Naoum Faik (1868-1930)

Prominent Assyrians

by Fred Aprim. Published in Renyo Hiro Magazine: January, 1999.
Click here for an Arabic article by Sargon's Publishing House - Europe.

Posted: Monday, July 02, 2001 at 02:16 PM CT

Naoum Elias Yakob Balakh was born in February 1868 in the Assyrian town of Omid (Diyarbekir) in northern Bethnahrin, parts of it presently in Turkey. He added the title Faik to his name as this was a tradition in the Ottoman Empire to add titles because there were always many people carrying the same name.

He attended the parish primary school. Then the secondary school of The Brotherhood Association of Ancient Syrians, he spent eight years there where he learned Syriac, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian in addition to the church liturgy and hymns. He planned to continue his studies in the Syrian University but his father passed away and was forced to seek employment to support himself. Soon after that his mother passed away too, he was left young and broken hearted.

He started teaching in Omid (Diarbekir) in the year 1888. Later, was asked to move to the town of Hashas in Al-Bashiriya where he faced tremendous difficulties because everybody there spoke Kurdish. He was ordained Shamasha on October 16th., 1889 at the age of 21 and was an active member in his church. Naoum Faik travelled to Al-Raha (Urhai / Edessa), to teach there and while living in Urhai he studied the Assyrian treasures kept in our old churches there. He later moved to Hsanmansour (Adiyaman) to teach in the new school built for the 50 Assyrian families living in that region.

Naoum Faik returned to Omid and taught again in its schools for another 4 years when he was asked by the Patriarch Moran Mar Ignatius Abdulmasih II, in 1896, to travel to Homs, Syria, to teach in its school. He stayed in Homs for a short time and moved to Beirut, Lebanon then to Yafa and Jerusalem where he spent six months in Mar Markus monastery studying its Syriac written treasures. Naoum Faik returned to Omid for the third time and got back to teaching. Then in 1904, he moved to Mardin, to Deyrul Zafaran monastery where he began studying all those Syriac texts, which were saved in the monastery’s depository.

In 1908 he started "AL-Entibah " a religious association and in 1909 brought to life the well known magazine "Kukhwa d' Madinkha " (Star of the East), both very well known establishments to our people.

One of the things Naoum Faik always preached of was the necessity of schools, printing presses, magazines as he describe them being the tools for survival and building nationalistic he youth. With the increasing of oppression against his people in our homeland, he decided to immigrate to the USA, and so he did in 1912, with the help of his loyal friend Sanharib Bali, who wrote about him saying’ Before Naoum Faik many people came, but they all took from the Assyrian culture and translated it to other languages but he distinguished himself by translating from other languages to Assyrian, thus while others were exchanging our heritage he was adding to it.

In the United States he started the journal of "Bethnahrin" in 1916, published in Syriac, Arabic and Turkish, which he dedicated to the Assyrian people. In 1921 he was asked to be the chief editor of the magazine "Huyada" published by the ChaldoAssyrian National Association, which he did until it stopped, then he returned to issue 'Bethnahrin' again until his last days.

Naoum Faik believed that the interest of the Assyrian nation should always be put ahead of personal interest. Yes, he was born poor, but because of his beliefs he lived poor and died poor, but what he left is a wealth that money can not buy. He left an awakening in the Assyrian nation, an awakening which is taking roots in us as people of one origin with distinct heritage and culture and the right to shape our own destiny.

Malfono Naoum Faik, as we call him today, deserved that title, he is our beloved poet and founder of Assyrian renaissance. He passed away on February 5th, 1930, but forever will be in our hearts, an Assyrian legend.

Naoum Faik's Work, Research and Publications

Syriac words in the Arabic language in Beth Nahrin
Syriac words in the Turkish language
Syriac words in the Persian language
Syriac words in the Armenian and Kurdish languages
Syriac words in English language
Arabic-Syriac dictionary containing thousands of words
Dictionary of the Greek words used in Syriac language
Bible dictionary in Syriac
Bible index in Syriac
A summary of Mathematics in Syriac
A summary in Geography in Syriac
A summary of the history and geography of Bethnahrin
History of the Syrian immigrants to America
The history of the Syriac schools of Urhai and Nasibin
Translation of Benjamin Franklin's speeches to Syriac
A 1916 calendar
Syriac translations of Rubaeyat Umar Al Khayam
Collection of nationalistic songs in Syriac, Arabic and Turkish
Translation of the book Akheqar, the Assyrian wise-man, to Turkish
A book titled Principles in reading Syriac
An extended treasures of compositions in Syriac
and many other books, translations and researches totalling 35.

Sargon's Publishing House - Europe.

ذكرى نعوم فائق وبطاقة تقدير لكل من ابرم شابيرا وميخائيل مار يوا

بقلم: شمعون دنحو السويد

برز في نهاية القرن التاسع عشر وبداية القرن العشرين الكثير من الرواد السريان، الذين قدموا جل خدماتهم في مجالات اللغة والموسيقى والقومية .. وكان من ابرزهم العلامة الكبير نعوم فائق آميدويو (1868 - 1930)، الذي كان شاغله الأول توعية السريان لميراثهم الرافديني العريق من خلال الصحف التي كان يشرف على اصدارها كـ مجلة (بيث نهرين) و (حويودو). وبمناسبة الذكرى السنوية للمعلم نعوم فائق والتي تقام تخليدا له في 5 شباط من كل عام واحتراما لذكراه نكتب السطور التالية:

ان أول من فكر باقامة ذكرى تخليد للعلامة والمناضل القومي نعوم فائق كانت "جمعية الاتحاد الآشوري" في بوسطن (الولايات المتحة الامريكية)، وذلك في 23 اذار 1930 أي بعد مرور اقل من شهرين على رحيله. ثم اقيمت الذكرى الثانية لتخليده في شباط من عام 1931. وبعد ميلاد المنظمة الآثورية الديمقراطية في الجزيرة السريانية (سوريا) في 15 تموز من عام 1957، فانها تبنت اقامة ذكرى تخليد المناضل القومي نعوم فائق بشكل دوري ومنظم حتى ايامنا هذه. واعلنت المنظمة هذا اليوم عيدا قوميا لكل السريان الآشوريين (الكلدان) الموزعين في هذه المعمورة. وما زال أبناء هذه الأمة السريانية وبمختلف تسمياتها محافظين على هذا التقليد ايفاءا وتقديرا منهم لما قدم الفاضل نعوم من خدمات مختلفة لهذه الأمة المسكينة.

بعد وفاة الأديب نعوم فائق شكلت لجنة تأبينية لاقامة مراسيم دفنه، ثم أضيف الى مهام هذه اللجنة طبع كتاب موسع عن حياة العلامة نعوم فائق ومقتطفات من مؤلفاته. وطبع هذا الكتاب في عام 1936 تحت عناون: (نعوم فائق – ذكرى وتخليد الأديب السرياني الكبير)، وقد جمعه وعلق عليه الأديب السرياني مراد فؤاد جقي. ولا يسعنا في الحديث عن هذا الكتاب الا ان نشيد بالجهود الكبيرة التي بذلها السيد ميخائيل مار يوا ( مسؤول مكتبة الاتكال في شيكاغو حالياً) حيث قام مؤخراً باعادة طبع هذا الكتاب، وبهذه المناسبة أيضاً نشكر الكاتب الكبير ابرم شابيرا على تأليفه لكتابه الرائع حول المعلم نعوم ونشرته دار سركون للنشر في السويد في ذكرى المعلم تحت عنوان: (نعوم فائق – معلم الفكر القومي الوحدوي). وهكذا يكون السيدان الفاضلان ميخائيل مار يوا وابرم شابيرا من التلامذة المخلصين للأديب نعوم فائق وأفكاره النيرة. ولهم عبر هذا المقال المتواضع بطاقة محبة وتقدير وشكر خاص من قبل كاتب هذه السطور.

وأخيرا وخير ما يقال عن الاديب تعوم فائق ما ورد على لسان الاديب المعروف فيليب حتي (استاذ اللغات الشرقية – برنستون- اميركا:

(اجتمعت بالسيد نعوم فائق بضع مرات كانت كلها في الدائرة الشرقية من مكتبة نيويورك العمومية، حيث كنت اجده عاكفا على التنقيب والبحث والدرس لتحرير جريدته ولخدمة ابناء وطنه في هذه الديار، فهو بذلك وضع امامنا مثالا شريفا يجدر بنا جميعا ان نتحداه، ولا غرو فالسيد نعوم ومواطنوه من سلالة شعب تاريخي قديم عرف بالنبل والحصافة، واتحف العالم بالكثير من الهبات العلمية والروحية والمادية، ذلك هو الشعب البابلي الآشوري الكلداني النبيل).

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