Atlas of Battles

siege, First World War

Defense of Azakh

Defense of Azakh was a siege conducted on 18 August 1915 at İdil, in what is now Turkey; it lasted 3 months. It was part of Armenian Genocide, which ran from 1915 to 1923. The recorded result: Assyrian victory. Recorded strength: 4,000 (mostly Assyrians but also including few Armenians) against 8,000+.

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Church in İdil (Azech, Beth Zabday), Tur-Abdin, Turkey
Church in İdil (Azech, Beth Zabday), Tur-Abdin, Turkey. Pepoeko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought18 August 1915lasted 3 months
Whereİdil, Turkey37.342N, 41.892E
OutcomeAssyrian victory
BelligerentsAssyrian Defenders; Armenian fedayiagainstOttoman Empire; Allied Kurdish tribes
Casualties and losses1,200 Christians were killed during the siege.andHeavy
Part ofArmenian Genocide1915 to 1923

Where it sits in Armenian Genocide

Zeitun Resistance, 1914Shabin-Karahisar Uprising, 1915Battle of Musa Dagh, 1915Defense of Azakh, 1915Urfa Resistance, 191519141915Defense of Azakh, 1915
5 placed engagements of Armenian Genocide in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date18 August 1915
to 21 November 1915
Placeİdil, Turkey
37.342N, 41.892E
KindSiege, First World War
Strength4,000 (mostly Assyrians but also including few Armenians)8,000+
Casualties and losses1,200 Christians were killed during the siege.Heavy
Defense of AzakhDefense of AzakhConstantius II's Siege of BezabdeShapur II's Siege of BezabdeSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisConstantius II's Siege of BezabdeSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisMosulDiyarbakırVanBatmanTall AfarZakhoMardinAl Hasakah100 km37.342N, 41.892E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1915

Defense of Azakh is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q104863365, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Defense of Azakh, revision 1370615196, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.