fled, mostly to Erbil, joining thousands of other Iraqi Christians fleeing ISIL terror. Before the ISIL invasion, the population was around 30,000, with the majority being ethnic Assyrian Syriac Christians, including Syriac Catholics and Syriac Orthodox Christians. Bartella was Christianized in the 2nd century. With the emergence of the Christological controversies, the people and their church came under the dominion of the Church of the East (historically known as the Nestorian Church); however, it switched to the Syriac Orthodox Church (historically known as Jacobite) around 610. On November 23–24, 2013 during the 2-day "Bartella Friends" conference held in Erbil to discuss the demographic change due to the Shabak exodus fleeing Mosul and the surrounding villages towards Bartella from 2003. It was announced that the percentage of Christians has dropped dramatically from 99% to 40%. Industry Bartella was known in Nineveh to have some of the best goldsmiths. Tahini is one of the main food products in the town. Weddings and festivals also inspire various craftsmanship in the town. Wedding tradition Every Sunday or festival day (holy feast days) between the engagement and the marriage, the groom's mother hosts the women and girls in her home, where they prepare trays of treats including seeds, sweets and dried fruit. The plates are covered with colorful fabric and taken to the bride's home to be presented to her. A few days prior to the wedding, the wall above the front of door of the couple's future home is painted with beautiful colors and decorated with various flowers. The walls of the couple's room are newly painted as well, since they typically became darkened with smoke from the indoor fires used for heat in the winter. Christian symbols were also painted on the walls to protect from bad spirits. Gallery See also Assyrian homeland Proposals for Assyrian autonomy in Iraq Assyrians in Iraq List of Assyrian settlements Tahrawa Bakhdida Karemlesh References External links baretly.net Assyrian communities in Iraq Populated places in Nineveh Governorate Shabak communities Nineveh Plains