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Revision as of 03:18, 8 October 2006

For other uses, see Kurdistan (disambiguation).

**Kurdistan**
Kurdish-inhabited area
Location	Parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
Estimated Area	ca. 74,000 sq mi (191,660 km²)-392,000 km²
Estimated Population	About 25-30 Million

Kurdistan (literally meaning "the land of Kurds"; old: Koordistan, Curdistan, Kurdia, also in Kurdish: Kurdewarî) is the name of a geographic and cultural region in the Middle East, inhabited predominantly by the Kurds.

As a traditional ethnographic region, Kurdistan is generally held to include the contiguous regions in northern and northeastern Mesopotamia with large Kurdish populations. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Kurdistan is a mountainous region politically divided among several nations: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is inhabited predominantly by Kurds numbering an estimated 27-28 million people in a 190,000 km² (74,000 sq. miles) area, while the Encyclopaedia of Islam, suggests that Kurdistan may be as large as a 390,000 km². Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds may live in Kurdistan, which would cover an area as big as France using the second estimate of physical size.

Larger parts of Kurdistan became a province of the Ottoman Empire. Following World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kurds were promised an independent nation-state in the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. Turkish nationalists, however, rejected the terms of the treaty, and following the defeat of the Greek forces in the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in 1923 in Turkey's favor. The larger area known as Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan was given to Turkey and the rest was accepted as part of the British Empire (except for Iranian Kurdistan, which at that time was part of Persia). Since that time Kurdish nationalists have continued to seek independence in an area including the region identified at Sèvres. However, the idea of an independent nation-state came to a halt when the surrounding countries joined to reject the independence of Kurdistan.

The Iraqi Kurdistan region and Kurdistan Province in Iran are officially acknowledged parts of Kurdistan. However, the Turkish and Syrian governments do not recognize their controlled parts of Kurdistan as a demographic or geographic region.

Etymology

The region was known by various cognates of the word Kurd (meaning land of Kurds) during the ancient history of the Mesopotamia. The ancient Sumerians referred to it as Kur-a, Gutium, or Land of Karda, the Elamites as Kurdasu, the Akkadians as Kurtei, the Assyrians as Kurti, the Babylonians as Qardu, the Greeks and the Romans as Corduene. One of the first records of using the term 'Kurdistan' is by Sultan Sanjar the Seljuk King in the 12th century. He formed a province named Kurdistan centered at Bahar situated to the northeast of Hamadan. This province was located between Azerbaijan and Luristan. It included the regions of Hamadan, Dinawar, Kermanshah and Senna, to the east of the Zagros and to the west of Sharazur (Kirkuk) and Khuftiyan, on the river Zab.

History

Main article: History of the Kurds

Ancient Kurdistan as Khurrite and Guti, north and east of Sumeria, 2000 BC.

Ancient period

The very first mention of the Kurds in history was about 3,000 BC, under the name Gutium, as they fought the Sumerians (Spieser). Later around 800 BC, the Indo-European Median tribes settled in the Zagros mountain region and coalesced with the Gutiums, and thus the modern Kurds speak an Aryan language (Morris). The Kurds are mentioned in the Anabasis by Xenophon, a Greek mercenary, as he retreated from Persia with ten thousand men in 401 BC, he says of the Kurds, "These people, lived in the mountains and were very war-like and not subject to the Persian king. Indeed once a royal army of 120,000 thousand had once invaded their country, and not a man of them came back..(Morris)." (Jensen 1996)

The tract to this day known as Kurdistan, the high mountain region south and south-east of Lake Van between Persia and Mesopotamia, was in the possession of Kurds from before the time of Xenophon, and was known as the country of the Carduchi (Greek:Καρδούχοι) , as Cardyene or Cordyene.

Kurds claim descent from various ancient groups; among them the Guti, Mannai (Mannaeans), Hurrian and Medes. The original Mannaean homeland was situated east and south of the Lake Urmia, roughly centered around modern-day Mahabad. The Medes came under Persian rule during the reign of Cyrus the Great and Darius. Centuries later, Kurdish-inhabited areas in the Middle East witnessed the clash of the two competing super powers of those times, namely the Sassanid Empire and the Roman Empire. At their peak, the Romans ruled large Kurdish-inhabited areas, particularly the western and northern Kurdish areas in the Middle East. Kurdish Kingdoms like Corduene were vassal states of the Roman Empire.

From 189 BC to 384 AD, the ancient kingdom of Corduene ruled northern Mesopotamia. It was situated to the east of Tigranocerta (i.e., to the east and south of present-day Diyarbakir in south-eastern Turkey). It became a vassal state of the Roman Republic in 66 BC. It remained allied with the Romans until 384 AD.

At the dawn of the Byzantine Empire, large parts of Kurdistan were under the rule of Greater Armenia, a client state of the Roman Empire, but the situation was very volatile in the Middle East.

Medieval period

In the 7th century A.D., Arabs conquered most of the Middle East, and Kurds became subjects of Arab Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. In the second half of the 10th century, Kurdistan was shared amongst five big Kurdish principalities. In the North the Shaddadid (951-1174) (in parts of Armenia and Arran) and the Rawadid (955-1221) (in Tabriz and Maragheh) ,in the East the Hasanwayhid (959-1015) and the Annazid (990-1116) (in Hulwan, Kermanshah and Khanaqin) and in the West the Marwanid (990-1096) of Diyarbakir.

Kurds in the Middle Ages were living in several semi-independent states called "emirates". A comprehensive history of these states and their relationship with their neighbors is given in the famous textbook of "Sharafnama" written by Prince Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi in 1597. The most famous Kurdish Emirates included Baban, Soran, Badinan and Garmiyan in present-day Iraq; Bakran, Botan (or Bokhtan) and Badlis in Turkey, and Mukriyan and Ardalan in Iran. In 17th century, Ahmad Khani (Ehmedê Xanî) wrote "Mem û Zîn", the Kurdish national epic, and he was seen by some as an early advocate of Kurdish nationalism.

Modern period

File:Ottoman empire 1801.jpg

Map of western Kurdistan and Ottoman Empire in 1801

In the 16th century A.D., the Kurdish inhabited areas were split between Safavid Iran and the Ottoman Empire after long wars. Before World War I, most Kurds lived within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire in the province of Kurdistan. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies created several countries within its former boundaries. Originally, Kurdistan along with Armenia was to be one of them, according to the never-ratified Treaty of Sèvres. However, the reconquest of these areas by Kemal Atatürk and other pressing issues caused the Allies to accept the renegotiated Treaty of Lausanne, giving this territory to Turkey and leaving the Kurds without a self-ruled region. Other Kurdish areas were assigned to the new British and French mandated states of Iraq and Syria under both treaties.

Main articles: Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, Iranian Kurdistan, and Kurds in Syria

Since WWI, Kurdistan has been divided between several states, in all of which Kurds are minorities. Many Kurds have campaigned for independence or autonomy, often through force of arms. There has been no support by any of the regional governments, however, and little by outside powers, for changes in regional boundaries. A sizable Kurdish diaspora exists in Western Europe that participates in agitation for Kurdish issues, but most of the governments in the Middle East have historically banned open Kurdish activism.

In Iraq, Kurdish guerrilla groups, known in the Kurdish culture as 'Peshmerga', have fought for a Kurdish state. In Iraqi Kurdistan, Peshmerga fought against the (former) Iraqi government before and during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and now comprise significant parts of Iraqi army forces such as police especially in Iraqi Kurdistan as well as some neighboring regions.

Another militant group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), has fought an armed campaign in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran for over thirty years. In Turkey, more than 30,000 Turkish and Kurdish people have died as a result of the war between the state and the PKK, with alleged atrocities being committed by both sides.

In Iranian Kurdistan, frequent unrest and occasional military crackdown have happened throughout the 1990s and even to the present . Iranian Kurdistan is one of the most heavily militarized areas of Iran since World War II and the military is present in every village (see Ethnic Cleavage as a Component of Global Military Expenditures, Journal of Peace Research, p.24, 1987). In Iran, Kurds twice had their own controlled free area without government control: The Republic of Mahabad in Iran which was the second independent Kurdish state of the 20th century, after the Republic of Ararat in modern Turkey; and second time after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. There have also been casualties in Syrian Kurdistan such as the 2004 incident . All these political crises and conflicts in Kurdistan, lead to make it to one of the most militarized regions on earth; all of those countries which have Kurdistan within their political borders have focused military operations in the region.

People

In addition to Kurds who comprise the majority of the population of the region there are also communities of Assyrian, Armenian, Ossetian, Jewish, Arab, and Azeri people traditionally scattered throughout the region alongside Kurds. Most of its inhabitants being Muslim there are also significant numbers of various other religious sects such as Yazidi, Yarsan, Alevi, Christian, Judaism, Sarayi, Bajwan and Haqqa etc.

Geography

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kurdistan covers about 74,000 sq mi (191,660 km²), and its chief towns are Diyarbakir, Bitlis, and Van in Turkey, Mosul and Karkuk (Kirkuk) in Iraq, and Kermanshah in Iran. According to Encyclopaedia of Islam, Kurdistan covers around 190,000 km² in Turkey, 125,000 km² in Iran, 65,000 km² in Iraq, and 12,000 km² in Syria and the total area of Kurdistan is estimated at approximately 392,000 km². Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in Kurdistan, which covers an area as big as France. The Kurdistan Province in Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan are both included in the usual definition of Kurdistan.

Iranian Kurdistan encompasses Kurdistan Province and greater parts of West Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Ilam Province. Iraqi Kurdistan is divided into 6 governorates which until this time three of them plus parts of other ones are under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government. Syrian Kurdistan is mostly located in present-day northeastern Syria. This region covers greater part of the province of Al Hasakah. The main cities in this region are Al-Qamishli (or "Qamişlû" in Kurdish) and Al Hasakah (or "Hesaka" in Kurdish). Another region with significant Kurdish population is in the northern part of Syria. The Kurdish-inhabited northern and northeastern parts of Syria in Kurdish is called "Kurdistana Binxetê". . (see Demographics of Syria and ).

Forests

Although Kurdistan has a harsh and cold climate, it is not a desert. Mountain chains are covered with pasture, and its valleys with forests. There are around 16 million hectares (160,000 km²) of forests in all parts of Kurdistan. Oaks, firs and other conifers can be found in those forests. The platanus, willow and poplar, are found near waters and rivers .

Mountains

Mountains, even to this day, have been important geographical and symbolic figures in Kurdish life, so that there is a saying that Kurds have no friends but the mountains . The Mount Judi is the most important mountain in Kurdish folklore and along with Mount Ararat is one of the mountains that is thought to be the final resting place of Noah's Ark. Other important mountains of Kurdistan are Zagros Shingar, Qendil, Shaho, Gabar, etc.

Rivers

There are many rivers in Kurdistan that are at least as important, if not more important, than oil. The plateaus and mountains of Kurdistan, which are characterized by heavy rainfall and in winter a heavy coat of snow, are a water reservoir for the Near and Middle East. This is the source of the famous Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as well as numerous other smaller rivers like the Khabur, Tharthar, Ceyhan, Araxes, Kura, Sefidrud, Karkha, Hezil, which their major tributaries spring from the mountains of Kurdistan. Those rivers that are entirely or nearly entirely in Kurdistan are usually of historical importance to the Kurds. Among these are the Murat (Arasān) and Buhtān rivers in northern and western Kurdistan (in Turkey); the Peshkhābur, the Lesser and the Greater Zab, and the Sirwan/Diyala in central Kurdistan (in Iraq); and the Jaghatu (Zarrinarud), the Tātā'u (Siminarud), the Zohāb (Zahāb), and the Gāmāsiyāb in southern Kurdistan etc. With their water, the Tigris and the Euphrates give life not only to the Mesopotamian plain and whole of Kurdistan but also to Iraq and Syria. These rivers, which flow down from heights of three to four thousand meters above sea level, are also very significant for the production of energy. Iraq and Syria have built numerous dams across these rivers and their tributaries. But the most important ones are a series of dams that were built by Turkey as part of the GAP project (Southeast Anatolia Project). The GAP project is still not complete, but it already supplies a significant proportion of Turkey's electrical-energy needs. Due to the extraordinary archaeological richness of the land, almost any dam built in Kurdistan drowns a portion of Kurdish history .

Lakes

There are a number of lakes in Kurdistan. The eastern borders of Kurdistan ends with the Lake Urmia and the western borders with semi-contiguous Kurdish-inhabited regions to the Mediterranean sea. Lake Van is the world's fourth largest non-saline body of water by volume. The Zarivar Lake around Mariwan as well as Lake Dukan around the city of Sulaymaniyah are considerable touristic sites .

Underground resources

There are many oil and mineral resources in Kurdistan. KRG-controlled parts of Iraqi Kurdistan only by itself is estimated to have around 45bn barrels of oil reserves making it 6th largest in the world, mostly recently discovered and its extraction is said to begin within the first three months of the next near (2007?). These are excluding those of Kirkuk and Mosul, cities claimed by the KRG to be included in its territory. Albeit for a long time oil was extracted mainly in these two cities through Iraq by former Baath regime. Gas and associated gas reserves are in excess of 100 TCF. Other underground resources that exist in significant quantities in the region include copper, iron, zinc and cement. The world´s largest deposit of rock sulphur is located just southwest of Erbil (Hewlêr). Other important underground resources include coal, gold, marble, etc..

Climate

There are many rivers flowing and running through mountains of Kurdistan making it distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water, picturesque nature. The mountainous nature of Kurdistan, the difference of temperatures in its various parts, and its wealth of waters, make Kurdistan a land of agriculture and tourism. The climate of Kurdistan is harsh, because of its high altitude. There is a lot of snowfall in the high mountains. Percipitation varies between 200 to 400 mm a year in the plains, and between 700 to 3,000 mm a year on the high plateaux between mountain chains.