Tel Keppe

Tel Kepe ܬܠ ܟܐܦܐ
Tel Kepe
Coordinates: 36°29′22″N 43°7′9″E
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Ninawa
Municipality	Tel Kaif
Government
• Mayor	Basim Ballu
Population (2010)
• Total	40,000
	Tel Kepe received a large influx of Christian refugees following the 2003 Iraq War

Tel Keppe (also spelled Tel Keipeh) (Classical Syriac: ܬܠ ܟܐܦܐ‎ Tal Kepe, Arabic: تل كيف‎ Tal Kaif), is one of the largest historically Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located in the Ninawa Governorate, less than 8 miles North East of Mosul (Nineveh) in northern Iraq.

Tel Keppnias Today

Starting in the 1980s and especially after the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Invasion of Iraq, many Catholic Assyrians from Tel Keppe fled to many countries, but primarily the United States. They set up their lives there with new churches and business for their families.

In The United States

The presence of Assyrian Catholics in the United States span a hundred years, however, the largest migrations were those during the last 30 years when these Assyrians started leaving Iraq en masse.. In their new country, true to their fame as honest and hardworking people, the Tel Keppnias were quick to establish and acquire large & successful businesses. These prominent Catholic Assyrians were able to build a prominent economic empire.

Actually, that economic power manifested itself when President Bill Clinton,in 1996, became the first American President to ever meet with an immigrant Middle Eastern community. With that the Chaldeans of Iraq led by the Tel Keppnias, became that First Middle Eastern community to be recognized by an American President. Also, during Mr. Clintons presidency, his wife, the First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was hosted twice by the Tel Keppnias of Detroit.

After the Gulf War, the Tel Keppnias led the Chaldeans in the United States in mounting a widely publicized campaign to lift the economic sanctions which was imposed on their original homeland, Iraq. Also, large sums of donations were collected and sent to the needy in Iraq without discriminating whether the recipients were Arabs, Chaldean or Assyrians, Muslims or Christians.

Elsewhere

Tel Keppnias also fled to the neighboring countries of Syria and Iran. Many others also left to other countries including Sweden, Australia, France, and European Countries.

Famous Tel Keppnias

There are and have been many famous Tel Keppnias in the United States, within Iraq, and elsewhere.

Deceased

• Chaldean Patriarch Joseph II Marouf (1667–1713).
• Author and explorer, Mary Terez Asmar, born in 1806. Published her memoir "Babylonian Princess" in English in 1844.
• Poet Toma Taqteq, died in 1860.
• Fr. Shemoel Jamil (1847–1917), who was in charge of all Chaldean monasteries.
• Journalist Maryam Narmy, born in 1890. Published first Iraqi women's issues "Arabian Woman" newspaper in 1937.
• Yousif Malik, one of the leaders of the Assyrian movement in Iraq during the 1930s. Author of "The British Betrayal of the Assyrians".
• Joseph Hirmis Jammo, author of "Nineveh's Ruins or History of TalKayf" published in 1937.
• Journalist Alexander Marouf.
• Rofael Babu Ishaq, born in 1893 and author of "History of Iraqi Christians". Died in 1964.

Living

• Mar Emannuel III Delly: Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans.
• Mar Gabrial Kassab: Bishop of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand for the Chaldean Catholic Church.
• Mar Ramzi Garmo: Archbishop of Tehran - Iran for the Chaldean Church of the East.
• Mar Ibrahim Ibrahim: Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church for the Eastern United States.
• Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo: Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church for Western United States
• Faraj Jajo: Renowned engineer and published scholar.

See also

• Nineveh plains
• Alqosh
• Bakhdida