page_title: Sassoon family
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Sassoon family / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: w:David Sassoon (seated) and his sons w:Elias David Sassoon, w:Albert Abdallah David Sassoon &amp; w:Sassoon David Sassoon.
context_page_description: The Sassoon family, known as "Rothschilds of the East" due to the immense wealth they accumulated in finance and trade, is of Baghdadi Jewish descent and international renown. It was based in Baghdad, Iraq, before moving to Bombay, India, and then spreading to China, England, and other countries. It is said that the family descended from one of the court families of the Iberian Peninsula in the twelfth century. They later served as Financial Advisors to Islamic Rulers.
  From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a corporate empire spanning the entire continent of Asia.
context_section_description: The name of the family strongly implies a local, Mesopotamian origin for the family. The family name of Sassoon is also commonly shared by many Armenian and Kurdish families and tribes who all originate from the mountainous district of Sason (whence the family and tribal names), west of Lake Van, in upper Mesopotamia in modern Turkey. It is, however, possible that some Spanish Sephardi blood was mixed with the primarily Mesopotamian Jewish Sasoons.
caption: David Sassoon (seated) and his sons Elias David, Albert (Abdallah) & Sassoon David
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