Daoudieh (Amedi area)

Pass through two Chaldean Catholic Nestorian villages [leaving from Bebadi], and arrive at evening at Daoudich. ... Daoudich contains a population of eighty Catholic Nestorians. ... The landscape today was most beautiful. The fields are cultivated with grain, rice, and olive trees. The mountain ranges rise on either hand, and the valley stretches before us in picturesque and varied beauty. ... A fine view from the castle fort, of the rugged snow-crowned mountains and beautiful fertile valley around. Prime 1859, p 278-279; 25-26 November 1856

The Moodir Ached Effendi, a very pleasant gentleman, receives us with much hospitality and gives us a cordial reception in his palace castle. ... We have a very animated conversation in the evening with the Moodir, on the subject of religious liberty. He says there is the same God over Moslems, Christians, Jews, and Yesidees, and all should be brothers. Prime 1859, p 278-279; 26 November 1856 in Daoudieh

Dawodiya is a Kurdish and Assyrian village close to the Sapna valley. The valley is 25km long, from 5 to 10km in width, and is bounded by Mount Gara in the south and Mount Matean in the north. It is unclear when Dawodiya was founded, but local lore says it was during the Ottoman era when Ottoman authorities persecuted Assyrian Christians and some such families in Botan (southern Turkey) fled and established Dawodiya as their new home. However, some sources says it was founded in the pre-Christian or Middle Ages. According to Layard in Road to Nineveh, the families here used to be Eastern Christians (Nestorians) but Catholicism became the predominant faith. There is an old Ottoman police station, thought to be a castle for the Ottoman army's regional commanding officer. In 2012, a book was released about the city ishtartv.com.