Changes
|leader_title = Mukhtar
|leader_name = Toma Gidde
|ethnic_groups = 22% ] 88% [[Assyrian Chaldean people]]
|languages = [[Neo-Aramaic Languages|Neo-Aramaic]], [[Arabic]], [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]
|area_magnitude =
}}
'''Araden''' ([[Syriac language|Syriac]]: <big><big>ܐܪܕܢ</big></big>) is an [[Assyrian Chaldean people|AssyrianChaldean]] village in the northern [[Iraq]]i [[Governorates of Iraq|governorate]] of [[Dohuk Governorate|Dohuk]]. It is located approximately 20-30 kilometers (12–19 miles) east of the city of [[Zakho]]. The homes lie on the side of the mountain, but the land stretches over 18 kilometers. The village of Einishk lies a few miles to the east, and the [[Iraqi Kurdistan|Kurdish]] village of Bamerne is to the west, [[Sarsing]] can be seen to the south. The name ''Araden'' means "Land of Eden" in old [[Aramaic]].
The inhabitants speak [[Neo-Aramaic Languages|Neo-Aramaic]] with an accent close to that of Old Aramaic.
==People==
The villagers are Assyrians Chaldeans who belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church and have inhabited the land for thousands of years. The village is relativity famous among its neighboring towns and villages for having many green-eyed and red haired people.
There are three main families or tribes of this village, the Kasha family, the Rayes family, and the Sana family. It is believed that the three families originated from other villages and settled in Araden; yet, it is unclear when this settlement in Araden occurred. All houses however break up into different sub-houses. The head of the village was traditionally a Chaldean Bishop named Bishop Francis Daoud (the Chaldean Bishop of [[Amadiya (Chaldean Diocese)]]) and this status continues with the Bishop's lineage. Bishop Francis Daoud was born on October 14, 1870 and died on October 1, 1939. Bishop Daoud from Araden was the Bishop of [[Amadiya (Chaldean Diocese)]] from his confirmation on February 24, 1910 until his death on October 1, 1939. <ref> http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdavidf.html</ref> <ref>http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/damza.html </ref> Bishop Daoud was known for his bravery and leadership in saving the people of Araden and other Northern Iraqi villages, through bartering and negotiations with the Turks, during the Ottoman Turks 1915 genocide against Christians in Turkey and Iraq.
Before the 1959 [[Kurdish-Iraqi War]], land towards the summit of the mountain was granted by the heads of the village for [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] refugees to live on during the Kurdish rebellions. This brought about a second village in Araden called "Aradenlaya" where Kurdish families were hidden from the Iraqi military. The military eventually caught on to the location during the first Kurdish-Iraqi War and bombed the village, disbursing the residents to other villages. Today, those families are part of a new Kurdish town called Qadish, which lies about 7 kilometers east of Araden.
There is a large community of people from Araden in [[Metro Detroit]] ([[Warren, Michigan|Warren]], [[Sterling Heights, Michigan|Sterling Heights]], and [[Troy, Michigan|Troy]]), [[Michigan]]. Every year the people of Araden gather on January 12, when there is a celebration for the saint [[Sultana Mahdokht]], called ''Shera''. This is a big event in the Assyrian Chaldean community of Michigan, as the attendance is overwhelming. Also every year on 15 June, ''Aradnayeh'' get together in [[Shelby Charter Township, Michigan|Shelby Township]], for a large celebration at the [[Stony Creek Metropark]].
==Wildlife==
[[Category:Cities in Iraqi Kurdistan]]
[[Category:Populated places in Dohuk Province]]
[[Category:AssyriaChaldea]][[Category:Assyrian Chaldean settlements]]
