Posts in Culture & History
Amira Daboul Offers Chaldean Recipes in New Cookbook, Awafi

Amira Daboul was well into the writing of her first cookbook before a title occurred to her. While working with her editor, Linda Schwartz, “awafi” was a word Amira would mention upon finalizing each recipe. One day, they looked at each other and the idea seemed to strike at once — Amira had found a name for the cookbook.

Read More
The Lost Tribe

In October 2022, Dr. Paulo Botta visited San Salvador de Jujuy and El Carmen, two towns of the Jujuy province in the north of Argentina. There he met with descendants of Chaldean Iranians who immigrated to Argentina between 1900 and 1930. Botta, a professor of Social Sciences affiliated with the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, explained, “Nobody even knows about that group of Chaldean families who arrived here almost a century ago.”

Read More
Habib Hannona: A Man of Many Talents

Pioneers deserve recognition and celebration. They serve as our foundation, a guiding force toward an advanced and progressive society. They act as catalysts for passing wisdom onto new generations, inspiring individuals to become their best selves. Habib Hannona is a living example of one such pioneer. His achievements in the United States, Kuwait, and Iraq exemplify human strength, enduring spirit, survival, and success.

Read More
Chai Al-Iraqi

As one of the world’s most popular beverages, tea has fascinated us, stimulated us, motivated us, and calmed us for well over two thousand years. Tea, or “chai,” as we call it in Iraq, is an authentic part of the local heritage. The Iraq’s long love affair with tea is amazing and historic, although it is difficult to cultivate in Iraq because it needs special environmental conditions.

Read More
Love in Bloom

Many people say that the secret to a good marriage is intimacy, commitment, and communication; however, the ingredients to a happy, healthy marriage vary across time and across cultures. With faith and family prioritized, it is no wonder that the Chaldean community has so many couples that have been married for so long. We interviewed two of those couples to discover what goes into a longtime happy marriage.

Read More
Dave Nona: Dedicated to a Life of Service

Dave Nona’s life began in Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the oldest child in a large family, having six brothers and two sisters. His father, a banker, moved the family to Amarah, in southeastern Iraq, when Dave was five. “Like most [Iraqi] cities, Amarah was predominantly Muslim,” Dave said. “There were maybe 10 or 15 Christian families, but we did have a Chaldean church and a priest there.” Dave remembers being the only Christian in his primary school.

Read More
Straight Outta 2003

In the year that Apple launched iTunes, the Human Genome Project was completed, and basketball legend Michal Jordan retired, the United States invaded Iraq without provocation. Iraq was estimated to have nearly 1.5 million Christians before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Dating back to the first centuries of the religion, they include the Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, and Armenian Churches.

Read More