# Tell Tamer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tell_Tamer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tell_Tamer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Tamer > Source revision: 1355363127 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Town in Syria}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Tell Tamer | native_name = {{lang|ar|تَلّ تَمْر}}
{{lang|ku|Girê Xurma}}
{{lang|syr|ܬܠ ܬܡܪ}} | native_name_lang = ar | type = [Town](/source/List_of_towns_and_villages_in_Syria) | pushpin_map = Syria | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_mapsize = 250 | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Tell Tamer in Syria | coordinates = {{coord|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [Syria](/source/Syria) | subdivision_type1 = [Governorate](/source/Governorates_of_Syria) | subdivision_name1 = [al-Hasakah](/source/al-Hasakah_Governorate) | subdivision_type2 = [District](/source/Districts_of_Syria) | subdivision_name2 = [al-Hasakah](/source/al-Hasakah_District) | subdivision_type3 = [Subdistrict](/source/Nahiyah) | subdivision_name3 = [Tell Tamer](/source/Nahiya_Tell_Tamer) | parts_type = Control | parts_style = para | p1 = {{flagicon|Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria}} [Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria](/source/Democratic_Autonomous_Administration_of_North_and_East_Syria) | elevation_m = | population_total = 7285 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_as_of = 2004 | population_footnotes = {{#tag:ref|{{cite web |title=2004 Census Data for ''Nahiya Tell Tamer''|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB08-2-2004.htm |publisher=Syrian [Central Bureau of Statistics](/source/Central_Bureau_of_Statistics_(Syria)) |language=ar }} Also available in English: {{cite web |author=UN OCHA |author-link=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |title=2004 Census Data |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/syrian-arab-republic-other-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 |publisher=Humanitarian Data Exchange }}|name=census2004}} | timezone = [AST](/source/Arabia_Standard_Time) | utc_offset = +3 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | geocode = C4409 | website = }} '''Tell Tamer''' ({{langx|ar|تَلّ تَمْر|Tall Tamr}}, {{langx|ku|گرێ خورما|Girê Xurma}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kurdistan/230220154|title=Li Til Temir şer û pevçûn germ bûne (Hat nûkirin)|last=Omar|first=Husen |website=www.rudaw.net|language=ku|access-date=2019-10-27}} or Til Temir,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nerinaazad.org/kr/news/kurdistan/rojava/li-bajaroka-til-temir-teqn|title=Li Bajaroka Til Temirê teqîn|website=Nerina Azad|language=ku|access-date=2019-10-27}} {{langx|syr|ܬܠ ܬܡܪ}}{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|pages=41, 42}}{{sfn|Dodge|1940|p=314}}) also known as '''Tal Tamr''' or '''Tal Tamir''', is a town in western [al-Hasakah Governorate](/source/al-Hasakah_Governorate), northeastern [Syria](/source/Syria). It is the [administrative center](/source/administrative_center) of the [Tell Tamer Subdistrict](/source/Tell_Tamer_Subdistrict) consisting of 13 municipalities. Originally built and inhabited by [Assyrians](/source/Assyrians) of the Upper [Tyari](/source/Tyari) tribe in the late 1930s,{{sfn|Fernandez|1998}}{{sfn|Dodge|1940}} the town is predominantly populated by Arabs, with [Assyrians](/source/Assyrians_in_Syria) remaining a substantial minority of about 20%.{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=37}} At the 2004 census, Tell Tamer had a population of 7,285. == Etymology == The name of the town, "Tell Tamer", is derived from the [Arabic](/source/Arabic) and [Aramaic](/source/Aramaic) words "tell/tella", both meaning "hill", and "tamer/tamra", both meaning "[date](/source/Date_palm)". The name of the town therefore means "Hill of Dates". == Geography == In the Khabur Valley of [Upper Mesopotamia](/source/Upper_Mesopotamia), Tell Tamer is situated on the left (eastern) bank of [Khabur River](/source/Khabur_(Euphrates)), just south of the small [Zirgan](/source/Zirgan) River's estuary. About {{convert|3|km|mi}} to the east, the landscape ascends to the Ard al-Shaykh [volcanic basalt plateau](/source/volcanic_plateau). Tell Tamer lies on a direct line between the city of [Ras al-Ayn](/source/Ras_al-Ayn) some {{convert|35|km|mi}} to the northwest and the provincial capital [al-Hasakah](/source/al-Hasakah) some {{convert|40|km|mi}} to the southeast. The intersection with the [M4 highway](/source/M4_motorway_(Syria)) ([Aleppo](/source/Aleppo)–[Mosul](/source/Mosul)), the major road between al-Hasakah and [Diyarbakır](/source/Diyarbak%C4%B1r) (Turkey), and a nearby river crossing make Tell Tamer an essential transport hub. == History == It was settled in the 1930s by [Iraqi Assyrian refugees](/source/Assyrians_in_Iraq) fleeing the [Simele massacre](/source/Simele_massacre) in Iraq, who moved to French controlled [Syria](/source/Syria) and settled in a 25 km stretch of the [Khabur River](/source/Khabur_(Euphrates)) in 35 settlements. Tell Tammar on the Khabur.jpg|Tal Tamer (1939) Group of Assyrian men.jpg|[Assyria](/source/Assyrians)n men in Tal Tamer (1939) Assyrian woman cooking.jpg|Assyrian woman cooking (1939) Assyrian woman spins wool.jpg|Assyrian woman spinning wool (1939) Watermill Khabur 1.jpg|Tal Tamer watermill (1939) === Syrian Civil War === An Assyrian exodus from the town began in November 2012, when [Free Syrian Army](/source/Free_Syrian_Army) (FSA) fighters threatened to invade the town and [Al-Nusra front](/source/Al-Nusra_Front) kidnapped a number of Assyrian girls.{{Cite news |title=In northeast Syria, a Christian community fights for survival |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2019/0410/In-northeast-Syria-a-Christian-community-fights-for-survival |access-date=2025-12-18 |work=Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729}} The exodus further continued when the [Islamic State](/source/Islamic_State) took control of nearby roads just outside the town.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} This environment led residents to organize local self-defense forces known as the [Nattoreh](/source/Nattoreh).{{sfnp|Rashid|2018|p=36}} In October 2013, four [Assyrians](/source/Assyrians) were kidnapped by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} ==== Control by Kurdish-led forces ==== thumb|right|Al-Hasakah offensive in progress, 24 February 2015According to the ''Syriac International News Agency'', an ISIS attack on a nearby Assyrian village in May 2014 prompted Tell Tamer's residents to request protection from the [Kurdish](/source/Kurdish_population) [People’s Protection Units](/source/People's_Defense_Units) (YPG), which led to their deployment to the town.{{cite web |url=http://www.syriacsnews.com/assyrian-citizens-called-ypg-defend-isis/ |title=Assyrian citizens called the YPG to defend them against ISIS |publisher=Syriac International News Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725160728/http://www.syriacsnews.com/assyrian-citizens-called-ypg-defend-isis/ |archive-date=2015-07-25 |url-status=usurped |access-date=25 February 2015}} During this period, some youth from Tell Tamer joined YPG-allied Christian militias, including the [Syriac Military Council](/source/Syriac_Military_Council), the [Sutoro](/source/Sutoro) forces, and the [Khabur Guards](/source/Khabur_Guards), while families fled to the Kurdish-held cities of al-Hasakah and [Qamishli](/source/Qamishli). Under [Kurdish-led administration](/source/Democratic_Autonomous_Administration_of_North_and_East_Syria), Assyrian Christians were permitted to maintain their own political institutions and party offices in the town, including the [Assyrian Democratic Party](/source/Assyrian_Democratic_Party) (ADP), which participates in the [Syrian Democratic Council](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Council) (SDC).{{Cite news |last=Backhaus |first=Andrea |date=2019-11-14 |title=Nordsyrien: Die christlichen Kämpferinnen von Tell Tamer (2) |url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-11/nordsyrien-frauenmiliz-tell-tamer-assyrer-konflikt/seite-2 |access-date=2025-12-18 |work=Die Zeit |language=de-DE |issn=0044-2070}} After ISIS captured [Raqqa](/source/Raqqa) in January 2014, some Assyrians from Raqqa and [al-Tabqah](/source/al-Tabqah) fled to Tell Tamer, while others from the town also left. Many Assyrian families later emigrated, primarily to the United States, Europe, and Canada.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} [[File:YPG Tall Tamer 22 mai 2015.PNG|thumb|[People’s Protection Units](/source/People's_Defense_Units) (YPG) near Tell Tamer, 22 May 2015.]] In February and March 2015, ISIS militants, along with Arab residents from the village of Gêbish,{{Cite web |date=23 February 2015 |title=Li Til Temir şer û pevçûn germ bûne (Hat nûkirin) |url=https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kurdistan/230220154 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Rudaw |language=en}} carried out multiple raids on villages in Tell Tamer's vicinity, leading to heavy clashes with the YPG, [Women's Protection Units](/source/Women's_Protection_Units) (YPJ), and Assyrian militas during the [Eastern](/source/Eastern_al-Hasakah_offensive) and [Western al-Hasakah offensive](/source/Western_al-Hasakah_offensive).{{Cite web |date=7 March 2015 |title=Heavy fighting as Islamic State militants attack Christian villages in northeastern Syria |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/03/07/is-attacks-more-christian-villages-in-northeastern-syria |access-date=18 December 2025 |website=US News}} During these raids ISIS managed to kidnap around 220 Assyrians from villages surrounding Tell Tamer, and by 26 February, that number had increased to 350.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} Several of these hostages were released by ISIS in late March.{{Cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11443872/Isil-frees-19-abducted-Christians.html |title = Isil frees 19 abducted Christians|date = 2 March 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://syriahr.com/en/2015/03/is-releases-24-assyrian-christians-so-far/|title=IS releases 24 Assyrian Christians so far|publisher=SOHR|access-date=3 March 2015}} On 7 March 2015, [Ivana Hoffmann](/source/Ivana_Hoffmann), a German communist from Duisburg and member of the [Marxist–Leninist Communist Party of Turkey/North Kurdistan](/source/Marxist%E2%80%93Leninist_Communist_Party_(Turkey)) (MLKP), was killed in Tell Tamer while fighting alongside Kurdish YPG and YPJ forces. She is considered the first German and the first foreign woman to die in combat against ISIS.{{Cite web |date=2015-03-09 |title=Erste Deutsche stirbt im Kampf mit IS-Terroristen |url=https://www.stern.de/politik/ausland/islamischer-staat--ivana-hoffmann---erste-deutsche-stirbt-im-kampf-gegen-is-in-syrien-5953412.html |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=stern.de |language=de}} On 11 December 2015, [three truck bombs killed](/source/Tell_Tamer_bombings) 60 people and injured more than 80. On 14 October 2019, [Assad regime](/source/Assad_regime) forces were deployed to Tell Tamer and established joint control following an agreement with the [Syrian Democratic Forces](/source/Syrian_Democratic_Forces) (SDF), in wake of the [2019 Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria](/source/2019_Turkish_offensive_into_northeastern_Syria).{{Cite web|url=https://thedefensepost.com/2019/10/14/syria-regime-tel-tamer-turkey-border/|title=Syrian regime forces push towards Turkey border after SDF deal|date=2019-10-14|website=The Defense Post|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-22}} As of May 2026 it's still under Kurdish control.https://hawarnews.com/en/emergency-committee-formed-to-protect-agricultural-season-in-tell-tamerhttps://hawarnews.com/en/ypj-martyrs-pictures-hung-in-tell-tamer == Demographics == Its original inhabitants are Assyrians from the Upper [Tyari](/source/Tyari) tribe, who came to the area from [Hakkari](/source/Hakkari_(historical_region)) region in [Turkey](/source/Turkey) via [Iraq](/source/Iraq).{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=41}}{{sfn|Dodge|1940}} As late as the 1960s, they still comprised virtually the entire population of the town.{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=43}} The majority of the town's modern population is composed of [Arabs](/source/Arabs) and [Kurds](/source/Kurds_in_Syria), while local Assyrian leaders in the 1990s estimated their own community's presence in the town to be around 20%.{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=37}} Historical population estimates are as follows: 1,244 (1936); 1,250 (1960); 2,994 (1981); 5,030 (1993); 5,216 (1994); 5,405 (1995).{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=43 f.}} The pre-war scholarly estimates actually placed the total number of Assyrians belonging to the [Assyrian Church of the East](/source/Assyrian_Church_of_the_East) living all over of [Syria](/source/Syria) at around 30,000 individuals, with between 15,000 and 20,000 (i.e., 2/3, at most) of them living along the Khabur.{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=30}} === Religion === The Assyrian "Church of Our Lady", located in the Old Town, at a prominent place near the actual ''Tell'' (hill), serves as the center of the [Assyrian community](/source/Assyrian_people). In the early 1980s the original church built of mud-brick in the 1930s was broken down and replaced by a new [Italianate-style](/source/Italianate_architecture) building. A large green-domed brick mosque built in the 1970s serves the growing Muslim community just to the south of the town center.{{sfn|Fernandez|1998|page=38}} == Notable people == *[Adwar Mousa](/source/Adwar_Mousa), prominent Assyrian singer-songwriter. *[Juliana Jendo](/source/Juliana_Jendo), prominent Assyrian singer. *[Faia Younan](/source/Faia_Younan), prominent Assyrian singer. *[Omar Souleyman](/source/Omar_Souleyman), prominent Arab singer. == See also == {{Portal|Asia}} *[List of Assyrian settlements](/source/List_of_Assyrian_settlements) *[Tell Tamer bombings](/source/Tell_Tamer_bombings) *[Eastern al-Hasakah offensive](/source/Eastern_al-Hasakah_offensive) *[Western al-Hasakah offensive](/source/Western_al-Hasakah_offensive) == References == {{Reflist}} == Bibliography == * {{cite journal |last1=Dodge |first1=Bayard |title=The settlement of the Assyrians on the Khabbur |journal=Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society |date=1940 |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=301–320 |doi=10.1080/03068374008730969 |issn=0035-8789}} * {{cite journal |last=Fernandez |first=Alberto M. |author-link=Alberto M. Fernandez |title=Dawn at Tell Tamer: The Assyrian Christian Survival on the Khabur River |volume=12 |issue=1 |journal=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies |pages=34–47 |year=1998 |url=http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v12n1/Fernandez.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030831060530/http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v12n1/Fernandez.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-08-31 }} *{{cite book |last=Rashid |first=Bedir Mulla |translator=Obaida Hitto |title= Military and Security Structures of the Autonomous Administration in Syria |language= |url=http://omranstudies.org/publications/reports/download/68_d403f01ed28320cb2e67b13cffb381c7.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140230/http://omranstudies.org/publications/reports/download/68_d403f01ed28320cb2e67b13cffb381c7.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-07-01 |orig-year=1st pub. 2017 |date= 2018 |publisher= Omran for Strategic Studies |location= [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul) |isbn= }} == External links == *http://www.aina.org/articles/asotk.pdf *http://www.aina.org/maps/khaburmap.htm {{Assyrian topics}} {{Al-Hasakah Governorate|hasakah}} Category:Populated places in Hasakah District Category:Towns in Syria Category:Assyrian communities in Syria Category:Christian communities in Syria Category:Kidnapping in Syria Category:Upper Mesopotamia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tell Tamer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Tamer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Tamer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.