of houses were built at a distance of 3 Km
from the original village, where some Jewish families used to
live and immigrated to Palestine in 1948. There are a number of
Kurdish families residing there too. This spot is known as Lower
Shranish, yet the fields and orchards adjoining it belong mostly
to the original people of the village of Shranish which is known
as the Christian Shranish).
