Shimun XVII Abraham

Mar Shimun XVII Abraham (also Simon XVII Abraham or Auraham, 1800/01– 1861) served as the Patriach of what would eventually be called the Assyrian Church of the East from 1820 to 1861.

He led the church from Qodshanis (modern Konak, Hakkari) in southeastern Turkey, and tried to maintain good relations with local Ottoman authorities. In 1843, he was faced with renewed hostilities from Kurdish warlords, who attacked many Christian villages and killed 10,000 men, taking away women and children as captives, and forcing Patriarch to take refuge in Mosul. He is buried in the Church of Mar Shalita in Turkey. He also bravely resisted the Kurdish warlords, most prominent resistance being against the Kurdish Nurullah Beg in 1841, where Nurullah unsuccessfully tried to subdue the Assyrians who Shimun led.