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The Kurds are an Iranian people inhabiting parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey (a region commonly referred to as Kurdistan). Smaller communities can also be found in Lebanon, Armenia, and Azarbaijan (Kalbajar and Lachin, to the west of Nagorno Karabakh) and some Western countries. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, "The classification of the Kurds among the Iranian nations is based mainly on linguistic and historical data and does not prejudice the fact there is a complexity of ethnical elements incorporated in them."

Kurds speak the mostly mutually-intelligible dialects of the Kurdish language, which is an Indo-European language of the Iranian branch. Their ethnic origins is uncertain but some sources state they are ethnically close to other Iranian groups such as the Persians and Lurs , . Modern Kurds are commonly identified with the ancient Kingdom of Corduene inhabited by the Carduchi . They have fought the Sumerians, Assyrians, Persians, Mongols, European crusaders, and Turks .

Ranging probably from 25 to 30 million people, the Kurds comprise one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without a separate country. For over a century, many Kurds have campaigned and fought for the right to self-determination in an autonomous homeland known as "Kurdistan". Nevertheless, the governments of countries with sizable Kurdish populations are actively opposed to the possibility of a Kurdish state, believing such a development would require them to give up parts of their own national territories.

Historic roots of the Kurdish people

The earliest evidence, thus far, of a unified and distinct culture and peoples inhabiting the Kurdish mountains dates back to the Halaf culture of 8,000-7,400 years ago. This was followed by the Hurrian period which lasted from 6,300 to about 2,600 years ago. The Hurrians spoke a language that was possibly part of the Northeast Caucasian family of languages (or Alarodian), akin to modern Chechen and Lezgian. The Hurrians spread out and eventually dominated significant territories outside their Zagros-Taurus mountainous base. Like their Kurdish descendents, they however did not expand too far from the mountains. The "Hurrian" name survives now most prominently in the dialect and district of Hawraman/Auraman in Kurdistan. They were divided into many clans and subgroups and settled in city-states, kingdoms and empires with eponymous clan names. These included the Gutis, Kurti, Khaldi, Mards, Mushku, Mannaeans (Mannai), Hittites, Urartu, Lullubi and the Kassites among others. All these tribes were part of the larger group of Hurrians, and together helped to shape the Hurrian phase of Kurdish history . The region of Mahabad was the centre of the Mannaeans, who flourished in the early 1st millennium BC.

There are numerous historical records that refer to the antecedents of the modern Kurds. The ancient Greek historian Xenophon referred to the Kurds in the Anabasis as "Khardukhi", a 'fierce and protective mountain-dwelling people' who attacked Greek armies in 400 BCE. 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, as Cardyene, and as Cordyene.

The Lullubi people inhabited the Sharazor plain in Iraqi Kurdistan and are known for having fought wars with the Akkadians around 2300-2200 B.C. Today a Kurdish clan is known as Lullu and may be a possible derivation of the ancient Lullubi. Moreover, the name Madai appears in the Book of Genesis as a Japhethic grandson of Noah in the Biblical tradition. Scholars have identified Madai with various nations, from the early Mitanni to the Medes who were contemporaries of the ancient Persians.

The modern Kurds are the descendants of many invaders and migrants who settled the region including the aforementioned Hurrians, Guti, Lullubi, Kurti, Persians, Medes, Mards, Carduchi (Gordyene), Adiabene, Mushku, Mannai, Mitanni, Kassites, Zila, and Khaldi. In addition, the lands populated by the Kurds were also invaded by the Assyrians, Akkadians, Armenians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, and Turks and these groups also made contributions to the modern Kurds both culturally and/or genetically. As a result of the vast parade of peoples who have come to Kurdistan, it is safe to say that the Kurds are a combination of indigenous peoples who were living in the Zagros Mountains and numerous other invaders and migrants. Recent genetic tests of random Kurdish populations show links to the Caucasus, various Iranian peoples, Europeans, northern Semites, and Anatolia.

Kurdish Dynasties

The Kurdish Kingdom of Corduene became a province of the Roman Empire in 66 BCE and was under Roman control for four centuries until 384 CE. It was situated to the east of Tigranocerta (i.e., to the east and south of present-day Diyarbakir in south-eastern Turkey). In the second half of the 10th century, Kurdistan was shared amongst four big Kurdish principalities. In the North the Shaddadid (951-1174) (in parts of Armenia and Arran), in the East the Hasanwayhids (959-1015) and the Annazid (990-1117) (in Kermanshah, Dinawar and Khanaqin) and in the West the Marwanid (990-1096) of Diyarbakir. After these, the Ayyubid (1171-1250) of Syria and the Ardalan dynasty (14th century-1867) (in Khanaqin, Kirkuk and Sinne) were established.

Population

The exact number of Kurdish people living in the Middle East is unknown, due to both an absence of recent and extensive census analysis, and the reluctance of the various governments in Kurdish-inhabited regions to give accurate figures.

According to CIA Factbook, Kurds comprise 20%, 15-20%, 9%, 7% and 1,3% of population of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. In all of these countries Kurds form the second largest ethnic group, except in Iran.

In other words about 55%, 22%, 16,5% and 6,5% of Kurds of the world live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

As a result, Kurds forming 27 to 28 million people are regarded as the fourth largest ethnicity in Middle East after Arabs, Persians and Turks.

Kurdish diaspora

Kurdish people are found in regions far from their ancestral homeland, Kurdistan. The largest Kurdish enclave outside Kurdistan is the Kurdish region in north Khorasan, in north-eastern Iran. Other scattered smaller communities are found in Azarbaijan(Kalbajar and Lachin, to the west of Nagorno Karabakh), the Alburz mountain range in northern Iran, Guilan province in northern Iran and Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran. (See ). The Kurds also make up a section of the waves of Turkish and other middle eastern citizens who have and who are immigrating to Germany

Language

Kurds speak the mostly mutually intelligible dialects of the Kurdish language, which belongs to the Iranian subgroup of the Indo-European family. Contemporary linguistic evidence has challenged the previously held view that the Kurds are descendants of the Medes ; It originally might have been the predecessor of other Caucasian languages .

Kurds mostly are bilingual or polylingual, and learned languages around them such as Arabic, Turkish and Persian. Kurdish Jews and Christians usually speak Aramaic as a first language. It is not related to Kurdish at all, as it is a Semitic language.

The Kurdish language form a dialect continuum, with comprehensibility diminishing as the distance from one's native dialect increases. The principal Kurdish languages dialects are:

• Northern Kurdish including Kurmanji
• Central Kurdish or Sorani
• The Southern Kurdish dialects
• Hewrami or Auramani

Genetic relations of the Kurds to other ethnic groups

Kurds and Jews

In 2001, a team of Israeli, German, and Indian scientists discovered that the majority of Jews around the world are closely related to the Kurdish people, more closely than they are to the Semitic-speaking Arabs or any other population that was tested. Most of the 95 Kurdish Muslim test subjects came from northern Iraq. Moreover according to another study, the CMH (Cohen modal haplotype) is a genetic marker from the northern Middle East which is not unique to Jews. However, its existence among many Kurds and Armenians, as well as some Italians and Hungarians, would seem to support the overall contention that Kurds and Armenians are the close relatives of modern Jews and that the majority of today's Jews have paternal ancestry from the northeastern Mediterranean region.

In another study, Kurdish Jews were found to be close to Muslim Kurds, but so were Ashkenazim and Sephardim, suggesting that much if not most of the genetic similarity between Jewish and Muslim Kurds is from ancient times.

Kurds and Persians

Genetic distance comparisons have revealed that the Turkic and Turkmen speaking peoples in the Caspian area cluster with the Kurds, Greeks and Iranis. The Persian speakers are genetically remote from these populations, they are, however, close to the Parsis who migrated from Iran to India at the end of the 7th Century A.D.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The Persians, Kurds, and speakers of other Indo-European languages in Iran are descendants of the Aryan tribes that began migrating from Central Asia into what is now Iran in the 2nd millennium BC."

Modern history and Human Rights Situation

Kurds in Iraq

Under the former Iraqi Ba'athist regime, which ruled Iraq from 1968 until 2003, Kurds were initially granted limited autonomy (1970), and after the Barzani revolt in 1961, were given some high-level political representation in Baghdad. However, for various reasons, including the pro-Iranian sympathies of some Kurds during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the regime implemented anti-Kurdish policies and a de facto civil war broke out. Iraq was widely-condemned by the international community, but was never seriously punished for oppressive measures, including the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, which resulted in thousands of deaths. (See Halabja poison gas attack.) and the grossly widepsread genocide of the Kurdish people. (See: Al-Anfal campaign)

After the Kurdish areas were recaptured by Iraqi troops in 1991, hundreds of thousand of Kurds fled to the borders. Many were accepted as refugees in Iran, but soldiers beat the refugees back at the Turkish border. To alleviate the situation a "safe haven" was established by the Security Council. The autonomous Kurdish area was controlled by the rival parties KDP and PUK, small enclaves also by islamist groups like Ansar al-Islam. A Kurdish parliament was elected, but mutual animosity between the two major parties led to serious infighting. KDP called on the goverment in Baghdad for help, and the PUK called on Iran. In the end the US had to supervise a peace treaty, and the Kurdish are was effectively split into two rival administrations.

The Kurdish population welcomed the American-led invasion in 2003. The area controlled by peshmerga was expanded, and Kurds now have effective control in Kirkuk and parts ofMosul.

Kurds in Turkey

About half of all Kurds live in Turkey, numbering some 14 million. They comprise 20% of the total population of Turkey and are predominantly distributed in the southeastern corner of the country. Modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal (better known as Atatürk in Turkish—"father of the Turks"), enacted a constitution 70 years ago which denied the existence of distinct cultural sub-groups in Turkey. As a result, any expression by the Kurds (as well as other minorities in Turkey) of unique ethnic identity has been harshly repressed. For example, until 1991, the use of the Kurdish language—although widespread—was illegal. To this day, music, radio and TV broadcasts, and education in Kurdish are not allowed except under extremely limited circumstances. Teaching Kurdish in public schools is still banned. The Turkish government has consistently thwarted attempts by the Kurds to organize politically. Kurdish political parties are shut down one after another, and party members are harassed and imprisoned for "crimes of opinion."

Kurdish internally displaced people (IDP) in Turkey

Security forces in Turkey forcibly displaced Kurdish rural communities during the 1980s and 1990s in order to combat the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) insurgency, which drew its membership and logistical support from the local peasant population. Turkish security forces did not distinguish the armed militants they were pursuing from the civilian population they were supposed to be protecting. By the mid-1990s, more than 3,000 villages had been virtually wiped from the map, and, according to official figures, 378,335 Kurdish villagers had been displaced and left homeless.(see , and . Also see Report D612, October, 1994, "Forced Displacement of Ethnic Kurds"(A Human Rights Watch Publication) )

Leyla Zana

Most famously, in 1994 Leyla Zana—who, three years prior, had been the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish parliament—was sentenced to 15 years for "separatist speech". At her inauguration as an MP, she reportedly identified herself as a Kurd. Amnesty International reported "She took the oath of loyalty in Turkish, as required by law, then added in Kurdish, 'I shall struggle so that the Kurdish and Turkish peoples may live together in a democratic framework.' Parliament erupted with shouts of 'Separatist', 'Terrorist', and 'Arrest her'".

PKK insurgency

The Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK), also known as KADEK and Kongra-Gel, is a militant organization, dedicated to creating an independent Kurdish state in a territory (sometimes referenced as Kurdistan) that consists of parts of southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, northeastern Syria and northwestern Iran. Its original ideology was based on revolutionary Marxism-Leninism and Kurdish nationalism ( it has since then dropped the Marxist-Leninist ideology ). It is an ethnic secessionist organization using force and threat of force against both civilian and military targets for the purpose of achieving its political goal. The organization was founded in 1973 by Abdullah Ocalan.

Kurds in Iran

The Kurds, who constitute approximately 7% of Iran's overall population, have resisted the Iranian government's efforts, both before and after the revolution of 1979, to assimilate them into the mainstream of national life and, along with their fellow Kurds in adjacent regions of Iraq and Turkey, have sought either regional autonomy or the outright establishment of an independent Kurdish state in the region .

In Iranian Kurdistan, frequent unrest and occasional military crackdown have happened throughout the 1990s and even to the present . 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.

In recent years, intense fighting occurred between Kurds and the Iranian state between 1979 and 1982. Since 1983 the Iranian government has had control over the area which the Kurds inhabit . This area encompasses Kurdistan Province and greater parts of West Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Ilam Province and smaller parts of Lorestan that totally is called Iranian Kurdistan.

In Iran Kurds, like other minorities, express their cultural identity with difficulties and they are denied the right of self-government or administration. Similar to other parts of Iran, membership of any non-governmental political party in Kurdistan could be punishable by persecution, imprisonment and even death. The Kurdish language is also banned from being taught in public schools; Although according to Iranian constitution, literature of non-Persian ethnicities can be taught in school but never allowed to be practised; except some limited higher education of Kurdish literature in some universities. There are even restrictions on publishing Kurdish literature in press. Kurdish human rights activists in Iran have been threatened by Iranian authorities in connection with their work.

On July 9 2005, after killing a Kurdish opposition activist, Shivan Qaderi (+18) (Persian: شوان قادری) and two other Kurdish men by Iranian security forces in Mahabad, for six weeks, riots and protests erupted in Kurdish towns and villages throughout Eastern Kurdistan. with scores killed and injured, and an untold number arrested without charge. The Iranian authorities also shut down several major Kurdish newspapers arresting reporters and editors.

Kurds in Syria

The Kurdish population in Syria is 10% or about 1.9 million making the largest ethnic minority in the country. Kurds often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not. Kurdish human rights activists are mistreated and persecuted . No political parties are allowed for any group, Kurdish or otherwise.

Suppression of ethnic identity of Kurds in Syria include: various bans on the use of the Kurdish language; refusal to register children with Kurdish names; replacement of Kurdish place names with new names in Arabic; prohibition of businesses that do not have Arabic names; not permitting Kurdish private schools; and the prohibition of books and other materials written in Kurdish. (see and ) also deprivation from any social rights of about 300,000 Kurds who have been arbitrarily denied the right to Syrian nationality in violation of international law. These Kurds, who have no claim to a nationality other than Syrian, are literally trapped in Syria:

But according to some sources Syria is recently (February 2006) planning to grant citizenship to those 300,000 Kurds living in the country deprived citizenship.

On March 12, 2005, in days of clashes began at a stadium in Qamishli, a largely Kurdish city in northeastern Syria, at least 30 people were killed and more than 160 were injured. The unrest spread to other Kurdish towns along the northern border with Turkey, and then to Damascus and Aleppo .

Kurds in Armenia

In the Soviet Union, from the 1930's to the 1980's, the Kurds were a 'protected minority', under Soviet Law. They had their own state-sponsored newspaper, radio broadcast and cultural events.During the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, many Kurds were forced to leave their homes.

Religion

Islam

The majority of the Kurds are Sunni Muslims, belonging to the Shafi and Hanafi Schools of Islam. There is also a significant minority of Kurds that are Shia Muslims, and they primarily live in the Kermanshah and Ilam provinces of Iran and Central Iraq ("Al-Fayliah" Kurds). Another religious minority among the Kurds are the Alevis, who are mainly found in Turkey. The remaining Kurds are mostly either Christians, Kurdish Jews, Yazidis or Agnosticists.

Îzedî(Yazidism)

Îzedî is mainly derived from Zoroastrianism and before the spread of Islam in the 7th century CE, the majority of Kurds practised their own indigenous religions. The religion of the Medes was supplanted by new religions emanating from it, which remain to this day: Yazidism and Yarsan. 'Yazidism' is an ancient Kurdish religion. The name of this religion in Kurdish language is Êzidî or Îzedî. Most Îzedîs live in Iraqi Kurdistan, in the vicinity of Mosul, Sinjar, and Lalish. Large numbers of Yazidis are also found in Syria, Armenia and Turkey. The holy book of the Yazidis is "Mishefa Reş" (The Black Book). There is also another native Kurdish religion in eastern parts of Kurdistan, called Yarsan or Ahl-e Haqq.

According to the Kurdish scholar Tawfiq Wahbi, during the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the majority of Kurds in east of the Zagros , Cizre , Botan and Kirkuk were not Zoroastrians. The last emperor of the Medes, Rishti Vega-Azhi Dahak (Astyages), killed Zoroaster, ruled his followers and overthrew Vishtaspa (Hystaspes). No doubt this explains in large measure why the Zoroastrians equated the name Azhi Dahak with oppression and cruelty. ( see)

Judaism

The Kurdish Kingdom of Adiabene converted to Judaism in the course of the 1st century BC, along with, a large number of Kurdish citizens in the kingdom . Rabbi Asenath Barzani, who lived in Mosul, Kurdistan, from 1590 to 1670 was among the very first Jewish women to become a Rabbi.

Culture

Kurdish cultural heritage is rooted in one of the world's oldest cultures, the Mesopotamian. Through the ages, this heritage has been subject to injustices, neglect and repression, or has been eclipsed by other cultures. Important components of the original cultural heritage have disappeared or have been destroyed. There are numerous examples of how valuable or irreplaceable Kurdish physical heritage are endangered or destroyed.

The quest for social justice and equity is regarded as an important Kurdish cultural trait. Respect for the elderly and hospitality for the foreigners are also integral part of the Kurdish etiquette.

The Kurds celebrate the Newroz/Norouz as the new year day, which is celebrated on March 21. It is the first day of the month of Xakelêwe in Kurdish calendar (Farvardin in the Iranian calendar) and the first day of spring. Newroz has been nominated as one of the "Masterpieces of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO in 2004.

Literature

Kurdish literature faces difficulties since the Kurdish language is not an official language except in Iraq and has restrictions in teaching in Iran and Turkey, and is banned in Syria. .

Film

Kurdish films mainly evoke poverty and the lack of rights of Kurdish people in the region. Perhaps Yilmaz Guney and Bahman Qubadi are among the best known Kurdish directors.

Music

Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers (çîrokbêj), minstrels (stranbêj) and bards (dengbêj). There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs and are epic in nature, such as the popular Lawik's which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes of the past like Saladin. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autmun. Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk), erotic poetry and work songs are also popular.

Women

Kurdish women played an important role throughout Kurdish history.

Asenath Barzani was the first female Rabbi in history.

Mestureh Ardalan (Mestûrey Erdelan) (1805 -1848) was a Kurdish poet and writer. She is known for her books two centuries ago.

Leyla Zana, Leyla Qasim and thousands of other Kurdish women are well known for their role in Kurdish politics, literature, history and peshmarga.

Renowned Kurdish individuals

• Al-Dinawari, (828 - 889) botanist, historian, and muslim theologian.
• Baba Tahir, (11th Century), Poet and Bâb of the Yarsan branch of Yazidism, born in Hamadan.
• Saladin, (1138–1193), Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria.
• Ibn Athir, (1160-1233), Kurdish/Islamic historian, born in Jazira (Cizîre) region.
• Ibn Khallikan, (1211-1282), Muslim judge and author of a classic Arabic biographical dictionary. Born in Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Sherefxan Bidlisi (Şerefxanê Bedlîsî) (1543 - 1599) Kurdish historian and poet.
• Malaye Jaziri (Melayê Cizîrî), (1570-1640), Renowned Kurdish poet and sufi.
• Ahmad Khani (Ehmedê Xanî),(1651-1707), Renowned Kurdish poet, Author of Mem û Zîn.
• Said Nursi, (1877-1960), Islamic Scholar.
• Jaladat Ali Badirkhan (Celadet Alî Bedirxan), (1893-1951), Linguist, Journalist and Politician, Founder of the Kurdish Latin Alphabet.
• Qazi Muhammad (1893-1947) Kurdish Nationalist leader and the Head of Republic of Mahabad.
• Mustafa Barzani,(1903-1979) Kurdish nationalist leader (PDK), Iraq.
• Ebdolrehman Qasimlo, (1930-1989), Kurdish nationalist leader (PDKI), Iran.
• Jalal Talabani, (b. 1933) Kurdish nationalist leader (PUK), President of Iraq.
• Massoud Barzani, (b. 1946) Kurdish Nationalist leader (PDK), Iraq.
• Abdullah Öcalan, (1949- ) Kurdish nationalist-leftist leader (PKK), Turkey.
• Leyla Qasim (1952 Xaneqîn, 12.05.1974 Baghdad) Kurdish politician.

See also

• History of the Kurds
• Kurdistan
• Demographics of Iran
• Demographics of Iraq
• Demographics of Syria
• Demographics of Turkey
• Genetic insights into the background of the Kurds
• Kurdish Jews
• Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Kurdish Kingdoms

• Corduene
• Shaddadid
• Annazid
• Marwanid
• Ayyubid dynasty
• Ardalan

Modern Kurdish governments

• Kurdistan Regional Government - Iraqi Kurdistan
• Republic of Mahabad (1946)
• Republic of Ararat (1927-1931)
• Kingdom of Kurdistan

Militant organizations

• Komalah, (in Northwestern Iran)
• Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), (in Northwestern Iran)
• PJAK, (in northwestern Iran)
• Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a.k.a Congress for Freedom and Democracy Kurdistan (KADEK) a.k.a People's Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel)
• Kurdish-Hizbullah, (in South-Eastern Turkey)
• Ansar al-Islam, (in northern Iraq)

See also: Kurdish organisations

Notes

1. Encyclopedia of Islam entry for Kurds

External links

• The Kurdish Institute of Paris Kurdish language, history, books and latest news articles.
• The Encyclopaedia of Kurdistan
• Istanbul Kurdish Institute
• The Kurdish Center of International Pen
• Kurdish Library, supported by the Swedish Government.
• Yazidism: Historical Roots, International Journal of Kurdish Studies, Jan. 2005.
• Ethnic Cleansing and the Kurds
• The Kurds in the Ottoman Hungary by Zurab Aloian

The Kurdish Issue in Turkey

• A report on the Kurdish IDP's - 2005
• A German newspaper's take on the Kurdish issue - 2005
• The Guardian - What's in a name? Too much in Turkey - 2001
• The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' take - 1999

• Ethnic groups in Iran
• Ethnic groups in Iraq
• Ethnic groups in the Middle East
• Ethnic groups in Turkey
• Iranian peoples
• Kurds