Karamlish

A small town located between the Tigris and the Upper Zab rivers, some 15 km. southeast of Mosul.

A small town located between the Tigris and the Upper Zab, some 15 km. southeast of Mosul , between Barṭelle and Qaraqosh . Syriac sources call it Karamles, Karamleš, and Garmeš, renderings of the ancient Assyrian toponym Kar-Mulissu, ‘The quarter of Mulissu’, the latter being the consort of the god Ashur. The Assyrian name is inscribed on bricks uncovered in the archaeological tell near the city, which must contain the temple of the Assyrian goddess. The top of the tell is now occupied by the church of the martyr Barbara and her sister Juliana dated to the Mongol period if not earlier. During this period, the E.-Syr. Patr. Denḥa II resided in Karamlish for a few years, and it was the home of several emirs working for the Mongols, as mentioned in the Ecclesiastical History of Bar ʿEbroyo . At that time, Karamlish was inhabited by E.-Syr., Syr. Orth., and Armenian families in sizable numbers. During the 18th cent., it suffered the onslaught of the army of the Persian Nādir Shāh on his way to invade Mosul. Its churches were badly destroyed and the inscriptions found there commemorate their rebuilding after 1743. During the 19th cent., Karamlish joined the uniate movement, becoming Chald. The community speaks Sureth and owns four churches dedicated to St. Barbara, St. George, the Virgin Mary, and St. Addai.