Bartella

Bartella ܒܪܛܠܐ‎ برطلّة
Saint George Church of Bartella
Bartella
Coordinates: 36°21′8″N 43°22′47″E / 36.35222°N 43.37972°E / 36.35222; 43.37972Coordinates: 36°21′8″N 43°22′47″E / 36.35222°N 43.37972°E / 36.35222; 43.37972
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Ninawa
Municipality	Al-Hamdaniya District
Government
• Mayor	Nisan Karromi
Population (2015)
• Total	0
	30,000 prior to ISIS invasion
Time zone	GMT +3
Website	http://baretly.net/index.php

Bartella or Bard Allah (Syriac: ܒܪܛܠܐ‎; Arabic: برطلّة‎‎) is an ethnic Assyrian Christian town that is located in northern Iraq about 21 kilometres (13 miles) east of Mosul.

The name Bartella is of Assyrian Eastern Aramaic origin, but its meaning is not fully agreed on by the historians. While Joseph Ghanima and al-Jawaliqy believe its from Bart Tilla meaning Daughter of Dew, the priest Putros Saba al-Bartelly believes it comes from Beth Rattly meaning House of Weights. The town's residents mostly fled to the Erbil region following the invasion of the town by ISIS in August 2014. Bartella was liberated from ISIS control on 20 October 2016 by Iraqi Special Operations Forces.

In northern Iraq the maphrian was the head of church, and reported to the Patriarch in Antioch. In 1859 (or 1860), the Syriac Orthodox Church under Patriarch Yacoub II officially abolished the position of maphrian (Patriarch Yacoub III reinstated the position of maphrian in India in 1964). When Ignatius Elia'azar made Bartella his home and see, dissatisfaction erupted in the community since Mar Mattai Monastery has been the traditional see of the Orthodox maphrian. A compromise was finally reached and he returned to Mar Mattai. However, it was agreed that he would make it a tradition to visit Bartella to emphasize its importance. Other maphrians who made their see in Bartella were Dionysius Saliba II (1222–1231), Gregorius Barsuma (1288–1308), Gregorius Mattai I (1317–1345), Gregorius bar Qeenaya (d. 1361), Athanasius Abraham II (1365–1379), and Cyril Joseph III (1458–1470).