ABSTRACT
This chapter relates some key episodes from the life of Surma Khanum, who was the sister and aunt to Assyrian patriarchs during the turbulent years of the First World War and its aftermath. The archbishop of Canterbury's English missionaries educated her, during which time she displayed an aptitude for foreign languages. Surma was an authority on the rites and customs of the Assyrian Church of the East, which allowed her to play a pivotal role in advising the Mar Shimun on political and religious issues affecting the Assyrian nation. She became the first female ambassador of the twentieth century to represent her people on the international stage, at a time when diplomacy was strictly a male preserve.
