Alqosh

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Alqosh (Syriac:ܐܲܠܩܘ̣ܫ) is one of the most famous Assyrian (Chaldean community) towns in Iraqi Kurdistan. Located 30 kilometers north of Mosul, the name Alqosh is of Aramaic origin, meaning The God of Righteousness. The town is inhabites primarily by Assyrian Chaldean Christians, and is one of the few places where Aramaic is still spoken. The town has about 10,000 people.

Alqush has adorned the Bayhidhra mountains for more than twenty five centuries. The town glowingly reigns over Nineveh's northern plateau known for its fertile soil and extends southward across the other Assyrian towns, such as, Telassqopa (Tel Skuf), Baqofah, Sharafiya, Batnaya, and Tel Keppe.

Alqush traces its history back into the ancient Assyrian empire and perhaps even further. The earliest mentioning of Alqosh appears in Sennacherib's era 750 BC as evidenced by the mural inside Sennacherib's palace that was discovered in Tel Kuyunjik/Qüyüjik (Sheep Hill in Turkoman) in Mosul. Behind this mural, the phrase "This rock was brought from Alqosh’s Mountain" is carved.

Alqosh is divided into four quarters: Sainna quarter to the west, Qasha quarter to the east, O’do quarter to the north, and Khatetha quarter to the south.