Traveling Exhibit: Assyrians from Persia (Iran) to the United States, 1887-1923: Assyrian Education, American Missionaries, and the Search for a Home

Exhibit Dates: March 21 - April 30, 2024
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9am-4pm

Assyrians are the last Aramaic-speaking ethnic community indigenous to a homeland between Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran. Their communities were transformed by missionary education beginning in the 19th century, but documenting this history through Assyrian voices has proven elusive in the wake of their displacement. This exhibit's unique collection of papers and objects from the Lake Urmia region (Iran), documents the life, travels, and education of one Assyrian-Iranian family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The letters, journal, historic images, passport, and currency that form the exhibit are intended to highlight the importance of archiving and preserving family-held documents that enhance deeper understanding of the modern evolution of social and cultural change, especially among indigenous minority populations. 

This traveling exhibit is supported by the Naby Frye Assyrian Fund for Culture, the University of Washington Department of History, and the University of Washington Libraries. Learn more about the traveling exhibit here: https://qarajalutosantaclara.com/

Join the Presbyterian Historical Society on March 21 at 5:30pm for Assyrians from Persia (Iran) to the United States, 1887-1923 Exhibit Event and Lecture

View the traveling exhibit, Assyrians from Persia (Iran) to the United States, 1887-1923, and hear more about Presbyterian missionaries in Urmia. Learn more about this event.