Kurds: history, religion, culture

According to the site "New Kurdistan"
http://kurdstory.narod.ru/rfr.html

HISTORICAL OUTLINE

Material prepared by Julia Said
(The essay uses scientific work historians:
professors M.S.Lazarev and A.M.Menteshashvili)

Kurdistan (literally - the country of the Kurds) forms a territory in the southwest of the Asian mainland, in which the Kurds make up an absolute or relative majority. This name has not a state-political, but an ethno-geographical meaning. This territory is divided between four states - Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately determine its geographical limits.

Located in the very center of the Western Asian region (approximately between 34 and 40 degrees north latitude and 38 and 48 degrees east longitude), Kurdistan extends from west to east for about 1 thousand km, and from north to south - from 300 to 500 km. Its total area is approximately 450 thousand sq. km. (in Turkey - over 200 thousand sq. km., in Iran - over 160 thousand sq. km., in Iraq - up to 75 thousand sq. km., in Syria - up to 15 thousand sq. km.).

Kurdistan - historical homeland Kurdish people, where their vast majority lives, however, there are also many non-Kurdistan Kurds (several hundred thousand in the Eastern Iranian province of Khorasan, about 200 thousand in the former USSR, over 150 thousand in Israel, about one million in exile, mainly in Western Europe). Among the Kurds, there is a high natural increase - about 3% per year. Therefore, despite the predominantly mountainous terrain, thanks to the fertile valleys, Kurdistan in terms of population density reaches the average for Asia (up to 45 people per sq. km.). According to a very rough estimate, its population by now exceeds 30 million. Thus, the Kurds are the largest national minority in Western Asia and the largest nation in the world deprived of the right to national self-determination.

In the countries where they live, the Kurds are unevenly settled. Most of them are in Turkey (about 47%). There are about 32% Kurds in Iran and about 16% in Iraq. In ethnic Kurdistan itself (with all the conventionality of the borders), Kurds make up the vast majority of the population (according to some data in its various parts from 84 to 94%, according to others - from 72 to 79%).

The main feature of the geopolitical position of Kurdistan was that it always occupied a border position, being at the junction of two or more states (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman Empire, Arab Caliphate, Iran). Due to this feature, the ethno-social development of the Kurds has always proceeded under extremely unfavorable conditions of political separation of the ethnic group by state borders. Therefore, the Kurdish nation that has now formed is far from homogeneous. And, above all, it concerns the language.

The Kurdish language belongs to the western group of Iranian languages, it is divided into a number of dialects and adverbs, some of which are still not well understood. Due to the fact that the Kurds failed to create their own state and, as a result, centuries of disunity, as well as prolonged contact with Arabs, Persians, Turks, Armenians and other peoples of the Near and Middle East, left a significant mark on their language. Kurdish literature develops mainly in two dialects - Sorani and Kurmanji. About 60% of the Kurds living in Northern, Northwestern, Western, Southwestern and partly in Central Kurdistan (on the territories of Turkey, Northwestern Iran, Syria, part of Northern Iraq) use the Kurmanji dialect (mainly in Latin script). Up to 30% of the Kurds living in South and Southeast Kurdistan (Western and Southwest Iran, East and Southeast Iraq) speak and write in the Sorani dialect (in Arabic script). In addition, among the Zaza Kurds living in the Tunceli (Dersim) vilayet in Turkish Kurdistan, the Zazai or Dumili dialect (on the Latin script) is common, and among the Kurds of Kermanshah (Bakhteran) in Iran, the Gurani dialect related to it (on the Arabic script).

The writing of the Kurds began to develop on the basis of the Arabic alphabet, which was subsequently adapted to the phonetic features of the Kurdish language. This alphabet was used by the Kurds of Iraq and Iran. In the 30s. 20th century the first steps were taken to create a Kurdish alphabet based on the Latin. Thus, the Kurds of Syria began to use the Turkish Latin alphabet (since 1931), to which some signs were added to convey the specific sounds of the Kurdish language. In 1929 the Kurds of Armenia switched to writing, also created on the basis of Latin graphics, in which all scientific and fiction. Since 1945, the Kurdish alphabet on the Russian basis has been introduced here.

Kurdistan is distinguished by the diversity of existing religions. The vast majority of Kurds - 75% - profess Sunni Islam, a significant part are Shiite and Alawite Muslims, there are also Christians. A relatively small part of the Kurds profess the pre-Islamic Kurdish religion - Yezidism. But, regardless of religion, the Kurds consider Zoroastrianism to be their original religion.

Kurdistan, which occupies an extremely favorable geographical and strategic position, constantly attracted the attention of foreign invaders. From the time of the formation of the Caliphate up to the present day, the Kurds in different time fought against the Arab, Turkish, Mongolian, Turkmen, Persian and other enslavers. Independent Kurdish dynasties (Shedadids, Mervanids, Ravadids, Hasanwayhids, Ayubids) ruled not only individual principalities, but also such large countries as Egypt and Syria. The famous Kurdish commander Salah ad-Din, who ruled Egypt for many years, managed to unite Arabs, Kurds and other peoples under his banners and achieved significant success in the fight against the crusaders. In the era of early feudalism, the Kurdish dynasties enjoyed great political influence in the Middle East and played a significant role in the fate of the peoples of the region.

From the beginning of the XVI century. Kurdistan has become the scene of ongoing wars. Two Muslim powers argued for possession of it - Safavid Iran and the Ottoman Empire. The result of these wars was the Zohab Treaty of 1639, which divided Kurdistan into Turkish and Iranian parts and played a fatal role in the future fate of the Kurdish people. Guided by the law of Divide and Conquer, the governments of the Ottoman Empire and Iran tried to weaken and then liquidate the Kurdish principalities in order to economically and politically enslave Kurdistan. This division not only did not put an end to civil strife, but, on the contrary, further strengthened the feudal fragmentation of the country. In modern times, the liberation struggle of the Kurds continued. Throughout the 19th century it resulted in great uprisings, which were brutally suppressed by the sultan and shah regimes. Against their will, the Kurds were dragged into the first world war, after which the devastated region was divided again - now into four parts - between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Kurdish culture is multifaceted. From the depths of centuries, the richest heritage of Kurdish oral folk art has come down to us. Folklore reflects the history of this people, their centuries-old struggle for freedom. The high artistic perfection of the Kurdish epic puts it on a par with the monuments of world folklore. History has preserved the names of many remarkable Kurdish poets and writers. The discovery of written monuments of Kurdish literature and their preliminary studies allow us to assert that the Kurds are the creator people of original national literature. The earliest written monument in the Kurdish language that has come down to us dates back to the 7th century. In it, the author laments the devastation of the land of the Kurds by the Arab conquerors.

The first Kurdish poet, known as Pire Shariar, lived in the 10th century. Some researchers call him the Kurdish Khoja Nasreddin for his numerous quatrains and sayings, which have become proverbs and sayings. An outstanding poet of the Middle Ages was Ali Teremahi (X-XI centuries), the author of the first treatise on grammar in the Kurdish language and such poems as The Only Word, Sons of the Fatherland, Yakhont's Necklace and Truly, life is a dream. Ali Teremahi was one of the first to create his works in the Kurmanji dialect. His great contemporary Ali Hariri (1009-1079) also wrote in the same dialect, whose poems are popular among the people. A handwritten divan (collection) of his lyrical gazelles has come down to us. Between the 12th and 15th centuries created a whole galaxy of Kurdish poets, the most prominent representatives of which were Ahmed Malai Jaziri (Mela Jiziri), Faki Tayran (Mim-Hai) and Mulla Bate. In her lyrical qasidas, Mela Jiziri sings of the beauty of her beloved, the sister of the Jazir ruler Umad ad-Din. Two lines can be traced in his work - folk, characteristic of his predecessors, and court. In Kurdish literature, Jiziri is considered the head of the ghazal school. The work of these poets paved the way for the emergence of one of the most prominent Kurdish poets - Ahmed Khani (1650-1708), whose famous poem Mam and Zin can rightly be called the best monument of Kurdish literature. The poem is the glory of Kurdish classical poetry. According to modern Kurdish literary scholars, Ahmed Khani was the first poet who touched upon in literature national problem Kurds. Of the representatives of the Kurdish literature of modern times, Nali, or Mela Khizra (1800-1856), should be singled out. Brought up on the best works Persian and Arabic poetry, he wrote beautiful ghazals and is rightfully considered the founder of poetry in the southern dialect. A major milestone in new history Kurdish literature was the work of Haji Kadir Koy (1816-1894). Almost all of his poems have a national-patriotic orientation, the Kurdish national liberation movement of the 19th century. reflected in his poetry.

In the XX century. the best traditions of Kurdish literature were continued by Jigarkhun, Khozhar, Hemen, Faik Bekas and Sherko Bekas.

Omarkhali Khanna Rza

YAZIDISM AND RELIGIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF YAZIDS

For many centuries, the Yezidis hid their religious beliefs. They continued to adhere to the religion of their ancestors and practiced secret cults, orally passing on the fundamentals of the creed. Oral traditions were passed down from generation to generation in the form of oral tradition, many of them are forgotten, some have been distorted or influenced by other religions, but most of them have survived to this day.

Yezidism - one of the religions found among the Kurds - has attracted Special attention. Many travelers who passed through the territory inhabited by Yezidi Kurds spoke about the Yezidis, but mainly about their manners and customs. As for the very essence of the Yezidi religion, it almost always remained an inaccessible secret for Europeans. This is largely explained by the fact that most of the adherents of this religion hid their religion from the Gentiles.

Recently, there has been active study Yezidism by European and Kurdish scholars. There is a trend towards religious enlightenment of the Yezidis and Yezidi literature is printed in Kurdish. For example, in Iraq, a kind of textbooks on the study of Yezidism are published with descriptions of rituals, prayers, and religious hymns.

Yezidis live mainly in Iraq (especially in the mountains of Sinjar, where Lalesh is located - the shrine of all Yezidis), in Turkey, Syria. A small part of them live in Iran, mainly in the northwest, near the cities of Maku and Khoi, as well as in Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and other countries. Yezidis are native speakers of the northern dialect of the Kurdish language, Kurmanji. The adherents of this religion themselves call themselves Ezdi, not Yezidis, in honor of Sultan Ezid, the "forefather" of the Yezidis.

Some authors use the term “sect” to define Yezidism, but hereinafter the term “religion” and not a sect will be used, since the author of this article adheres to the opinion of Acad. N.Ya. Marra that Yezidism is actually a Kurdish religion, practiced by most of the Kurds before they converted to Islam.

To this day, there has not been a consensus on the origin of Yezidism, and this issue remains debatable and needs deep research. scientific research. Some adhere to the theory of the prominent Islamic scholar Michel Angelo Guidi, the author of the hypothesis about the Muslim origin of Yezidism. However, many scholars do not agree with this opinion, arguing that Yezidi Kurds were never Muslims and Yezidism was practiced by most of the Kurds before they were introduced to Islam. A number of researchers believe that Yezidism dates back to the early Christian period, more precisely, its roots extend to the period before 2000 BC. The worship of the sun and fire among the Yezidis gives grounds to talk about the elements of Zoroastrianism in Yezidism. This point of view is shared by many authors. So, for example, S.A. Egiazarov writes in this regard: “It is very likely that the Yezidis in the distant past were followers of Zoroaster’s teaching, which subsequently underwent a significant change.” Indeed, the study of sources on these two religions allows us to say that Zoroastrianism seriously influenced Yezidism. It seems to us that Yezidism and other religious movements in Kurdistan are rooted in a single ancient Kurdish religious system, close to folk Zoroastrianism. Until now, the Yezidi religion retains numerous rituals and beliefs associated with ancient Kurdish beliefs.

The religious doctrine of the Yezidis is set forth in two holy books- "Jilva" ("Book of Revelation") and "Mashafe Rash" ("Black Book"), written in a special script, in the southern dialect of the Kurdish language, close to Mukri. A letter in Yezidi (as well as in Zoroastrian) ideas is a receptacle of hidden wisdom, and the sacrament of faith should be observed from one's laity and non-believers. For this reason, they did not have a general distribution, and it can be said that the religion of the Yezidis is practically unwritten. It lives on as a verbal tradition passed down from generation to generation.

The so-called kavls and beits are of great importance for the study and description of Yezidism. Kavly - hymns, part of religious teachings, bayts - song excerpts from mythological poems. They represent the richest material for studying the religion of the Yezidis. It is quite difficult to characterize the ideas of the Yezidis about God. One thing is clear: Yezidism is a monotheistic religion. Some scholars argue that the Yezidis do not have specific prayers and sacrifices directly to God. In fact, they are, but they are few.

In Yezidism, it is clearly stated that God is only the Creator of the universe. The rule of the world is given to the seven angels created by him. In this religion, the Creator represents the almighty creator of the world, completely removed from it and from its affairs. According to A.A. Semenov, the concept of God among the Yezidis is somewhat similar to Plato's idea of ​​the Absolute.

An important position in Yezidism is occupied by the image of Melek-Tauz. Most associated with it conflicting information. Some authors believe that Melek-Tauz is the personification of evil, and the Yezidis are worshipers of the devil. However, these fictions have nothing to do with the ideas of the Yezidis themselves about this deity. Melek-Tauz was the first of the seven angels created by God. "And God made Melek-Tauz the ruler over all." He occupies a high position in the Yezidi cosmogony. Other scholars compare him to the Demiurge of the Gnostics, as in the Mashaf Rush God tells him, "I have put all matter into your hands." Among the Yezidis, Melek-Tauz personifies the two sides of fire - fire as light and fire as fire, that is, both Good and Evil. If every person is a mixture of good and bad, then every Yezidi carries a part of the Melek-Tauz. God's displeasure to him is explained in different ways and has several interpretations. According to one version, Melek-Tauz walked away from God out of pride, not wanting to bow to the created man. According to another legend, this disobedience is explained by his special devotion to God.

For Yezidism, the teaching and personality of Sheikh Adi turned out to be the determining factor in its reform and adaptation to new historical and cultural realities. His image occupies an important place in the religious tradition of the Yezidi Kurds. Sharaf ad-Din Abu l-Fadail Adi b. Musafir b. Ismail b. Musa b. Marwan b. al-Hasan b. Marwan was born between 1073 and 1078 at Beit Farah, in the region of Baalbek, in the Beqaa Valley (now Lebanon). In his youth, Sheikh Adi went to Baghdad. He was acquainted with the famous Sufis of that time, al-Ghazali and Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani. Sheikh Adi left behind several treatises and qasidas. Leaving Baghdad, he moved to the Khakyari mountains (the same as Bakhdinan), where Marwan II once ruled.

To date, most researchers are inclined to believe that Sheikh Adi b. Musafir came to the Kurdish mountains from Syria (Sham). This is also evidenced by the Yezidi religious tradition. For example, the religious hymn "Mala bava" says:

"Sheikh Adi came from Sham,
In Lalesh [began] to do deeds.
Sheikh Adi died in Lalesh in 1162 at an advanced age.

In the views of the Yezidis, Sheikh Adi is not just historical figure and reformer of Yezidism. He is considered the second most important deity after Melek-Tauz. As the legend says, having neither father nor mother, he was sent by Melek-Tauz to teach the people he had chosen so that they would not go astray. Sheikh Adi is not dead and never will be. The belief of the Yezidis that after his death he ascended to heaven may be explained by the fact that later the Mosul ruler Badr ad-Din Lu'lu', together with his people, dug up the grave of Sheikh Adi and burned his remains.

Some scholars believe that the deity of the third order in Yezidism is Sultan Yezid (Ezid). Many legends are connected with the appearance of this deity. It should be noted that the solution of the question of his origin is very important, since religion itself is named after him. The Yezidis call him "their Lord". For example, the Yezidi creed states:

"Sultan Ezid is my Lord,
Melek-Tauz is my testimony and [my] faith.”

The main distinguishing feature of Yezidism from other religions (except Zoroastrianism) is that one can only be born a Yezidi, one cannot accept this religion. Their entire society is based on the caste-theocratic principle of division. There are three castes, two of which are the clergy (sheikhs and pirs) and one is the laity (murids). The functions and duties of both the clergy and the laity are hereditary. Marriages between the three castes are strictly endogamous. Thanks to their conservatism and isolation, the Yezidi community managed to bring this system to the present day.

To avoid confusion, mention should be made of the existence of a complex spiritual hierarchy in Lalesh at the tomb of Sheikh Adi (mir, babasheykh, fakirs, kawvals, kochaks, farrashi, etc.). However, this system requires special consideration and now we will not touch on it.
Lalish is a shrine and place of pilgrimage for all Yazidis. Many authors write that Sheikh Adi settled in the ruins of a Christian monastery. However, the interior of the temple does not contain elements inherent in Christian monasteries. Some scholars believe that the architecture of the Yezidi buildings testifies to their construction in pre-Christian times, and in the Roman era, Christian monks settled in them.

There are many precepts in the Yezidi creed, every orthodox Yezidi must adhere to them and be guided by them in their daily life. This is mainly due to concern for the purity of religion. There are some food restrictions. Wearing blue is strictly prohibited. There are also a number of taboos associated with fire, water and earth. It seems to us that this goes back to the Zoroastrian prescription forbidding the desecration of the aforementioned elements. Yezidis have many holidays, such as the feast of fasting, in honor of Sultan Yezid, the holiday of Khidir Nabi, New Year and others.

Currently, many Yezidis are forgetting the foundations of their creed - the most ancient religion of the Kurds, whose history goes back more than two thousand years. Now, when Yezidi Kurds do not live compactly, they especially need to maintain the traditions and customs of their ancestors, communicate with each other and strive for the revival, and not the extinction of their religion.

KURDISH TALES

father's lesson

The father, returning from the field with his ten-year-old son, saw an old horseshoe on the road and said to his son:
- Pick up this horseshoe.
Why do I need an old horseshoe? - answered the son.

His father did not say anything to him and, raising the horseshoe, went on.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, where the blacksmiths worked, the father sold this horseshoe. After walking a little more, they saw merchants who were selling cherries.

The father bought a lot of cherries from them for the money that he got for the horseshoe, wrapped them in a scarf, and then, without looking back at his son, continued on his way, occasionally eating one cherry at a time. The son walked behind and looked greedily at the cherries. When they had gone a little way, one cherry fell out of the father's hands. The son quickly bent down, picked it up and ate it. After some time, the father dropped another cherry, and then another, and began to drop one cherry at a time, continuing on his way. The son bent down at least ten times, picked up and ate dropped cherries. Finally, the father stopped and, giving his son a handkerchief with cherries, said:

You see, you were too lazy to bend down once to pick up an old horseshoe, and after that you bent down ten times to pick up the very cherries that were bought for this horseshoe. From now on, remember and do not forget: if you consider easy work hard, you will meet harder work; if you are not satisfied with the little, you will lose the big.

The snake is the judge's stick

They say that once a snake crawled into a haystack, and someone set it on fire.

A nearby man named Sheh Omar held out a stick to the snake to save it. As soon as the snake was safe, it wrapped itself around Sheh Omar's neck and would not come off for anything.

They go and turn to many to be judged. The decision of all is this: the snake must come down from the neck of Sheh Omar. But the snake did not listen to anyone and did not descend.

Finally, they came to the fox to judge them. The fox said to the snake: "Until you get down, I will not judge you." As soon as the snake slid down, they immediately smashed its head with a stick. Therefore, they say: "The snake is the judge's stick."

Wise guest

One day a certain dervish knocked on the door of a Kurd.

The door was opened by an elderly woman, the mother of the owner of the house. She said that her son was not at home, invited the guest to come in, spread a carpet for him and covered the table with a tablecloth. But since there was nothing in the house, she could not bear anything for him and was ashamed to tell the guest about it. The guest waited and, seeing that nothing was being brought to him, closed the doors behind him and went on his way.

Then the owner of the house returned home. The mother said that they had a guest, and she did not bring him anything to eat, since there was nothing at home. The owner of the house thought and said:

Mother, give me a saber, I will ride, catch up and kill this dervish before he disgraces me, my ancestors and my descendants before the whole world.

He grabbed his saber, mounted his horse and rushed after the dervish. He caught up with the dervish, drew his saber, swung at him and said:
The wind blows all over the world...
“But not everywhere where it blows, there is wealth and prosperity,” added the wise dervish.

The Kurd understood that the dervish had entered into his position and would not disgrace him before the whole world. He got off his horse, apologized to the man of God, kissed his hand and invited him to visit on the way back.

Few today know who the Kurds are and where they live? But a large number of people belong to the Kurds. Kurdistan is the southwestern territory of the Asian continent, which is inhabited by Kurds in an absolute or relative majority. Kurdistan is not a state-political, but an ethnographic name, since it is located on the territory of four states:

Türkiye.

Who are the Kurds and where did they come from?

According to genetic analysis, the Kurds are closely related to the peoples of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, who have common ancestors in the northern and Middle Eastern parts of the world. This data allows us to form an idea of ​​who the Kurds are and where they came from.

Kurds are an Iranian-speaking people living in the territories of Turkey, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and also partially in the Transcaucasus. The Kurdish people speak two dialects - Kurmanji and Sorani.

The Kurds are the largest people without their own state. Kurdish autonomy exists only in Iraq (Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq).

This people has been fighting for the creation of Kurdistan for more than twenty years. It is worth noting that all world powers are playing the Kurdish card. For example, Israel and the United States, which are allies of Turkey, encourage its fight against the Kurdish movement. Russia, Greece and Syria support the PKK.

Such interest of other states in Kurdistan can be explained by their interest in the rich natural resources territory inhabited by Kurds. Oil is one of the most important resources.

Due to the rather favorable geographical and strategic position of Kurdistan, foreign conquerors have paid special attention to these lands since ancient times. Therefore, from the time of the formation of the Caliph to the present, the Kurds were forced to fight against the enslavers. It is worth noting that the Kurdish dynasties in the days of early feudalism had significant political influence in the Middle East and ruled not only in individual principalities, but also in such major countries like Syria and Egypt.

In the 16th century, a series of ongoing wars began in Kurdistan, the cause of which was Iran and the Ottoman Empire, arguing over the possession of its lands.

According to the Zohab Treaty (1639), which was the result of these wars, Kurdistan was divided into two parts - Turkish and Iranian. Subsequently, this event played a fatal role in the fate of the peoples of Kurdistan.

Video about who the Kurds are and where they came from

The Ottoman and Iranian governments gradually weakened and then liquidated the Kurdish principalities in order to enslave Kurdistan economically and politically. This led to an increase feudal fragmentation countries.

The government of the Ottoman Empire dragged the Kurds against their will into the First World War, which subsequently led to the ruin of the region and its division into four parts: Turkish, Iranian, Iraqi and Syrian.

Origin of the Kurds

The origin of the Kurds is currently a subject of debate and controversy. According to several hypotheses, this people has:

• Scythian-Median origin.
• Japhetic.
• Northern Mesopotamia.
• Iranian plateau.
• Persia.

Obviously, many of the representatives of these areas took part in the formation of the Kurdish people.

Religion of the Kurds

There are several religions in Kurdistan. The bulk of the Kurdish population (75%) professes Sunni Islam, there are also Alawite and Shiite Muslims. A small proportion of the population professes Christianity and Yezidism. However, regardless of religion, every Kurd considers Zoroastrianism to be his original religion.

Sunnism is the dominant branch of Islam. Who are Sunni Kurds? Their religion is based on the "Sunnah", which is a set of rules and principles that were based on the example of the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

Kurds in Russia

Currently, Kurds in Russia inhabit the following territories:

• Krasnodar Territory.
• Adygea.
• Saratov and Oryol regions.
• Stavropol Territory.

The Kurdish people are the largest in number, having the status of a "national minority". The number of Kurds in the world does not have accurate data. Depending on the sources, these figures vary greatly: from 13 to 40 million people.

Representatives of this nationality live in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Austria and many other countries of the world.

Kurds in Turkey today

Currently, there are about 1.5 million Kurds living in Turkey who speak the Kurdish language.

In 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party entered into a war (which continues to this day) with the Turkish authorities. Kurds in Turkey today demand the proclamation of a single and independent state - Kurdistan, which will unite all the territories inhabited by Kurds.

Today, the Kurdish issue is one of the key issues in discussions on the further path of Turkey's European integration. European demands to grant the Kurdish people autonomy and rights in line with European standards remain unfulfilled. These circumstances largely explain the reason why the Turks do not like the Kurds.

Video about who the Kurds are and where they live

Traditions and customs of the Kurds

Due to the fact that the Kurds do not have their own official state, a certain political status in the world, not many people know who the Kurds are. The history and culture of this people, meanwhile, is distinguished by its richness and versatility.

• With the consent of the girl, the groom can kidnap her. If this happens against the will of the parents, he has to take her to the sheikh's house, and, if the relatives overtake the fugitives, they can kill them. If the young people have time to take refuge in the sheikh's house, then the latter gives the bride's parents a ransom, and the parties reconcile.
• A Kurdish woman has the right to choose the man she loves as her husband. As a rule, the choice of the daughter and parents coincides, however, otherwise, the father or brother can forcibly marry the girl to the person who is considered a worthy candidate for husbands. At the same time, the refusal of the girl to this candidate is considered a terrible shame. It is also considered shameful to divorce your wife, and such cases are extremely rare.
• A Kurdish wedding can last up to seven days, and its duration depends on the financial situation of the owners. This is very reminiscent of Turkish wedding traditions.
• If the groom's relatives live far from the bride's relatives, then two weddings are played, and in cases where the young people live at a short distance from each other, they celebrate one big wedding.
• Kurdish wedding celebrations are lavish and expensive, so the son's parents have been saving money for the wedding for a long time. However, the expenses are paid off by the gifts of the guests, which, as a rule, are sheep or money.
• Treats for weddings or other celebrations consist of rice and meat. Men and women celebrate holidays separately in different tents.
• Blood feud is relevant among the Kurds to this day. The reasons for quarrels can be the lack of water, pastures, etc. However, modern Kurds are increasingly resolving conflicts with the help of payment. There are also known cases when a woman or a girl who was given in marriage to the enemy acted as a payment, and the parties were reconciled.

• Many Kurdish women and girls wear trousers, which is explained by the convenience of riding horses. Jewelry for women are gold and silver coins.
• In marital relations, the Kurds are monogamous, with the exception of the beks, who may remarry in order to strengthen family ties.
• This people is also distinguished by its respectful attitude towards representatives of other religions, regardless of what faith the Kurds have, they can participate in religious ceremonies of other faiths.
• Kurds are also distinguished by their friendliness towards other nationalities, but they do not tolerate situations related to the oppression of their languages, customs and orders.

Did you know who the Kurds are?

Everyone has heard of this "nation without a state". However, few people really understand this people, who ended up on the territory of four countries at once (Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria).

Kurds are the largest nation without a state, scattered across at least four Middle Eastern countries (Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria) and have a large European diaspora.

They certainly have something to say about the massive restructuring of the region, which could lead to Arab insurgencies.

All this is a great occasion to reflect on what the Kurds are today and what they want, together with Sandrine Alexie from the Kurdish Institute in Paris. This translator and writer has been blogging about the Kurdish world since 2000.

We don't know how many Kurds there are

Right. Estimates range from 20 to 40 million. None of the countries where Kurds live has ever conducted an ethnic census. Nebula in this matter completely suits all governments.

The most plausible estimates are 15 million in Turkey and 7-8 million in Iran. The authorities of these states avoid the census in order to avoid increasing ethnic isolation. In Syria, there are about 1-2 million of them, and 800,000 of them do not have citizenship and are doomed to an illegal existence.

In Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government gives an official figure of 5.3 million, while the Iranian authorities say 4.3 million, as this allows them to reduce the amount of funds allocated to the Kurdish provinces.

If we take into account other Kurdish regions besides Kurdistan, then total number Kurds in Iraq can be estimated at about 6-6.5 million people.

Finally, let's look at the Council of Europe data on the Kurdish diaspora: 800,000 in Germany (mostly from Syria and Turkey), 100,000 in Sweden (from Iran and Iraq), 90,000 in the UK (from Iraq) and 120,000 - 150,000 in France (mostly from Turkey). However, these estimates can hardly be called accurate due to a large number illegal immigrants in the diaspora. It is also impossible to count the number of Kurds in the territory former USSR. There are about 130,000 of them in Israel.

Thus, the figure of 35 million Kurds in the world does not look so unrealistic.

No "Kurdish people" really exist

Wrong. Members of tribes and families can live in the territory of several states at once, while some political parties enjoy influence beyond national borders.

For example, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, has an offshoot in every country: Syria (Democratic Union), Iran (Kurdistan Free Life Party), and Iraq. In addition, Kurdish parties in Syria often sympathized with one of the two main Iraqi parties: Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party and Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

The Kurds have two main dialects that differ from each other, the speakers of which, nevertheless, understand each other: Kurmanji is spoken in Syria, Turkey, in the north of Iraqi Kurdistan and in all countries of the former USSR, while Sorani is in use in Iran and Iraq . In Turkish Kurdistan, another related language is spoken, Zazaki, which is primarily spoken in Tunceli province.

Explanation by Sandrine Alexi:

“Given all that they had to endure since the end of the First World War (the policy of assimilation or even genocide in Iraq, the ban on learning the language, etc.), if the Kurds were not a people, they would have disappeared long ago, and no There would be no trace of the "Kurdish question". The oppression only increased the national feelings of the Kurds.”

Among the Kurds there are Muslims, Christians and Jews

Right. The vast majority of Kurds (70%) profess Sunni Islam.

A small group of Shia Kurds living in Iraq were destroyed or deported by Saddam Hussein in 1987-1988. Some of the Shia Kurds who fled Iraq are now living in refugee camps in Iran. After the overthrow of the Ba'ath Party, they gradually begin to return to the country, but there are a maximum of 20,000 of them.

In addition, the Shiite Kurdish community lives in southern Iran. It should also be noted that Sufi-Shiite syncretism (Alevis in Turkey, Yezidis in northern Iraq, Shabaks near Mosul and Ahl-e Akt in Iran) enjoys a noticeable influence among the Kurds.

The Christians of Kurdistan are divided into Catholics and representatives of autocephalous churches: Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syro-Jacobites. They all speak Aramaic.

Since 1967, many of these Christians have taken part in the Kurdish uprisings, as they were threatened with eviction, the destruction of their villages and forced Arabization, which today has transformed into Islamization.

There are currently over 100,000 Christian Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition, they are not recognized as a religious or ethnic minority in Turkey, where during the war in the 1990s they had to leave the Kurdish regions (they have often found themselves between a rock and a hard place in battles between the Kurds and the government).

In Syria, their relationship with Muslim Kurds is more positive, and Christians in Kurdish cities support Kurdish movements and are not persecuted, unlike what is happening in the rest of the country.

From 1949-1950, all Jewish Kurds moved to Israel, Australia or the USA.

Iraq does not maintain diplomatic ties with Israel, but in 2006 the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Barzani, supported the opening of an Israeli consulate in Erbil. Now Jewish Kurds can see their native village again only with different passports. There is no hostility towards them from the Muslim Kurds.

Mustafa Barzani (the father of the current leader of the party) maintained excellent relations with Israel back in the 1960s, and the Kurds have never hidden this. The Barzani tribe had close ties to Jews from Acre, including former Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai. Among Israeli citizens there are also quite a few people named Barzani.

Kurdistan never existed

True and false. Kurdistan (a banned word in Turkey) has never had a status nation state in the 20th century, however, independent or semi-independent Kurdish principalities existed in the Middle Ages.

In 1150, the Persian sultan Sanjar, a Seljuk Turk, created a province called Kurdistan. In parallel with this, Ottoman Kurdistan arose, the outlines of which changed along with the Turkish-Persian border.

“According to the state Ottoman archives, among the titles of the Ottoman sultans there was also the “Padishah of Kurdistan”. However, the Turkish authorities do not want to remember this,” says Sandrine Aleksi.

Since then, the province of Kurdistan has always existed in the territory of Persia, and then modern Iran.

At the end of the First World War, the new borders scattered the Kurds across four states. The first maps of Kurdistan were drawn up in 1919 by a representative of the Kurds at the suggestion of the League of Nations (Articles 62 and 64 of the Sevres Peace Treaty signed in 1920 provided for the creation of an autonomous or even independent Kurdistan and independent Armenia). On these documents, the territory of Kurdistan resembled a huge camel touching the sea with its head and was equal in area to France.

Kurds want their own state

Right. Most Kurds are striving for independence. They emphasize that they meet all the necessary criteria for this (territorial continuity, language, culture, history), and that they have every right to do so.

But they understand that such a demand is tantamount to political suicide. This may encourage the Americans to abandon the Kurds in Iraq to their fate. The first time after its formation, that is, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Kurdistan Workers' Party sought independence, but subsequently abandoned this demand.

In addition, since the 1960s, another decision has been outlined, from which it follows that each of the four parts of Kurdistan should achieve autonomy for itself in order to subsequently form something like the Benelux, that is, an entity with thinner borders.

The idea was first introduced in 1963 by The New York Times journalist Dana Adams Schmidt, who spent 46 days in the mountains with Mustafa Barzani and wrote the short story Journey Among Brave Men.

Today, this union project is once again coming to the fore and even boasts a certain consensus. What has been happening in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2003 has given confidence to Kurds from other countries.

This is especially noticeable in Turkey, where since 2009 the Union of Communities of Kurdistan, based on the model of Iranian Kurdistan, has been regularly carrying out political initiatives on the way to autonomy and self-determination, which in particular explains the intensification of repressive measures by the Turkish state (arrests, trials, bans and etc.).

Kurds can not agree among themselves

Right. They are very independent and have never lived under a centralized Kurdish government.

The Kurds are a mountainous and historically nomadic people, which in no way predisposes them to unification. In addition, its current organization is still largely tribal in nature, and conflicts arise between tribal leaders.

“The Kurds do not have a cult of the great dictator, and they are more like the Gascons. Every Kurd is a king on his mountain. Therefore, they quarrel with each other, conflicts arise often and easily,” explains Sandrine Alexi.

From 1992 to 1996, the Kurds fought a civil war in northern Iraq. The major regional powers took turns supporting one side or the other. In 2003, the warring brothers united again. However, this war nearly killed dreams of independence and remains a painful memory for the Kurds to this day.

Kurds have the hardest time in Turkey

Wrong. Despite the prosecution, arrests and prison terms, the Kurds in Turkey are still living an easier life than it was in the 1980s and 1990s (deportations, burned villages, mass torture, disappearances of the military, Turkish Hezbollah operations) before coming to power of the conservative Islamist Justice and Development Party.

In Iran, the situation of the Kurds is noticeably worse: the ban on all minority languages ​​(including Arabic), newspapers in the Kurdish language, cultural and human rights organizations, women's associations and Kurdish trade unions, persecution, repression and suppression of all sprouts of civil society.

Kurdistan Free Life Party activists, who are supposed to be supported by the CIA, are detained, tortured, sent to prison. Death sentences are also not uncommon, as Kurds from this party sometimes call themselves atheists or even Marxists (the political line of this movement and the PKK is quite difficult to track, but it is anti-Islamic).

There are also Sunni Kurds in the country, who are also disliked in Tehran. Iranian revolutionary courts can (and often take this opportunity) to recognize them as "enemies of Allah", which is tantamount to the death penalty.

War in Syria opens opportunities for Kurds

Right. Either democracy will be established in the country, and the Kurds will at least be able to achieve greater autonomy, as well as constitutional recognition of their people and language. Or chaos will reign there with the formation of various zones of influence, and they will also be able to benefit for themselves by trying to reproduce what happened in Iraq in 1992 (autonomy), when Saddam Hussein retreated from the northern part of the camp.

In this case, they will seek to prevent the return of Arab soldiers to the zones left to them by Bashar al-Assad. As well as, they will not let the Syrian Free Army go there, as they fear the influence of the Islamists fighting with it (the clashes between the FSA units and the Kurdish militias have already begun).

The strategy of the Democratic Union is probably as follows: let the Syrian Sunnis fight the Shiites, and in the meantime we will protect our minorities, population and territory.

However, the possibility cannot be ruled out civil war between the Kurds from the Democratic Union and the new revolutionary coalition,” notes Sandrine Alexi. The fact that the Syrian Peshmerga (volunteers who deserted from the Syrian army and took refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan) did not gain strength in northern Syria is probably due to the desire to avoid intra-Kurdish clashes.

Who are the Kurds?

Currently, the Kurds inhabiting Iraq, Turkey and Iran do not have their own independent state, but throughout their history, the Kurds have strived to create one.

Who are the Kurds? Where did they come from in the Middle East. There are many theories about the origin of the Kurds. According to the theory of V. Minorsky, the Kurds are the descendants of the ancient Medes, and since the time when the state of Media was liquidated by the Achaemenids, the Kurds could not create their own state in any way. But under their name, the Kurds (former Medes) became known during the Arab conquests. From the 7th to the 9th centuries, Kurdistan was part of the Arab Caliphate.

But there are other theories about the origin of the Kurds. Some researchers believe that the Kurds already existed during the Sumerian civilization (the end of the 4th millennium BC) and were an integral part of the numerous Hurrian people at that time (by the way, the Urartians were also part of the Hurrian people). The Hurrians are the southern part of all the ancient peoples of the Caucasus. But the Hurrians spoke the Hurrian language, which belongs to the Caucasian languages ​​(the languages ​​of the Caucasian language family peoples). Therefore, your modern language the Kurds acquired from the Persians, as they lived under their rule for a long time.

According to another theory, the ancestors of the Kurds are the ancient Indo-Europeans who penetrated the territory of Asia Minor at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC (together with the Hittites, Luwians and Palais). If we know the history of the Hittites and Luwians well, we know the history of the Palaians poorly.

According to my version, the Palayans and the eastern groups of the Phrygians became the basis for the formation of the Armenian people at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. The Armenians occupied the territory of the former state of Urartu and created the state of Greater Armenia there. And the territory of this state was large - from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the shores of the Black and Mediterranean Seas. And I have a question - is it not ancient history Armenian and Kurdish people in common???

Let's see what events took place in those days in those places. Around 1100 BC, the Hittite state, which was inhabited by the Hittites and Palais, was destroyed by the “peoples of the sea”. Phrygians (flies) actively participated in the destruction of the state of the Hittites. At the same time, the main territory of the Hittite state became part of the Phrygian state. And it was at the same time that the formation of the Armenian people began (on the basis of the Palaians and the eastern group of Phrygians). Around the same time, the Urartian people formed from the Hurrian tribes in the same places, who created the large state of Urartu in the territory of the South Caucasus. Ancient Armenians (in the west of Urartu) and Urartians (Hurrits), living in the eastern part of Urartu, also lived in this state. South of Urartu in those days there was a powerful Assyrian power, whose people - the Assyrians spoke mainly Aramaic (Semitic). If we consider the Urartians as the ancestors of the Kurds (their language was still Hurrian at that time), we will see that the history of the ancient Armenians and Kurds in those days was common.

In the 7th-beginning of the 6th century BC Urartu suffered a severe defeat from Assyria, and then it was finally destroyed by Media. Soon, Media itself fell under the rule of the Persians and became part of the Achaemenid state. Perhaps it was at this time that the ancient Kurds (Uratts) began to use more and more Median and Persian languages. It was after these times that they retained their modern language (the language of the Western Iranian group of languages). And the ancient Armenians retained their language, as they lived more remotely from the Persians and Medes.

After the disappearance of Urartu, the Armenians created their own state, recognizing dependence on the Achaemenids, then on the Macedonian and on the Seleucids. During this period, it gradually strengthens, and finally, during the period of the weakening of the Seleucids, Great Armenia becomes the largest state in the Middle East. The ancient Kurds and Armenians again began to live in one state. But this period ended when the Roman and Parthian empires appeared on the international stage. And Armenia became a place of struggle between the Roman (then Byzantine) and Parthian (Persian) empires. During these wars, Armenia was constantly divided into spheres of influence. This state finally disappeared when it was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century AD. At that time, the Kurds already had their modern name, the Armenians also retained their name and their language.

During the weakening of the Caliphate, the Kurds created their own independent principalities of Shahrezur and Mervanids. But these states were defeated by the Seljuk Turks and the Mongols.

Numerous Kurdish feudal states into which Kurdistan was divided in the Middle Ages were only nominally part of despotic monarchies. They maintained their independence. In 1514, after the Battle of Chaldiran, Kurdistan was divided between Turkey and Iran.

But why do such peoples close in history - Armenians and Kurds - have such a different result ?. This happened (in my opinion) because Russia intervened in the events in the Middle East and she was able to take under the protection of the Armenians (and they now have their own state). And the Kurds still do not have their own state

(The territory of Kurdistan is divided between Turkey, Iraq and Iran.).

For reference

Kurds - n A people of Indo-European origin, widespread on the territory of four states. The Kurds are a mountainous and historically nomadic people, numbering between 25 and 35 million.

Kurds live in half a million square kilometers of mountainous territory stretching from southeast Turkey to central Iran, including Iraq and Syria.

The majority of Kurds (12-15 million) live in Turkey, making up one fifth of the country's population. The Kurdish population of Iran is about five million, which is about 10% of the population, in Iraq - 4.6 million (15-20%), and in Syria - about two million (9%).

Despite the lack of statehood, the Kurds have retained their language, traditions and clan form of social organization.

Kurds have a large European diaspora. According to Council of Europe data on the Kurdish diaspora: 800,000 in Germany, 100,000 in Sweden, 90,000 in the UK and 120,000 - 150,000 in France.

Kurds have two distinct dialects. Kurmanji is spoken in Syria, Turkey, in the north of Iraqi Kurdistan and in all countries of the former USSR, Sorani is spoken in Iran and Iraq. Zazaki is common in Turkish Kurdistan and is primarily spoken in the Tunceli province.

Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims. Shia Kurds who lived in Iraq were massacred or deported by Saddam Hussein in 1987-1988. Some of the Shia Kurds who fled Iraq are now living in refugee camps in Iran. In addition, the Shiite Kurdish community lives in southern Iran.

Information taken

Strikes have begun in Turkey: The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting for an independent state in Turkey for decades.

The Kurds have emerged as the West's most effective partner in the war against the Islamic State (IS) groups in Syria and Iraq, and in doing so, they have once again brought the Kurdish issue to the forefront of the international community.

The fierce battles over Kobane in Syria have become a symbol of anti-resistance, and a symbol of the Kurds' desire for transnational unity.

Kurdish fighters from the three countries fought together for the first time when the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, was joined by a small contingent of heavily armed Peshmerga (the armed forces of the government of Iraq's Kurdistan Region) as well as fighters from the separatist PKK from Turkey. Encouraged by US support for air strikes, they eventually prevailed and expelled the jihadists from Kobane in January 2015.

Turkey's decision on July 24 to bomb the PKK groups showed that Ankara would not miss an opportunity to strike at the Kurdish separatists.

Who are the Kurds?

Kurdish ethnic group in the Middle East with a language and cultural identity. They are culturally and linguistically related to the Iranians. The Kurds inhabit a contiguous area of ​​500,000 square kilometers spanning four countries - southeast Turkey, northern Iraq, northern Syria, and northwest Iran. There are significant Kurdish diasporas in Europe, the USA, Canada and the countries of the former USSR.

Kurds are the world's largest nation without a state

There is no ethnic census of Kurds by country, but calculations show that they form a population of 20 to 40 million people. There are 15 million Kurds in Turkey, 7 to 8 million in Iran, 1 to 2 million in Syria.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a semi-autonomous region in Iraq, claims a Kurdish population of 5.3 million, but Baghdad says there are only 4.3 million.

Largest Kurdish diaspora in Europe. According to the Paris Kurdish Institute, there are 1.5 - 1.7 million Kurds in Western Europe, including 800,000 in Germany. About 80% of the Kurds living in Western Europe originally come from Turkey. Another 50,000 Kurds live in the US and over 25,000 in Canada.

“Kurdish identity is not based on religion, but on language and culture” - Kendal Nezan, head of the Paris Institute of Kurds.

The vast majority of Kurds, between 70% and 90%, are Sunni Muslims. But there is also a minority of Kurds who are Shiite Muslims in Iran and southern Iraq, where an estimated 20,000 have returned since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. In Turkey, Kurds, who are Alawites, are considered members of a branch of Shiite Islam with elements of Sufism.

Other religions among the Kurdish communities include Christianity (Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syrians), Judaism (some 25,000 Jewish Kurds migrated to the US and Israel in the 1950s), and Yezidism in Iraq.

Is there a real Kurdistan?

Kurdistan, which literally means "Country of the Kurds", often appears on world maps used by Kurdish militants. However, there is no such state recognized by international law.

Closest among the Kurds to an independent state is the KRG, which governs the semi-autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Masoud Barzani, is the commander-in-chief of the Peshmerga armed forces, which number 190,000 fighters.

Iraqi Kurdistan serves as a model for Syrian Kurds who hope to create a similar autonomous province of Rojava, including the Kurdish enclaves of Afrin, Kobane and Qamishli.

Kurds have never lived under centralized Kurdish state control and there are dozens of political factions divided between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

There are 17 Kurdish parties in Syria. The main one is the Union of Democratic Parties (PYD), which is the PKK affiliate in Turkey. Founded by Abdullah Öcalan in 1978, the PKK took up arms against Ankara in 1984 to demand an independent state and have had a rocky relationship with Turkey ever since. The group is characterized by Marxist ideology and has been listed as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.

Two Kurdish parties compete in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Barzani, controls the northern part of Iraqi Kurdistan and its capital, Erbil. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), based in the city of Sulaymaniyah, is dominant in the southern part.

Türkiye at war with the Kurds?

Ankara considers the PKK militants of Turkey as an adversary. And although Erdogan claims that the Kurdish people are not considered by him as an enemy, if you carefully follow the actions of the Turkish president, it is easy to find out: he would gladly arrange genocide for the Kurds, as they did for the Armenians in the old days, but only times have changed. In times of an open information world, genocide cannot be arranged.

Are all Kurds fighting against the IS group?

Kurdish forces such as the PKK and the Syrian YPG have been on the front lines in the fight against the group in Syria and Iraq. However, Nasr said that there are also prominent Kurdish fighters within the ranks of the jihadist group, most of them in the Kurdish areas of Turkey, Iraq (particularly Halabja) or Iran. Several Syrian Kurds who joined the group came from Amouda and Kahtania, two cities located near the Turkish-Syrian border.

The jihadist Kurdish militant group is keen to show that its war is a religious struggle. The military commander during the Battle of Kobane was a Kurd from Halabju.

“Their goal is to say that their fight is not against the Kurds as ethnic group but against secular and democratic principles,” Nasr said.

What monster did Erdogan raise