The Vilayet of Basra, more commonly known as Basra, is an administrative unit of the Ottoman Empire centered around the marshlands of southern Iraq which includes cities such as Nasiriyah and Basra. The situation of the vilayet would be changed forever with the outbreak of the Weltkrieg and resulting genocides carried out by the Ottomans against the Armenians and Assyrians. Due to the Assyrian Genocide the Assyrian people saw a mass exodus from their former homeland, located roughly in the Vilayet of Diyarbekir, Vilayet of Van, and the Persion region of Urmia, south into the then British held Vilayet of Basra as the war was nearing its conclusion. By the present, the situation within the Vilayet has grown increasingly tense, with ethnic conflict between the Arabs and Assyrians growing, all of which is not helped by the efforts of Constantinople to centralize the various regions of the Empire.
History[]
Weltkrieg[]
The Vilayet saw some of the earliest conflict for the Ottomans in the Weltkrieg, especially as Basra was bordered by the British backed Sheikdom of Kuwait to the southeast. The British were keen on expanding their influence into Mesopotamia and, despite repeated Ottoman offensives, were ultimately successful in occupying the Vilayet fully a few years later. Following that the British would continue to move into Ottoman Iraq. After the British occupation began the Vilayet began to experience a new status quo as it seemed the British were unlikely to retreat from the Vilayet, even as the Entente war efforts collapsed in 1919 and revolution followed in France.
Exodus to the Baghdad Vilayet[]
WIP
The Jerusalem Accords[]
By 1919, the Jerusalem Accords had brought peace to the Middle East, and Basra specifically was disputed over in clashes by the Central Powers, America, and Britain for influence in the region. During the peace process however, no Arabs or Assyrians were invited to negotiations, a fact that would cause permanent damage to the Vilayet and Assyrian-Arab relations. As a result of the conference, the Vilayet of Basra would become the new homeland for the Assyrian people.
The Assyrian exodus from Baghdad Vilayet[]
After having already fled from Northern Iraq and Urmia, the remaining Assyrian population in central Iraq, having been displaced by the Assyrian Genocide, fled south into the Vilayet of Basra with the evacuation of British troops from Baghdad following the Jerusaem Accords. The first waves of Assyrian refugees fled to Basra in the tens of thousands, with following waves bringing thousands more into the Vilayet. The Exodus led to a spike in ethnic tensions due to Basra becoming overcrowded with Assyrian refugees, many of whom were on the verge of starvation and death. Relief would soon arrive through American and British aid to the refugees throughout the Vilayet, slums were created and cities expanded to accomodate the refugees. Controversially however, the British occupational authorities also displaced many Arab families to make room for the Assyrian refugees, as a result many of these Arab families would find their way north and settle in the Baghdad Vilayet.
Peace (1920-1925)[]
After a full year of occupation by British authorities, the Vilayet began to adjust to peace as best as it could. During the years of occupation the British had begun building infrastructure such as railways throughout the Vilayet to connect the various cities. Alongside building and repairing infrastructure the British also aided in the creation of the Assyrian Levies, which served to protect Anglo-American interests in the region. The creation of the Levies, alongside various other events, led to a rise in support for Arab nationalism, as many Arabs saw that the British supported the efforts of the Assyrian refugees over the native Arabs in the Vilayet. The British also held a policy which supported continued Assyrian migration from their former homelands in Ninevah into Basra, seeing that the Assyrians who remained in the Mosul Vilayet faced continued discrimination by locals and Ottoman authorities. To further support the Assyrians, the British also funded the creation of churches and schools for Assyrian refugees to integrate them into wider society.
Ottoman occupation[]
With the collapse of the British Empire in full swing as a result of the British Revolution, the Ottoman Empire violated various terms of the Jerusalem Accords, with one of their first violations being the entrance of Ottoman forces into the British run Vilayet, which was then used to occupy other territories in the Arabian Peninsula such as the Trucial States. Assyrians, seeing the Ottomans reassert their authority over the Vilayet, feared the worse and began to mobilize a defense of their people, but in the end, Constantinople respected the autonomous nature of the Vilayet of Basra to avoid conflict. Although this respect failed to stop the Ottoman authorities from cracking down on Assyrian nationalists in the region.
Growing turmoil[]
Since the departure of the British occupational authorities, the Assyrians have felt a growing sense of isolation as support for independence grows more and more popular. With most Assyrians, nationalist or otherwise, find themselves having little loyalty to the Ottoman Empire, with the added support of Shimun XXI Eshai living in the Vilayet. Conflict has also begun to flare up between the Levies and Arab paramilitaries and some question how much longer peace will last in Basra.
Culture[]
The Vilayet of Basra is a majority Shia Arab Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, although it contains a sizeable minority of Assyrian refugees, having fled the Assyrian Genocide years prior. The Assyrians themselves are divided into groups such as the Nestorian and Chaldean Christians. Assyrians have also become influential in business, agriculture, and banking despute the repression of their people by Ottoman and Arab authorities.
Assyrian nationalism[]
Assyrian nationalism grew exponentially after the British collapse due to the isolation many Assyrians felt. Many Assyrians don’t feel that it is possible to live together with Arabs and Ottomans after the depressive past of genocide and massacres in Anatolia and Mosul. Assyrian nationalism strives for the creation of an independent Assyria in Basra, but there is an ongoing split between how independence should play out. Some Assyrians, mainly those who sympathize with socialism and syndicalism are in favor of a multinational state, while liberal Assyrians strive for an Assyrian Republic. There are also those who are fierce supporters of Eshai who wish for him to become supreme leader and even king of Basra. Lastly, somewhat popular among Assyrian Levies and experienced military personnel is the idea of returning to the British-led autonomous zone of Basra. Their reason is to get full backing of the Entente, as, if they do achieve independence they will be surrounded by potential enemies and seek out the help of the Dominion of India to stay independent.