A book titled ‘’Dawodiya Village’’ by Ishak Hiziqiyal was released earlier this week. Hiziqiyal wrote the book in Arabic with assistance by Father Gerbrail Shamami. To download the book, click here. (9.5 MB)

The village of Dawodiya is located near the Sapna valley in the northern Dohuk province.

Some references indicate that the village of Dawodiya of existed in pre-Christian times while others suggest that it was built in the Middle Ages.

While residents of Dawodiya, are not certain of the village's exact age, they assume it was several centuries ago when some Assyrian Christian families escaped the persecution of Ottoman authorities during their original occupation of Botan in southern Turkey.

The British scholar Austen Henry Layard visited the village in the 1840s, spending one night there. In his writings he mentions that there were 200 families living in the village, a police station and a church. Layard also notes that Catholicism replaced the original denomination of those people who were the followers of the Assyrian Church of the East.

The most devastating modern event took place in September 1988 when the entire village was demolished as part of Saddam Hussein’s ‘’Anfal Campaign’’. Its residents were deported to other Iraqi cities and towns and were prevented from returning.

Today, the village is in the process of getting back on its feet.