- published: 25 Feb 2013
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- author: Dustin Edward
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- Abbasid Caliphate
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Adana
Adana (pronounced [aˈda.na]) is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea, in south-central Anatolia. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province and has a population of 1.6 million, making it the fifth most populous city in Turkey. Adana-Mersin metropolitan area, with a population of 3 million, stretches over 100 km from east to west and 25 km from north to south; encompassing the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana, and Ceyhan.
Adana lies in the heart of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Hatay. Home to approximately six million people, the region is mostly a large stretch of flat, fertile land regarded as one of the most agriculturally productive areas of the world.
According to numerous sources, the name Adana is derived from the Hittite URUAdaniya of Kizzuwatna, while others assert that it is related to the legendary character Danaus, or to the Danaoi, a mythological Greek tribe who came from Egypt[citation needed] and established themselves in the Greek city Argos.The earlier Egyptian texts for a country Danaja are inscriptions from Thutmosis II (1437 BC) and Amenophis III (1390-1352 BC). After the collapse of the Mycenean civilization (1200 BC) some refugeees from the Aegean area went to the coast of Cilicia. The inhabitants Dananayim or Danuna are identified as one group of the sea-peoples who attacked Egypt on 1191 BC during the reign of Ramesses III. Denyen are identified as inhabitants of the city Adana. It is also possible that the name is connected with the PIE da-nu (river) Da-na-vo (people living by the river), Scythian nomad people, water demons in Rigveda (Danavas).
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Adıyaman
Adıyaman (Kurdish: Semsûr, the ancient Perre or Pordonnium, Ancient Greek: Περρη) is a city in southeastern Turkey, capital of the Adıyaman Province. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Turkey. The population rose from 100,045 (1990) to 202,735 (2010 census figures).
The city officially had the name Hısn-ı Mansur ("Castle of Mansur") until the year 1926, named after the fortified castle perched on a hill around which the city grew. As this name was difficult for the locals to pronounce, people were referring the city as adı yaman, which means "its name is tough" or "(the place) whose name is tough" in Turkish.[citation needed] In 1926, this term was adopted as the official name of the city. In present-day Turkish, the word yaman can also have a strong positive connotation, just like the English word 'terrific'.
Adıyaman has a semi-arid climate. Summers are very hot and very dry. Temperatures reach 40 °C (104.0 °F) at the height of summer for the majority of the time. The highest recorded temperature was 45.3 °C (113.5 °F) on 30 July 2000. Winters in Adıyaman are cool/cold and quite often snowy. The lowest recorded temperature was −10 °C (14.0 °F) on 23 February 1985.
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan
i/æfˈɡænɨstæn/ (Persian/Pashto: افغانستان, Afġānistān), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and Greater Middle East, it is also considered to be part of a broader West Asia. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of 647,500 km2 (250,001 sq mi), making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast.
Afghanistan has been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation from as far back as 50,000 BC. Urban civilization may have begun in the area as early as 3,000 to 2,000 BC. Sitting at an important geostrategic location that connects the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the land has been home to various peoples through the ages and witnessed many military campaigns, notably by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and in modern era Western forces. The land also served as a source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Timurids, Mughals and many others have risen to form major empires.
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Akkadian Empire
Coordinates: 33°6′N 44°6′E / 33.1°N 44.1°E / 33.1; 44.1
The Akkadian Empire (Akkadian URUAkkad KI, Hittite KUR A.GA.DÈ.KI "land of Akkad"; Biblical Hebrew אַכַּד Akkad) was an empire centered in the city of Akkad (Sumerian: Agade) and its surrounding region in Mesopotamia.
During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism.Akkadian gradually replaced Sumerian as a spoken language somewhere around the turn of the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC (the exact dating being a matter of debate).
The Akkadian Empire reached its political peak between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, following the conquests of its founder Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BC). Under Sargon and his successors, Akkadian language was briefly imposed on neighboring conquered states such as Elam. Akkad is sometimes regarded as the first empire in history, though there are earlier Sumerian claimants.[citation needed]
The precise archaeological site of the city of Akkad has not yet been found.[citation needed] The form Agade appears in Sumerian, for example in the Sumerian King List; the later Assyro-Babylonian form Akkadû ("of or belonging to Akkad") was likely derived from this. The etymology and meaning of Akkad (written a.ga.dèKI or URIKI) are unknown. Centuries later, the neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus mentioned in his archaeological records that Ishtar's worship in Agade was later superseded by that of the goddess Anunit, whose shrine was at Sippar—suggesting proximity of Sippar and Agade. Despite numerous searches, the city has never been found. One theory holds that Agade was situated opposite Sippar on the left bank of the Euphrates, and was perhaps the oldest part of the city of Sippar. Another theory is that the ruins of Akkad are to be found beneath modern Baghdad. Reputedly it was destroyed by invading Gutians with the fall of the Akkadian Empire.
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Aleppo
Aleppo (Arabic: حلب Ḥalab [ˈħalæb], other names) is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,132,100 (2004 census), it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant. For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppo is distinct in identity, architecture and culture, all shaped by a markedly different history and geography.
Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; it has been inhabited since perhaps as early as the 6th millennium BC. Excavations at Tell as-Sawda and Tell al-Ansari, just south of the old city of Aleppo, show that the area was occupied since at least the latter part of the 3rd millennium BC; and this is also when Aleppo is first mentioned in cuneiform tablets unearthed in Ebla and Mesopotamia, in which it is noted for its commercial and military proficiency. Such a long history is probably due to its being a strategic trading point midway between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia.
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Anatolia
Coordinates: 39°N 32°E / 39°N 32°E / 39; 32
Anatolia (from Greek Ἀνατολή Anatolē — "east" or "(sun)rise"; also Asia Minor, from Greek: Μικρὰ Ἀσία Mikrá Asía "small Asia"; in modern Turkish: Anadolu) is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Sea of Marmara forms a connection between the Black and Aegean Seas through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, and separates Anatolia from Thrace on the European mainland. Traditionally, Anatolia is considered to extend in the east to a line between the Gulf of Iskenderun and the Black Sea, approximately corresponding to the western two-thirds of the Asian part of Turkey. However, since Anatolia is now often considered to be synonymous with Asian Turkey, its eastern and southeastern borders are widely taken to be the Turkish borders with the neighboring countries, which are Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria, in clockwise direction.
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Armenia
Armeniai/ɑrˈmiːniə/ (Armenian: Հայաստան Hayastan [hɑjɑsˈtɑn]), officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun, [hɑjɑstɑˈni hɑnɾɑpɛtuˈtʰjun]), is a landlocked, mountainous country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-state with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. The Kingdom of Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its religion, in the early years of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301 AD). The modern Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. Armenians have their own unique alphabet invented by Mesrob Mashtots in 406 AD.
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Australia
Australia (
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] (
listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (
i/ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/ AZ-ər-by-JAHN; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası) is the largest country in the Caucasus region located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the northwest.
Azerbaijan has an ancient and historic cultural heritage. Aside from having been the first Muslim-majority country to have operas, theater and plays, Azerbaijan today is among the Muslim-majority countries where support for secularism and tolerance is the highest. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world, was established in 1918, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. Shortly thereafter, during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, neighboring Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, its surrounding territories and the enclaves of Karki, Yukhary Askipara, Barkhudarly and Sofulu. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which emerged in Nagorno-Karabakh, continues to be not diplomatically recognized by any nation and the region is still considered a de jure part of Azerbaijan, despite being de facto independent since the end of the war. Azerbaijan has come under repeated international criticism for its record on human rights.
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Baghdad
Baghdad (Arabic: بغداد, Baġdād, IPA: [bæɣˈdæːd]) is the capital of Republic of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Province. The population of Baghdad as of 2011 is approximately 7,216,040, making it the largest city in Iraq, the second largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo, Egypt), and the second largest city in Western Asia (after Tehran, Iran).
Located along the Tigris River, the city was founded in the 8th century and became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. Within a short time of its inception, Baghdad evolved into a significant cultural, commercial, and intellectual center for the Islamic World. This in addition to housing several key academic institutions (e.g. House of Wisdom) garnered the city a worldwide reputation as the "Center of Learning". Throughout the High Middle Ages, Baghdad was considered to be the largest city in the world with an estimated population of 1,200,000 people. The city was largely destroyed at the hands of the Mongol Empire in 1258, resulting in a decline that would linger through many centuries due to frequent plagues and multiple successive empires. With the recognition of Iraq as an independent state (formerly the British Mandate of Mesopotamia) in 1938, Baghdad gradually regained some of its former prominence as a significant center of Arabic culture.
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Belgium
Belgium (i/ˈbɛldʒəm/ BEL-jəm), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups, the Dutch-speakers, mostly Flemish (about 60%), and the French-speakers, mostly Walloons (about 40%), plus a small group of German-speakers. Belgium's two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in the political history and a complex system of government.
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Bingöl
Bingöl (Zazaki: Çewlig, or Çolig) is a city in Eastern Turkey. It is surrounded by mountains and a large number of glacier lakes, hence the name (Turkish for: a thousand lakes). Lately, the town has become a popular tourist destination. According to 2009 estimates, it has a population of 87,918 .
Bingöl is the capital of Bingöl Province, one of the 81 provinces of Turkey.
On May 1, 2003 the whole area suffered from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, leaving 177 dead and 520 injured. On 8 March 2010, the area suffered another earthquake, of magnitude 5.9, with its epicenter in Elâzığ Province, 45 km (28 mi) west of Bingöl.
In the Middle Ages, Bingöl was known as Romanoupolis (Greek: Ῥωμανοῦπολις) after the Byzantine emperor Romanos I Lekapenos, who incorporated it permanently into the Byzantine Empire in 942. It initially formed a subdivision of the thema of Mesopotamia, but it was later (ca. 970) elevated into a separate theme.
Bingöl is 144 km east of Elâzığ and is situated in the high region of Eastern Anatolia. Bingöl is a mountainous area with heights reaching 10,000 feet.
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Canada
Canada ( /ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9,900,000 km2 (3,800,000 sq mi), Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.
The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French colonial expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy; the Canada Act 1982 severed the vestiges of legal dependence on Britain.
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Central Bank of Iraq
The Central Bank of Iraq (Arabic: البنك المركزي العراقي) is the central bank of Iraq.
The Central Bank of Iraq was established as Iraq's central bank by Central Bank of Iraq Law 2004 with authorised capital of 100 billion dinars. The current Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq is Sinan Al Shabibi.
The bank headquarters were designed by Danish architects Dissing+Weitling And completed in 1985. It is a cubical building constructed of reinforced concrete clad in marble. It has few exterior openings, and is instead organised around an inner courtyard which cuts through the heart of the structure and rises to a height of 40m. The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by offices separated by an interior glass curtain wall.
In August 2010, architect Zaha Hadid was appointed to design new headquarters for the Central Bank in Baghdad. Baghdad-born Zaha Hadid, was approached by the Iraqi authorities earlier that year; initial talks about the project were held in Istanbul on August 14, 2010 in the presence of Central Bank Governor Sinan Al-Shabibi.
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Cizre
Cizre (pronounced [dʒizˈɾe]; Kurdish: Botan or Cizîr, Classical Syriac: ܓܙܝܼܪܵܐ Gzira/Gziro) is a town and district of Şırnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, located at the border to Syria, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi tripoint. It is populated by a majority of Kurds and Assyrian/Syriac people in addition to Arabs.[citation needed] It is surrounded by the Tigris from the North, East and South, which has given it its name, which means island in Arabic.
Cizre is historical Jazīrat ibn ʿUmar (or Jezira ibn Umar or Gazarta) Arabic: جزيرة ابن عمر, an important town during the Abbasid period and the Crusades as a gateway connecting Upper Mesopotamia to Armenia. During the Early Iron Age, Cizre was in the kingdom of Kumme, north of Assyria. In classical antiquity, it was located in Corduene (Kardu). In 19th century scholarship, it was often named as the location of Alexander's crossing of the Tigris in 331 BC, further identified with the Roman stronghold of Bezabde although Stein (1942) is sceptical of this.
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Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (French: Conseil de l'Europe) is an international organization promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It was founded in 1949, has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens, and is an entirely separate body from the European Union (EU), which has only 27 member states. Unlike the EU, the Council of Europe cannot make binding laws. The two do however share certain symbols such as the flag of Europe. The Council of Europe has nothing to do with either the Council of the European Union or the European Council, which are both EU bodies.
The best known bodies of the Council of Europe are the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharmaceutical products in Europe. The Council of Europe's work has resulted in standards, charters and conventions to facilitate cooperation between European countries.
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Damascus
Damascus (Arabic: دِمَشق / ALA-LC: Dimashq; commonly known in Syria as al-Sham (Arabic: الشام / al-Shām), and as the City of Jasmine (Arabic: مدينة الياسمين / Madīnat al-Yāsmīn), is the capital and the second largest city of Syria. Both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 (2009 est.).
Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.6 million people (2004). Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau 680 metres (2,230 ft) above sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate due to the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus.
First settled in the 2nd millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed completely while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries. Damascus was chosen as the 2008 Arab Capital of Culture.
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Dewsbury
Coordinates: 53°41′28″N 1°37′59″W / 53.691°N 1.633°W / 53.691; -1.633
Dewsbury (/ˈdjuːzbəri/) is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds. It lies by the River Calder and an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, after undergoing a period of major growth in the 19th century as a mill town, Dewsbury went through a period of decline. More recently there has been redevelopment of derelict mills into flats, and regenerating of run-down areas.
According to the 2001 census the Dewsbury urban sub-area had a population of 54,341. Dewsbury is the largest town in the Heavy Woollen District, a conurbation of small mill towns.
The Domesday Book of 1086 records the name as Deusberia and Deusberie. It is believed to mean "fortified place by a stream", from Old English deaw "dew" (stream) and burg "fort". Other suggestions include the Burg of David, from the old pre-Norman-Conquest British Gaelic for David, being Deu, similar to the Welsh form, Dai. There are other theories on the name's origins such as a Mercian name, after the founder of a fortified settlement, named Dui, Dew or Deus--"beria" meaning fort or stronghold. # "God's Hill", from the old British word "Duw", meaning God (cf Latin "Deus"), and "burg", meaning a hill [1] [2] or "Tiu's Hill", derived from the Germanic god Tiu from the same Indo-European origin.
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Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır (Ottoman Turkish دیاربکر, Diyâr-ı Bekr; Armenian: Դիարբեքիր, Diarbeqir; Kurdish ئامهد, Amed; anc. Amida; Syriac: ܐܡܝܕ, Amid ) is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey. Situated on the banks of the River Tigris, it is the administrative capital of the Diyarbakır Province and with a population of about 843,460 it is the second largest city in Turkey's South-eastern Anatolia region, after Gaziantep. Within Turkey.
The name of the city is inscribed as Amid on the sheath of a sword from the Assyrian period, and the same name was used in other contemporary Syriac and Arabic works. The Romans and Byzantines called the city Amida. Among the Artukid and Akkoyunlu it was known as "Black Amid" (Kara Amid) for the dark color of its walls, while in the Zafername, or eulogies in praise of military victories, it is called "Black Fortress" (Kara Kale). In the Book of Dede Korkut and some other Turkish works it appears as Kara Hamid.
Following the Arab conquests in the 7th century, the Arab Bekr tribe occupied this region, which became known as became known as the Diyar-ı Bekir (landholdings of the Bekr tribe). In 1937, Atatürk had the city renamed Diyarbakır, which remains its current name.
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Dvin
Dvin (Armenian: Դվին; Greek: Δούσιος or Τίβιον; also Duin or Dwin according to ancient sources) was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan. The site of the ancient city is currently not much more than a large hill located between modern Hnaberd (just off the main road through Hnaberd) and Verin Dvin, Armenia. Systematic excavations at Dvin that have proceeded since 1937 have produced an abundance of materials, which have shed light into the Armenian culture of the 5th to the 13th centuries.
Ancient Armenian literary sources almost always give the name of the ancient city of Dvin as Dwin or Duin. Later authors favored the Dvin appellation, which is the most common form given in scholarly literature.
The ancient city of Dvin was built by Khosrov III of Armenia in 335 on a site of an ancient settlement and fortress from the third millennium B.C. Since then, the city had been used as the primary residence of the Armenian Kings of the Arsacid dynasty. Dvin boasted a population of about 100,000 citizens in various professions, including arts and crafts, trade, fishing, etc.
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Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in eastern Turkey. It is the largest city and the eponymous capital of the Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters (5766 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. (by 2010 it increased to 367,250).
Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the Cold War. The city uses the double-headed Anatolian Seljuk Eagle as its coat-of-arms, a motif based on the double-headed Byzantine Eagle that was a common symbol throughout Anatolia and the Balkans in the medieval period.
Erzurum has some of the finest winter sports facilities in Turkey and hosted the 2011 Winter Universiade.
In ancient times, Erzurum existed under the Armenian name of Karin. During the reigns of the Artaxiad and Arsacid kings of Armenia, Karin served as the capital of the eponymous canton of Karin. After the partition of Armenia between the Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia in 387 AD, the city passed into the hands of the Romans. They fortified the city and renamed it Theodosiopolis, after Emperor Theodosius I. As the chief military stronghold along the eastern border of the empire, Theodosiopolis held a highly important strategic location and was fiercely contested in wars between the Byzantines and Persians. Emperors Anastasius I and Justinian I both refortified the city and built new defenses during their reigns.
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European Parliament
The European Parliament (abbreviated as Europarl or the EP) is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. The Parliament is currently composed of 754 Members of the European Parliament, who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after the Parliament of India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world (375 million eligible voters in 2009).
It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage since 1979. However, turnout at European Parliament elections has fallen consecutively at each election since that date, and has been under 50% since 1999. Turnout in 2009 stood at 43% of all European voters, ranging from 90% in Luxembourg and Belgium (where compulsory voting is used) to 20% in Slovakia. Turnout was under 50% in 18 out of 27 member states.
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France
France (Englishi/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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Gaziantep
Gaziantep, previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb [ʕajn tæːb] is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres (115 miles) northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria. The metropolitan area in the entire Gaziantep Province had a population of 1.3 million as of 2010, making it the sixth most populous city in Turkey. The city has two urban districts under its administration, Şahinbey and Şehitkamil.
Gaziantep was originally called Aïntap (in Arabic script عين تاب) but after some centuries the name shifted to Antep. The origin of the name is shrouded in mystery, but there are several theories:
In 1921, "Antep" was legally renamed "Gaziantep", meaning "Victorious Antep".
Gaziantep is one of the most developed provinces of the region and is also one of the oldest, its history reaching as far back as the Hittites. Being the center of pistachio cultivation in Turkey and with its extensive olive groves and vineyards, Gaziantep is one of the important agricultural and industrial centres of Turkey.
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Geography of Iraq
The geography of Iraq is diverse and falls into four main regions: the desert (west of the Euphrates), Upper Mesopotamia (between the upper Tigris and Euphratesh rivers), the northern highlands of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Lower Mesopotamia, the alluvial plain extending from around Tikrit to the Persian Gulf.
The mountains in the northeast are an extension of the alpine system that runs eastward from the Balkans through southern Turkey, northern Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, eventually reaching the Himalayas. The desert is in the southwest and central provinces along the borders with Saudi Arabia and Jordan and geographically belongs with the Arabian Peninsula.
Iraq holds a special distinction in the history of geography: a clay tablet generally accepted as "the earliest known map" was unearthed in 1930 during the excavation of Ga-Sur at Nuzi Yorghan Tepe, near the towns of Harran and Kirkuk, 200 miles (322 km) north of the site of Babylon. The tablet, measuring 6.8 × 7.6 in (173 × 193 mm), is usually dated from the dynasty of Sargon of Akkad between 2500-2300 BC; an even earlier date for the tablet was promulgated by archeologist Leo Bagrow, placing it in the Agade Period (3800 BC).
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Germany
Germany (i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain (Welsh: Prydain Fawr, Scottish Gaelic: Breatainn Mhòr, Cornish: Breten Veur) is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, the largest European island, and the largest of the British Isles. With a population of about 60.0 million people in mid-2009, it is the third most populous island in the world, after Java and Honshū. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands and islets. The island of Ireland lies to its west. Politically, Great Britain may also refer to the island itself together with a number of surrounding islands which comprise the territory of England, Scotland and Wales.
All of the island is territory of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and most of the United Kingdom's territory is in Great Britain. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island of Great Britain, as are their respective capital cities: London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
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Halabja
Halabja (Kurdish: ههڵهبجه Helebce), is a Kurdish town in Northern Iraq, located about 150 miles (240 km) north-east of Baghdad and 8–10 miles from the Iranian border.
The town lies at the base of what is often referred to as the greater Hewraman region stretching across the Iran-Iraq border. The Kurds in the city of Halabja generally speak only the Sorani dialect of Kurdish, but some residents of the surrounding villages speak the Hewrami dialect.
Halabja has a long history. The cemetery includes the tombs of several historical figures, such as Ahmed Mukhtar Jaf, Tayar Bag Jaf and Adila Khanim. In August 2009, three 17th century tombs were discovered in the Ababile district of the town.
This suggests that the town is somewhat older than indicated by some sources, which claim that it was built by the Ottoman Empire circa 1850. However, modern developments date from the early 20th century. The post office opened in 1924 and the first school opened the following year. The Qaysari Pasha and Hamid Bag bazaars were built in 1932. Electricity did not reach the city until 1940.
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Hamrin Mountains
The Hamrin Mountains (Arabic: جبل حمرين Jabāl Hamrīn, Kurdish: Çiyay Hemrîn) are a small mountain ridge in northeast Iraq. The westernmost ripple of the greater Zagros mountains; the Hamrin mountains extend from the Diyala Province bordering Iran, northwest to the Tigris river; crossing northern Salah ad Din Province and southern Kirkuk Province.
In antiquity, the mountains were part of the frontier region between Babylonia to the south and Assyria to the north. In medieval times, Babylonia and Assyria became linguistically Arabicized and Kurdicized respectively, and today the area forms part of the linguistic boundary between most of Arabic-speaking Iraq and Kurdish-speaking Iraq.
Coordinates: 35°01′57″N 43°38′47″E / 35.0325°N 43.6463889°E / 35.0325; 43.6463889
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Ilam Province
Ilam Province (Persian: استان ایلام, Ostān-e Īlām ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering Iraq. Its provincial center is the city of Ilam. Covering an area of 19,086 square kilometers, the cities of the province are Ilam, Mehran, Dehloran, Dareh Shahr, Sarable, Eyvan, Abdanan and Arkwaz. It neighbors Khuzestan province in the south, Lurestan province in the east, Kermanshah province in the north and Iraq in the west with 425 kilometers of common border. The population of the province is approximately 540,000 people (2005 estimate).
Ilam province is among the warmest regions of Iran, although the mountainous areas of north and north eastern Ilam are relatively cold. The average annual rainfall province is 578 mm. Ilam's highest point is the peak Kabir Kuh at 2790 m, part of the Zagros mountains. Eyvan and Ilam (city) are less warmer than the other cities in the province because thay situated in the north of the province.wheat is the most common corp cultivated in this province.
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Iran
Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53
Iran (i/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/;Persian: ایران [ʔiˈɾɒn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in use natively since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.
The 18th-largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 79 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves.
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Iraq
Iraq (/ɪˈræk/ ori/ɪˈrɑːk/; Arabic: العراق al-‘Irāq); officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: 
جمهورية العراق (help·info) Jumhūriyyat al-‘Irāq), is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.
Iraq borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Jordan to the southwest and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (36 mi) on the northern Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad is in the center-east of the country.
Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.
Historically, Iraq was the center of the Abbasid Arabic Islamic Empire. Iraq has been known to the west by the Greek toponym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers) and has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is often referred to as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing, law and the wheel. At different periods in its history, Iraq was the center of the indigenous Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid empires. It was also part of the Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid, and Ottoman empires, and under British control as a League of Nations mandate.
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Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: ههرێمی کوردستان, Herêmî Kurdistan; Arabic: إقليم كردستان العراق Iqlīm Kurdistān al-‘Irāq) is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr. The region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The establishment of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq dates back to the March 1970 autonomy agreement between the Kurdish opposition and the Iraqi government after years of heavy fighting. The Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and the Anfal genocide campaign of the Iraqi army devastated the population and nature of Iraqi Kurdistan. Following the 1991 uprising of the Iraqi people against Saddam Hussein, many Kurds were forced to flee the country to become refugees in bordering regions of Iran and Turkey. A northern no-fly zone was established following the First Gulf War in 1991 to facilitate the return of Kurdish refugees. As Kurds continued to fight government troops, Iraqi forces finally left Kurdistan in October 1991, leaving the region to function de facto independently; however, neither of the two major Kurdish parties had at any time declared independence and Iraqi Kurdistan continues to view itself as an integral part of a united Iraq but one in which it administers its own affairs. The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent political changes led to the ratification of a new Constitution of Iraq in 2005. The new Iraqi constitution defines Iraqi Kurdistan as a federal entity of Iraq, and establishes Arabic and Kurdish as Iraq's joint official languages.
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Israel
Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35
Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.[neutrality is disputed] Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.
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Jerusalem
Jerusalem ( /dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim ; Arabic: القُدس al-Quds and/or أورشليم Ûrshalîm) is the capital of Israel, though not internationally recognized as such, and one of the oldest cities in the world. It is located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea. If the area and population of East Jerusalem is included, it is Israel's largest city in both population and area, with a population of 801,000 residents over an area of 125.1 km2 (48.3 sq mi). Jerusalem is also a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE. In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond its boundaries.
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Kahramanmaraş
Kahramanmaraş is a city in southeastern Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province . The city lies on a plain at the foot of the Taurus Mountains and has a population of 412.252 as of 2010. The region is best known for its production of salep, a flour made from dried orchid tubers, and its distinctive ice cream. It is connected by air to Istanbul and Ankara. Turkish Airlines has daily direct flights from İstanbul and also Anadolu Jet operates direct flights from Ankara.
Kahramanmaraş was called Germanicia Caesarea (Γερμανίκεια, Germanikeia, in Greek) in the time of the Roman and Byzantine empires. (According to an article published in newspaper Cumhuriyet on 20 December 2010, the first ruins of Germanicia have already been unearthed in the Dulkadiroğulları quarters of the city.)
Germanicia was taken from the Byzantines by the Muslim Arabs in 645 AD, to whom the city was known as Marʻaš (Arabic: مرعش [ˈmarʕaʃ]), which is also the Syriac name (Syriac: ܡܪܥܫ). Marash was an important Syrian Orthodox diocese. Mor Dionysius Bar Salibi (+ 1171) was its bishop.
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Kalbajar
Kalbajar (Azerbaijani: Kəlbəcər, also spelled as Kelbajar, Kälbäjär, Kelbadzhar, Kelbadshar, Kelbadjar, Kelbadžar) is the administrative center of Kalbajar Rayon, and administrative territorial unit under the control of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The city along with the associated rayon was captured by Armenian forces during the Battle of Kalbajar, near the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
During the Nagorno-Karabakh War, Armenians liberated the city.
Sign at northern site of the city with Armenian text: "Karvajar is an Armenian fortress".
The main street of the city.
Other city street.
Children playing football in the city.
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Kayseri
Kayseri (pronounced [kajˈseɾi]) is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and Melikgazi, and since 2004, also Hacılar, İncesu and Talas. In conjunction with the addition of new districts and first stage municipalities into the metropolitan area, the city's population, which was 690,000 in 2000, was over 1,050,000 as of 2010, making it the seventh most populous city in Turkey.
Kayseri is located at the foot of the extinct volcano Mount Erciyes that towers 3916 m over the city. Its inhabitants (Kayserili) are renowned for their alertness, entrepreneurial spirit and a strict understanding regarding the management of economies, the last point having been the subject of more than a few legends in Turkey.wealth of the city itself is a blend of modernity and conservatism. The city is often cited in the first ranks among Turkey's cities that fit the definition of Anatolian Tigers.
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Kermanshah
Kermanshah (Kurdish: کرماشان Kirmashan, Persian: کرمانشاه Kermãnshãh, also Romanized as Kermânsâh; also known as Bahtaran, Bākhtarān, Kermānshāhān , and Qahremānshahr) is a city in and the capital of Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 784,602, in 198,117 families. The language spoken by the majority of people is Kermanshahi Kurdish and Kermanshahi Persian. Kermanshah is located 525 km from Tehran in the western part of Iran. Kermanshah has a moderate and mountainous climate. The religion of most of the people is Shia Islam.
Given its antiquity, attractive landscapes and rich culture, Kermanshah is considered as one of the cradles of prehistoric cultures such as Neolithic villages. According to archaeological surveys and excavation, Kermanshah area has been occupied by prehistoric people since the Lower Paleolithic period, and continued to later Paleolithic periods till late Pleistocene period. The Lower Paleolithic evidence consists of some handaxes found in the Gakia area to the east of the city. The Middle Paleolithic remains have been found in the northern vicinity of the city in Tang-e Kenesht and near Taqwasan. The known Paleolithic caves in this area are Warwasi, Kobeh, and Do-Eshkaft. The region was also one of the first places in which human settlements including Asiab, Qazanchi, Tappeh Sarab, Chia Jani, and Ganj-Darreh were established between 8,000-10,000 years ago. This is about the same time that the first potteries pertaining to Iran were made in Ganj-Darreh, near present-day Harsin. In May 2009, based on a research conducted by the University of Hamedan and UCL, the head of Archeology Research Center of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization announced that the oldest prehistorian village in the Middle East dating back to 9800 B.P., was discovered in Sahneh, located west of Kermanshah.
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Khanaqin
Khanaqin (Kurdish خانه قين,Xaneqîn Arabic خانقين, also transliterated as Khanakin, Xanaqin) is a city in Iraq. It is located at 34.3°N, 45.4°E in the Diyala Governorate, near the Iranian border on a tributary of the Diyala River. Khanaqin is the administrative capital of the Khanaqin District, which comprises several cities, such as As-Sadiyah and Jalula, as well as hundreds of villages. The city is divided into two parts by the Alwand River, this river has played a significant role in land cultivation and in establishment of a strong rural society in the area. The river is considered by the people of Khanaqin as a symbol for their unity and Kurdish identity.
The majority of people of the city of Khanaqin are Kurds (although the province of Diyala has an Arab majority). They speak mainly the Kalhuri branch of southern Kurdish dialects which is Indo-European. These dialects are closely related to each other and called Feyli or Xanaqini by the locals (see southern Kurdish).
Khanaqin's original name was Du-Khanag and was a part of the Kurdistan for centuries. The name Du-Khānaqa (دو خانقا) means "Two Sufi Houses" in Kurdish. After the Arabic invasion of Kurdistan, the occupiers Arabized many of the local names and also omitted the word du (two) from this name and attached the Arabic suffix of dualis after the name, hence Du-khānaqa became Khānaq-ayn and Khanaqin.
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Kingdom of Kurdistan
The Kingdom of Kurdistan refers to two short-lived unrecognized states formed in the 1920s in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, in the territory, officially under the jurisdiction of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia.
During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kurds in Iraq attempted to establish a semi-independent state. On at least one occasion they succeeded and formed the Kingdom of Kurdistan, which lasted from September 1922 - July 1924.
The Shaykh of the Qadiriyyah order of Sufis, the most influential personality in Southern Kurdistan, was appointed Governor of the former sanjak of Duhok, but rallied against the British and declared an independent Kurdistan in May, 1919. He was defeated in June.
On the 10 October 1921, a statement was issued in Sulaymaniya, the capital of Kurdistan, to establish a Kurdish government. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji declared himself as the King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan.[dead link]
After the Treaty of Sèvres, which settled some territories, Sulaymaniya still remained under the direct control of the British High Commissioner. After the subsequent penetration of the Turkish "Özdemir" Detachment into the area, an attempt was made by the British to counter this by appointing Shaykh Mahmud Governor again, in September 1922. The Shaykh revolted again, and in November declared himself King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. Members of his cabinet included:.[dead link]
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Kirkuk
Kirkuk (also spelled Karkuk or Kerkuk, Arabic: كركوك karkūk, Kurdish: Kerkûk/کهرکووک, Syriac: ܟܪܟ ܣܠܘܟ karḵ sluḵ, Turkish: Kerkük) is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.
It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, 236 kilometres (147 mi) north of the capital, Baghdad. Kirkuk city lies 83 km south of Arbil, 149 km southeast of Mosul, 97 km west of Sulaymaniyah, and 116 km northeast Tikrit
It stands on the site of the ancient Assyrian capital of Arrapha, which sits near the Khasa River on the ruins of a 5,000-year-old settlement (Kirkuk Citadel). Arrapha reached great importance under the Assyrians in the 10th and 11th centuries BC. Because of the strategic geographical location of the city, Kirkuk was the battle ground for three empires—the Neo Assyrian Empire, Babylonia, and Media—which controlled the city at various times.
Kirkuk lies in a wide zone with an ethnically mixed population, which has moreover experienced dramatic demographic changes in the course of the twentieth century. Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs lay conflicting claims to this zone, and all have their historical accounts and memories to buttress their claims.
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Konya
Konya (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈkon.ja]) is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city the seventh most populous in Turkey.
Konya, also spelled in some historic English texts as Konia or Koniah, was known in classical antiquity and during the medieval period as Iconium in Latin, and Ἰκόνιον (Ikónion) in Greek. The name Konya is a cognate of icon, as an ancient Greek legend ascribed its name to the "eikon" (image), or the "gorgon's (Medusa's) head", with which Perseus vanquished the native population before founding the city.
Excavations have shown that the region was inhabited during the Late Copper Age, around 3000 BC. The city came under the influence of the Hittites around 1500 BC. These were overtaken by the Sea Peoples around 1200 BC. The Phrygians established their kingdom in central Anatolia in the 8th century BC. Xenophon describes Iconium, as the city was called, as the last city of Phrygia. The region was overwhelmed by Cimmerian invaders c. 690 BC. It was later part of the Persian Empire, until Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Alexander's empire broke up shortly after his death and the town came under the rule of Seleucus I Nicator. During the Hellenistic period the town was ruled by the kings of Pergamon. As Attalus III, the last king of Pergamon, was about to die without an heir, he bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. Under the rule of emperor Claudius, the city's name was changed to Claudioconium, and during the rule of emperor Hadrianus to Colonia Aelia Hadriana.
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Kurdistan
Kurdistan ( (listen) (help·info) "Land of the Kurds"; also formerly spelled Curdistan; ancient name: Corduene) is a roughly defined geo-cultural region wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population, and Kurdish culture, language, and national identity have historically been based.
Contemporary use of Kurdistan refers to parts of eastern Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan), northwestern Iran (Iranian Kurdistan) and northern Syria inhabited mainly by Kurds. Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges, and covers small portions of Armenia.
Iraqi Kurdistan first gained autonomous status in 1970 agreement with the Iraqi government and its status was re-confirmed as an autonomous entity within the federal Iraqi republic in 2005. There is also a province by the name Kurdistan in Iran, although it does not enjoy self-rule.
Some Kurdish nationalist organizations seek to create an independent nation state of Kurdistan, consisting of some or all of the areas with Kurdish majority, while others campaign for greater Kurdish autonomy within the existing national boundaries.
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Lachin
Lachin (Azerbaijani: Laçın, Armenian: Բերդձոր Berddzor, Kurdish: Laçîn; also Abdallyar, Datschin) is a town in Azerbaijan and the regional center of the Lachin Rayon. Since 1992 the area has been under the control of the de facto independent unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which has renamed the town Berdzor. The town and its surrounding region serve as the strategic Lachin corridor connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with Armenia. With about 1,700 inhabitants in 2009 (down from 2,300 in 2005), population numbers are still declining despite a proactive settlement policy by the authorities.
Lachin was known as Abdalyar until 1923. On 15 May 1992, during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, Lachin was captured by Nagorno Karabakh forces, opening the first land-corridor to Armenia. Previously, Turkey had threatened Armenia on May 13, 1992, "that it would intervene militarily if Shusha and Lachin were not restored to Azerbaijan". Russia responded by signing a military agreement with Armenia, pledging military aid if its security were threatened. On the May 20, 1992, Turkey reassured Russia, that it would not intervene militarily. Thus, after a three year blockade, a land bridge linking the Republic of Armenia with the territory of Nagorno Karabakh was established. In the fall of 1992, Azerbaijani forces tried to regain control over Lachin, but were repulsed. All of Lachin's Azerbaijani and Kurdish population fled as a result of the fall of the region to Nagorno-Karabakh forces.
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Lebanon
Lebanon (i/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبنان Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn]), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية al-Jumhūrīyah al-Libnānīyah, Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjje l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]), is a country in the East Mediterranean. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history, and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze, to include more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, and established a unique political system, known as confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities – Bechara El Khoury who became independent Lebanon's first President and Riad El-Solh, who became Lebanon's first prime minister, are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon in 1946.
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London
Londoni/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
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Mahabad
Mahabad (Persian: مهاباد, Kurdish: مەھاباد; also Romanized as Mahābād and Mehābād; formerly known as Sāūjbulāgh) is a city in and the capital of Mahabad County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 133,324, in 31,000 families.
The city's population is predominantly Kurdish, with the city lying south of Lake Urmia in a narrow valley 1,300 metres above sea level in Iranian Kurdistan, a part northwestern Iran.
The town was founded in Safavid period and its first name was Savoujbolagh, Savoujbolagh is a Turkic word meaning cold spring, later in Qajarid period, the town was called Savoujbolagh Mokri, meaning Savoujbolagh of the Mukri tribe, due to the residence of the Mukri tribe in the town and this was the name of the town until 1936, when the town was named Mahabad by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Mahabad was briefly the capital of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad, which was declared independent on January 1, 1946 under the leadership of Kurdish nationalist Qazi Muhammad. The republic received strong support from the Soviet Union, which occupied Iran during the same era and included the Kurdish towns of Piranshahr, Sardasht, Bukan, Naqada and Ushnaviya.
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Malatya
Malatya (Armenian: Մալաթիա Malat'ya; Greek: Μαλάτεια, Malateia;; Kurdish: Meletî; Classical Syriac: ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.
The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene. The site of ancient Malatya lies a few kilometres from the modern city in what is now the village of Arslantepe and near the dependant district center of Battalgazi (Byzantine to Ottoman Empire). Present-day Battalgazi was the location of the city of Malatya until the 19th century, when a gradual move of the city to the present third location began. Battalgazi's official name was Eskimalatya (Old Malatya); until recently, it was a name used locally.
Arslantepe has been inhabited since the development of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, nearly 6,000 years ago. From the Bronze Age, the site became an administrative center of a larger region in the kingdom of Isuwa. The city was heavily fortified, probably due to the Hittite menace from the west. The Hittites conquered the city in the fourteenth century B.C. In Hittite, melid or milit means "honey," offering a possible etymology for the name, which was mentioned in the contemporary sources of the time under several variations (e.g., Hittite: Malidiya and possibly also Midduwa;Akkadian: Meliddu;Urar̩rtian: Melitea).
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Maragheh
Maragheh (Persian/Azerbaijani:مراغه) also Romanized as Marāgheh and Marāgha) is a city in and the capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 146,405, in 38,891 families.
Maragheh is situated on the bank of the river Sufi Chay. The Azeri-speaking population form majority in the city. It is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Tabriz.
Maragheh is an ancient city situated in a narrow valley running nearly north and south at the eastern extremity of a well-cultivated plain opening towards Lake Urmia, which lies 30 km to the west. The town is encompassed by a high wall ruined in many places, and has four gates. Two stone bridges in good condition, said to have been constructed during the reign of Hulaku Khan (1217-1265), who made Maragheh the capital of the Ilkhanate. Shortly thereafter it became the seat of the Church of the East Patriarch Mar Yaballaha III. The place is surrounded by extensive vineyards and orchards, all well watered by canals led from the river, and producing great quantities of fruit. The hills west of the town consist of horizontal strata of sandstone covered with irregular pieces of basalt.
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Marivan
Marivan (Persian: مريوان, Merîwan ( (listen) (help·info) Kurdish: مەریوان, also Romanized as Persian pronunciation Marīvān) also known as Qal‘eh-ye Marīvān - "Fort Marivan"; formerly, Dez Shahpur (Persian: دِژ شاهپور), also Romanized as Dezh Shāhpūr and Dezh Shapoor) is a city in and capital of Marivan County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 91,664, in 22,440 families. Before the foundation of the city in 1950s, Marîwan was the name of the region[citation needed].
Marivan lies close to the border of Iran-Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan). Because of official border market of Bashmaq which is between Kurdish region of Iraq and Iran, Marivan serves a destination for shoppers in neighbor provinces.
Lake Zarivar lies in the west of Marivan. Because of beautiful and preserved nature of Marivan, it has been always one of the most attractive places for tourist both in local and global scales.
The native language of the city is the central dialect of Kurdish (Sorani) with a minority of Hawrami dialect. The religion of the people is Shafi'i Sunni.
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Medes
The Medes (/midz/) (from Old Persian Māda-) were an ancient Iranian people who lived in Iran in an area known as Media and spoke a northwestern Iranian language referred to as the Median language. Their arrival to the region is associated with the first wave of Iranian tribes in the late second millennium BCE (the Bronze Age collapse) through the beginning of the first millennium BCE.
In the 7th century BCE a unified Median state was formed which together with Babylonia, Lydia, and Egypt became one of the four major powers of the ancient Near East. An alliance with the Babylonians helped the Medes to capture Nineveh in 612 BCE which resulted in the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The Medes were subsequently able to establish their Median kingdom (with Ecbatana as their royal centre) beyond their original homeland (central-western Iran) and had eventually a territory stretching roughly from northeastern Iran to the Halys River in Anatolia. The Median kingdom was conquered in 550 BCE by Cyrus the Great who established the next Iranian dynasty—the Achaemenid Empire.
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Mesopotamian Marshes
The Mesopotamian Marshes are a wetland area located in southern Iraq and partially in southwestern Iran. Historically the marshlands, mainly composed of the separate but adjacent Central, Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes, used to be the largest wetland ecosystem of Western Eurasia. It is a rare aquatic landscape in the desert, providing habitat for the Marsh Arabs and important populations of wildlife. Draining of portions of the marshes began in the 1950s and continued through the 1970s to reclaim land for agriculture and oil exploration. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, during the presidency of Saddam Hussein, this work was expanded and accelerated to evict Shia Muslims from the marshes. Before 2003, the marshes were drained to 10% of their original size. After the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003, the marshes have partially recovered but drought along with upstream dam construction and operation in Turkey, Syria and Iran have hindered the process.
In the 4th millennium BC the first literate societies emerged in Southern Mesopotamia, often referred to as the Cradle of Civilization, and the first cities and complex state bureaucracies were developed there during the Uruk period. Due to the geographical location and the ecological factors of the Fertile Crescent, a crescent-shape fertile area running from the basins of the Nile in Egypt, northwards along the Mediterranean coast in Palestine and Israel, and southwards again along the Euphrates and the Tigris towards the Persian Gulf, civilizations were able to develop agricultural and technological programmes. The crucial trigger was the availability of wild edible plant species. Farming arose early in the Fertile Crescent because the area had a great quantity of wild wheat and pulse species that were nutritious and easy to domesticate.
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Mosul
Coordinates: 36°20′N 43°08′E / 36.34°N 43.13°E / 36.34; 43.13
Mosul (Arabic: الموصل al-Mawṣil; North Mesopotamian Arabic: el-Mōṣul; Syriac: ܢܝܢܘܐ Nînwe; Kurdish: Mûsil/Nînewe; Turkish: Musul), is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Nineveh Province, some 400 km (250 mi) northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. The majority of its population is Arab (with Assyrians, Turcoman and Kurdish minorities). It is Iraq's third largest city after Baghdad and Basra.
The fabric Muslin, long manufactured here, is named after this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble.
In 1987, the city's population was 664,221 people; the 2002 population estimate was 1,740,000, and by 2008 was estimated to be 1,800,000. People from Mosul are called Maslawis.
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NATO
Coordinates: 50°52′34.16″N 4°25′19.24″E / 50.8761556°N 4.4220111°E / 50.8761556; 4.4220111
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO ( /ˈneɪtoʊ/ NAY-toh; French: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), also called the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, one of the 28 member states across North America and Europe, the newest of which, Albania and Croatia, joined in April 2009. An additional 22 countries participate in NATO's Partnership for Peace, with 15 other countries involved in institutionalized dialogue programs. The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the world's defence spending.
For its first few years, NATO was not much more than a political association. However, the Korean War galvanized the member states, and an integrated military structure was built up under the direction of two U.S. supreme commanders. The course of the Cold War led to a rivalry with nations of the Warsaw Pact, which formed in 1955. The first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, stated in 1949 that the organization's goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." Doubts over the strength of the relationship between the European states and the United States ebbed and flowed, along with doubts over the credibility of the NATO defence against a prospective Soviet invasion—doubts that led to the development of the independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of the French from NATO's military structure in 1966.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands (i/ˈnɛðərləndz/; Dutch: Nederland [ˈneːdə(r)lɑnt] or [ˈneɪ̯də(r)lɑnt] (
listen); West Frisian: Nederlân; Papiamento: Hulanda) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with some islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is a parliamentary democracy organised as a unitary state. The country capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands in its entirety is often referred to as Holland, although North and South Holland are actually only two of its twelve provinces (a case of pars pro toto; see terminology of "the Netherlands").
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Parthian Empire
The Parthian (pronounced /ˈpɑrθiən/) Empire (247 BC – 224 AD), also known as the Arsacid (/ˈɑrsəsɪd/) Empire (Modern Persian: اشکانیان Ashkāniān), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia. Its latter name comes from Arsaces I of Parthia who, as leader of the Parni tribe, founded it in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the Parthia region in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I of Parthia (r. c. 171–138 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now south-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran. The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and Han Empire of China, became a center of trade and commerce.
The Parthians largely adopted the art, architecture, religious beliefs, and royal insignia of their culturally heterogeneous empire, which encompassed Persian, Hellenistic, and regional cultures. For about the first half of its existence, the Arsacid court adopted elements of Greek culture, though it eventually saw a gradual revival of Iranian traditions. The Arsacid rulers were titled the "King of Kings", as a claim to be the heirs to the Achaemenid Empire; indeed, they accepted many local kings as vassals where the Achaemenids would have had centrally appointed, albeit largely autonomous, satraps. The court did appoint a small number of satraps, largely outside Iran, but these satrapies were smaller and less powerful than the Achaemenid potentates. With the expansion of Arsacid power, the seat of central government shifted from Nisa, Turkmenistan to Ctesiphon along the Tigris (south of modern Baghdad, Iraq), although several other sites also served as capitals.
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Qamishli
Qamishli (Arabic: قامشلي Qāmišlī, Kurdish: Qamişlo, Syriac: ܩܡܫܠܐ Qamišlo or ܒܝܬ ܙܐܠܝ̈ܢ Beṯ Zālin, Turkish: Kamışlı) is a city in north eastern Syria on the border with Turkey, adjoining the Turkish city of Nusaybin, and close to Iraq. It is part of the Al-Hasakah Governorate, and is the administrative capital of the Qamishli District within the governorate.
The city was initially a small village inhabited by Assyrians/Syriacs called beṯ zālin (ܒܝܬ ܙܐܠܝ̈ܢ) meaning "house of reed". The current name is a turkified form of it, where "kamış" means "reed" in Turkish.
With a population of 184,231 (2004 Census), Qamishli is among the 10 largest cities in Syria.
Qamishli, originally an Assyrian/Syriac city, in modern times is of mixed ethnic groups predominantly Kurdish, Assyrians/Syriacs and Arabs. The Christians of the city mainly consist of Assyrians/Syriacs and Armenians. The city was founded by Assyrians/Syriacs fleeing Seyfo in modern Turkey. Today Kurds, Assyrians/Syriacs, Arabs and Armenians (about 8,500 form which 2,000 are Armenian Catholics) live side by side in the city.
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Quchan
Quchan ([pronunciation?]; Persian: قوچان, also Romanized as Qūchān, Quĉān, Quçan and Gochan) is a city in and capital of Quchan County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. It is located due south of the border city of Ashgabat. At the 2006 census, its population was 96,953, in 25,066 families.
Quchan consists of three main ethnic groups: Persian, Kurdish, and Turkic.[citation needed]
Quchan (also Ghoochan and Quĉān) is in the north-east of Iran in Razavi Khorasan Province at an elevation of 1,149 meters above sea level north of the Shah Jahan Mountains. It is located south of the border with Turkmenistan. Quchan is connected by road to Mashhad, 125 km southeast and Turkmenistan, 100 km north.[citation needed]
Quchan has suffered from many earthquakes, and the town was relocated 13 east of the original town in 1895.[citation needed]
Grains and wine are among the district's produce.[citation needed]
A devastating earthquake in 1893 killed 10,000 residents in Quchan. The U.S. press reported on January 28, 1894 that, "The bodies of ten thousand victims of the awful disaster have already been recovered. Fifty thousand cattle were destroyed at the same time. The once important and beautiful city of twenty thousand people is now only a scene of death, desolation, and terror."
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Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad (Kurdish: Komarî Mehabad/کۆماری مەھاباد, Persian: جمهوری مهاباد ), officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established in Iranian Kurdistan, was a short-lived, Kurdish government that sought Kurdish autonomy within the limits of the Iranian state. The capital was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran. The state itself encompassed a small territory, including Mahabad and the market towns of Piranshahr, Sardasht, Bukan, Naqada and Ushnaviya. The republic's founding and demise was a part of the Iran crisis during the opening stages of the Cold War.
Iran was invaded by the Allies in late August 1941, with the Soviets controlling the north. In the absence of a central government, the Soviets attempted to attach northwestern Iran to the Soviet Union, and promoted Kurdish nationalism. From these factors resulted a Kurdish manifesto that above all sought autonomy and self-government for the Kurdish people in Iran within the limits of the Iranian state.
In the town of Mahabad, inhabited mostly by Kurds, a committee of middle-class people supported by tribal chiefs, took over the local administration. A political party called the Society for the Revival of Kurdistan (Komeley Jiyanewey Kurdistan or JK) was formed. Qazi Muhammad, head of a family of religious jurists, was elected as chairman of the party. Although the republic was not formally declared until December 1945, Qazi's committee administered the area with commendable efficiency and success for over five years until the fall of the republic.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Russian Empire
The Russian Empire (Pre-reform Russian orthography: Россійская Имперія, Modern Russian: Российская Империя, translit: Rossiyskaya Imperiya) was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the short-lived Russian Republic, which was succeeded by the Soviet Union. It was one of the largest empires in world history, surpassed in landmass only by the British and Mongol empires: at one point in 1866, it stretched from eastern Europe across Asia and into North America.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Empire extended from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea on the south, from the Baltic Sea on the west to the Pacific Ocean and into North America on the east. With 125.6 million subjects registered by the 1897 census, it had the third largest population of the world at the time, after Qing China and the British Empire. Like all empires, it represented a large disparity in economic, ethnic and religious positions. Its government, ruled by the Emperor, was the last absolute monarchy in Europe at the time of its demise.
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Sanandaj
Sanandaj (Persian: سنندج, also Romanized as Sinandij; also known as Senna (Persian: سِنَّ or سِنِّه), also Romanized as Senneh and Sinneh) is a city in and the capital of Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 311,446, in 81,380 families.
The economy of Sanandaj is based upon the production of carpets, processed hides and skins, milled rice, refined sugar, woodworking, cotton weaving, metalware and cutlery. The main landmark of Sanandaj is a fortress dating back to the period of Abbasid rule.
The population of Sanandaj is mainly Kurdish, there is an Armenian minority.
Temperatures in Sanandaj range from -8.2 to 35.1 (Celsius). Rainfall varies from 6.0 to 270.0 (mm/month). The average seasonal temperature in Sanandaj is 15.20 C in spring, 25.20 C in summer, 10.40 C in autumn and 1.60 C in winter. In a study , the maximum absolute temperature was found to be 44 C, the minimum absolute -31 C, and the average annual temperature 13.10 C. The average relative humidity was 69% at 06:30 hours and 38% at 12:30 hours. The average annual rainfall was 497.3 mm and the maximum daily, 61 mm. The average number of frosty days was 111.4; and the maximum number of hours of sunshine over the entire year 2,786.2.
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Soviet Union
The Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, tr. Sovetsky Soyuz), officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR; Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик, tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik; IPA: [sɐˈjus sɐˈvʲetskʲɪx sətsɨəlʲɪˈstʲitɕɪskʲɪx rʲɪsˈpublʲɪk] ( listen); abbreviated СССР, SSSR), was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.
The Soviet Union was a single-party state ruled by the Communist Party from its foundation until 1990. A union of 15 subnational Soviet republics, the Soviet state was structured under a highly centralized government and economy.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused the downfall of the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, there was a struggle for power between the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, and the anti-communist White movement. In December 1922, the Bolsheviks won the civil war, and the Soviet Union was formed with the merger of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
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Sweden
Sweden (i/ˈswiːdən/ SWEE-dən; Swedish: Sverige [ˈsværjɛ] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund.
At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.4 million. Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54 /sq mi) with the population mostly concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city.
Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, the country expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire. The empire grew to be one of the great powers of Europe in the 17th and early 18th century. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, practicing "non-participation in military alliances during peacetime and neutrality during wartime". However, Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995 and is a member of the OECD.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (German: die Schweiz[ˈʃvaɪts]; French: Suisse [sɥis(ə)]; Italian: Svizzera [ˈzvit͡sːɛra]; Romansh: Svizra [ˈʒviːtsrɐ] or [ˈʒviːtsʁːɐ]), in its full name the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.
The Swiss Confederation has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. It pursues, however, an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. Switzerland is also the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to a large number of international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Area – although it is notably not a member of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area.
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Syria
Syria (/ˈsɪriə/ ( listen) SIRR-ee-ə; Arabic: سورية Sūriyya or سوريا Sūryā; Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܐ; Kurdish: Sûrî), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية al-Jumhūriyyah al-‘Arabīyah as-Sūriyyah Arabic pronunciation (help·info)), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
In English, the name Syria was formerly synonymous with the Levant, known in Arabic as Sham, while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third millennium BC. In the Islamic era, its capital city, Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate, and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.
The population of Syria is 74% Sunni, 12% Alawi, 10% Christian, and 3% Druze. Combined, 87% of the Syrian population is Muslim, while the other 10% is Christian, which includes mainly Arab Christians but also Assyrians and Armenians. Major ethnic minorities in Syria include Kurds (9%), Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmens and Circassians. The majority of the population is Arab (90%).
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Syrian Desert
The Syrian Desert (Arabic: بادية الشام, bādiyat ash-shām), also known as the Syro-Arabian desert is a combination of steppe and true desert that is located in the northern Arabian Peninsula covering 200,000 square miles (over 500,000 square kilometers). The desert is very rocky and flat.
The Syrian desert is part of the Al-Hamad, which covers portions of Syria, Iraq, Jordan,and Saudi Arabia. Its border on the west is the Orontes Valley, and its border on the east is the Euphrates. In the north, the desert gives way to the more fertile areas of grass. In the south, it runs into the deserts of the southern Arabian Peninsula. Many mini-deserts exist in the Syrian Desert such as Palmyra. Damascus is located on an oasis. The desert's remarkable landscape was formed by lava flows from the volcanic region of the Jebel Druze in southern Syria. The Syrian Desert is the origin of the Syrian hamster.
The desert was historically inhabited by bedouin tribes, and many tribes still remain in the region, their members living mainly in towns and settlements built near oases. Some bedouin still maintain their traditional way of life in the desert. Safaitic inscriptions, proto-Arabic texts written by literate bedouin, are found throughout the Syrian Desert. These date approximately from the 1st century B.C. to the 4th century A.D.
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Tabriz
Tabriz (Persian/Azerbaijani:تبریز) ( pronunciation (help·info)) is the fifth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quru River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former capitals, and residence of the crown prince under the Qajar dynasty. The city has proven extremely influential in the country’s recent history. Tabriz is located in a valley to the north of the long ridge of the volcanic cone of Sahand, south of the Eynali mountain. The valley opens out into a plain that slopes gently down to the northern end of Lake Urmia, 60 km to the west. With cold winters and temperate summers the city is considered a summer resort.
The estimated population of the city is around 1,400,000 based on results of the Iranian census bureau. Tabriz is the fourth most populous city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, and Esfahan, and is also a major Iranian heavy industrial and manufacturing center. Some of these industries include automobile, machine tools, oil and petrochemical and cement production.
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Tigris
The Tigris River (/ˈtaɪɡrɪs/; Arabic: دجله) is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.
The Tigris is 1,850 km long, rising in the Taurus Mountains of eastern Turkey about 25 km southeast of the city of Elazig and about 30 km from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for 400 km through Turkish territory before becoming the border between Syria and Turkey. This stretch of 44 km is the only part of the river that is located in Syria. The remaining 1,418 km are entirely within the Iraqi borders.
The Tigris unites with the Euphrates near Basra, and from this junction to the Persian Gulf the mass of moving water is known as the Shatt-al-Arab. According to Pliny and other ancient historians, the Euphrates originally had its outlet into the sea separate from that of the Tigris.
Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, stands on the banks of the Tigris. The port city of Basra straddles the Shatt al-Arab. In ancient times, many of the great cities of Mesopotamia stood on or near the Tigris, drawing water from it to irrigate the civilization of the Sumerians. Notable Tigris-side cities included Nineveh, Ctesiphon, and Seleucia, while the city of Lagash was irrigated by the Tigris via a canal dug around 2400 BC.
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Turkey
Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( Türkiye Cumhuriyeti (help·info)), is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia (mostly in the Anatolian peninsula) and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between East Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. The vast majority of the population are Muslims. The country's official language is Turkish, whereas Kurdish and Zazaki languages are spoken by Kurds and Zazas, who constitute 18% of the population.
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Turkmen Sahra
Turkmen Sahra (Persian/Turkmeni: ترکمن صحرا) that means Plain of Turkmens, is a region in the northeast of Iran near the Caspian Sea, bordering Turkmenistan, the majority of whose inhabitants are ethnic Turkmen. The biggest city is Gorgan which is dominated by Persian inhabitants though in recent years there has been immigration of Turkmen and Zabuli from southern Iran. Other cities of Turkmensahra are Gonbad called Kummet in Turkmen, Aqqala (Ak Qala), Kalaleh (Kelalal) and Gomishan (Kumushdepe), meaning the "silvery hill" in Turkmen, and Bandar Torkaman (Bender .]]Turkmen), generally just called Bandar. Bandar Torkaman should not be confused with Bandar Gaz which is also a city in Turkmensahra but inhabited by Persians. There were according to Ethnologue over 2 million Turkmens in Turkmensahra in 1997; according to the opposition of Iran of Turkmen origin there are 3 million Turkmens, but these figures are disputed.
Turkmens today in Turkmensahra live fairly modern lifestyles although the effects of religion and the Muslim way of life are visible. The economy is based on industry even if agriculture still plays a great role in some Turkmens' life, like in other places of Iran. The professions among Turkmens shows the pattern of a modern economy even if there are still some shortcomings due to lack of funding from the central authorities. The economic potential of Turkmensahra is big since a vast amount of oil was discovered early in the 1930. But since there was a deal with the Soviet Union that there would be no oil extraction from Turkmensahra there is not a oil industry at the moment.
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Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan (i/tɜrkˈmɛnɨstæn/ or i/tɜrkmɛnɨˈstɑːn/; Turkmen: Türkmenistan), formerly also known as Turkmenia (Russian: Туркмения), is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR). Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, Uzbekistan to the east and northeast, Kazakhstan to the north and northwest and the Caspian Sea to the west.
Turkmenistan's GDP growth rate of 11% in 2010[update] ranks 4th in the world, but these figures are subject to wide margins of error. It possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas resources. Although it is wealthy in natural resources in certain areas, most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sand) Desert.
The Turkmen government operates as a single-party system. Turkmenistan was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov (called "Türkmenbaşy" — "leader of the Turkmens") until his sudden death on 21 December 2006. Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov was elected the new president on 11 February 2007.
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Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr (Arabic: أم قصر, also transliterated as : Um-qasir, Um-qasser), is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is separated from the border of Kuwait by a small inlet. A bridge across the waterway linked the port with Kuwait prior to the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Umm Qasr was originally a small fishing town, but was used as a military port on several occasions before advancing trades and jobs by building a deep-water port on the coast. It was said to have been the site of Alexander the Great's landing in Mesopotamia in 325 BC. During the Second World War a temporary port was established there by the Allies to unload supplies to dispatch to the Soviet Union. It fell back into obscurity after the war, but the government of King Faisal II sought to establish a permanent port there in the 1950s.
After the Iraqi Revolution of 1958, a naval base was established at Umm Qasr. The port was subsequently founded in 1961 by the Iraqi ruler General Abdul-Karim Qassem. It was intended to serve as Iraq's only "deep water" port, reducing the country's dependence on the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway that marks the border with Iran. The port facilities were built by a consortium of companies from West Germany, Sweden and Lebanon, with a railway line connecting it to Basra and Baghdad. The port opened for business in July 1967.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Vienna
Vienna ( /viːˈɛnə/; German: Wien (help·info) [viːn]) is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million (2.4 million within the metropolitan area, more than 25% of Austria's population), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 9th-largest city by population in the European Union. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was the largest German speaking city in the world, and before the first world war and the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian empire the city had 2 million inhabitants. Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations and OPEC. The city lies in the east of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region. Along with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains (Arabic: جبال زغروس, Aramaic: ܛܘܪ ܙܪܓܣ, Kurdish: زنجیرهچیاکانی زاگرۆس, Lurish: کو یه لی زاگروس, Persian: رشته كوه زاگرس) are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq. With a total length of 1,500 km (932 mi), from northwestern Iran, and roughly correlating with Iran's western border, the Zagros range spans the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau and ends at the Strait of Hormuz. The highest points in the Zagros Mountains are Zard Kuh-bakhtiari and Dena. The Hazaran massif in the Kerman province of Iran forms an eastern outlier of the range, the Jebal Barez reaching into Sistan.
The Zagros fold and thrust belt was formed by collision of two tectonic plates — the Eurasian and Arabian Plates. Recent GPS measurements in Iran have shown that this collision is still active and the resulting deformation is distributed non-uniformly in the country, mainly taken up in the major mountain belts like Alborz and Zagros. A relatively dense GPS network which covered the Zagros in the Iranian part also proves a high rate of deformation within the Zagros. The GPS results show that the current rate of shortening in SE Zagros is ~10 mm/yr and ~5mm/yr in the NW Zagros. The NS strike-slip Kazerun fault divides the Zagros into two distinct zones of deformation. The GPS results also show different shortening directions along the belt, i.e. normal shortening in the South-East and oblique shortening in the NW Zagros.
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Şırnak
Şırnak (Kurdish: Shernakh or Şernex) is a town in southeastern Turkey. It is the capital of Şırnak Province, a new province that split from the Hakkari province. The Habur border gate with Iraq which is one of Turkey's main links to Middle Eastern countries is also on Şırnak.
It is believed that the settlement was originally called "Sehr-i Nuh" (the city of Noah) since it was near Cudi Mountain where Noah's Ark finally landed after the Flood. The original name later transformed into "Sernah".[citation needed]
During the Guti Empire's reign in the region, a special inscription style called "civi zend" was invented. Mount Cudi, surrounded by other mountains to the east and northeast and plains to the west and southwest has a unique place in history. It is the mountain on which Noah's Ark is believed to have landed. One of its peaks, at over 2000 meters, is "Noah's Visit" (some Islamic scholars argue that Noah landed on Cudi mountain).
Other historical assets of Şırnak include a rock carving from the Assyrians describing a figure on horseback (in Meseici village near Kasrik Pass); other rock carvings dating back to the Neolithic Age which corresponds to 7000 BC (in Beytüşşebap); fortresses of Kale, Meme Kale and Kaletivuru; bridges of the Kasrik Pass which reflect the art stone working in the time of Seljuks; and Virgin Mary Church in Cizre (not to be confused with the one in Ephesus).
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Albanians in Kosovo
Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo . According to the 1991 Serbian census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population. By the estimation in year 2000, there were between 1,584,000 and 1,733,600 Albanians in Kosovo or 88% of population, as of today their population is over 92%. Albanians in Kosovo speak Gheg Albanian, more specifically the Northern and Northeastern Gheg variants.
Kosovar Albanians are ethnic Albanians with of Kosovan ancestry or descent, regardless of whether they live in Kosovo. A large Kosovan diaspora has formed since the Kosovo War, mostly in Germany and Switzerland. An estimated 500,000 Kosovar Albanians live in either Switzerland or Germany (about 300,000 in Germany and 200,000 in Switzerland), accounting for roughly one fifth of the total number of Kosovar Albanians.
According to the 1991 census, Albanians were a majority in 23 of the 29 present municipalities of Kosovo (in the remaining 6 municipalities, the majority was Serb or Gorani).
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Ali
Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب, Transliteration: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, [ʕaliː ibn ʔæbiː t̪ˤɑːlib]; 13thRajab, 24 BH–21stRamaḍān, 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661). The son of Abu Talib, Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of Islamic prophet Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam.Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun (rightly guided Caliphs), while Shias regard Ali as the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful successors to Muhammad, all of which are members of the Ahl al-Bayt, the household of Muhammad. This disagreement split the Ummah (Muslim community) into the Sunni and Shia branches.
Muslim sources, especially Shia ones, state that since Muhammad's time, Ali was the only person born in the Kaaba sanctuary in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. His father was Abu Talib and his mother was Fatima bint Asad, but he was raised in the household of Muhammad, who himself was raised by Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, and Ali's father. When Muhammad reported receiving a divine revelation, Ali was the first male to accept his message, dedicating his life to the cause of Islam.
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Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians (Armenian: հայեր, Armenian pronunciation: [hɑˈjɛɾ]) are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.
The largest concentration is in Armenia, having a nearly homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian. Because of wide-ranging and long-lasting diaspora, an estimated total of 3 million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry live outside of Armenia. As a result of the Armenian Genocide, a large number of survivors fled to many countries throughout the world, most notably the Russian Empire, the Near East, the United States, France, Iran, Georgia and other parts of Europe (see Armenian diaspora).
Christianity began to spread in Armenia soon after Jesus's death, due to the efforts of two of his apostles, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew In the early 4th century, the Kingdom of Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Most Armenians adhere to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a non-Chalcedonian church, which is also the world's oldest national church.
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Aryan
Aryan /ˈɛərjən/ is an English language loanword derived from the Sanskrit ārya ('Noble'). In present-day academia, the terms "Indo-Iranian" and "Indo-European" have, according to many, made most uses of the term 'Aryan' minimal, and 'Aryan' is now mostly limited to its appearance in the term "Indo-Aryan" to represent (speakers of) North, West and Central Indian languages.
Western notions of an "Aryan race" rose to prominence in late-19th and early-20th century racialist thought, an idea most notably embraced by Nazi ideology (see master race). The Nazis believed that the "Nordic peoples" (who were also referred to as the "Germanic peoples") represent an ideal and "pure race" that was the purest representation of the original racial stock of those who were then called the Proto-Aryans. The Nazis declared that the Nordics were the true Aryans because they claimed that they were more "pure" (less racially mixed with non-native Indo-European peoples) than other people of what were then called the Aryan peoples (now generally called the Indo-European peoples).
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Assyrian people
The Assyrian people, most commonly known as Assyrians and other later names, such as: Chaldeans, Syrians, Syriacs (see names of Syriac Christians), are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia. They are Eastern Aramaic speaking Semites who trace their ancestry back to the Sumero-Akkadian civilisation that emerged in Mesopotamia circa 4000- 3500 BC, and in particular to the northern region of the Akkadian lands, which would become known as Assyria by the 24th Century BC. The Assyrian nation existed as an independent state, and often a powerful empire, from the 24th century BC until the end of the 7th century BC.
Today that ancient territory is part of several nations; Assyria remained a Geo-political entity after its fall, and was ruled as an occupied province under the rule of various empires from the late 7th century BC until the mid 7th century AD when it was dissolved, and the Assyrian people have gradually become a minority in their homelands since that time. They are indigenous to, and have traditionally lived all over what is now Iraq, north east Syria, north west Iran, and Southeastern Turkey. They are predominantly Christian.
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Assyrians in Iran
Assyrians in Iran (Persian: آشوریان در ایران) was a thriving community, but was diminished from around 200,000 prior to the Islamic Revolution in Iran to a mere 50,000.
In addition to Assyrian communities found in major urban centers such as Tehran, there are also Assyrian villages in the area of Urmia in northern Iran. [2]
Assyrians are a Semitic people who speak Syriac an Aramaic dialect and are Eastern Rite Christians. They are the descendants of the ancient Mesopotamians.
Assyrians are entitled to one reserved seat in the Iranian Parliament, that was procured by George Malek-Yonan. The seat is currently occupied by Yonathan Betkolia (elected in 2000, reelected in 2004).
There were about 200,000 Assyrians in Iran at the time of the 1976 census. Many emigrated after the revolution in 1979, but at least 50,000 were estimated still to be living in Iran in 1987.
Assyrians have a long history in Iran. During the Neo Assyrian Empire (911-608 BC), much of western Iran (including Media, Persia, Elam and Gutium) was subject to Assyria. After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Assyria was ruled by Persia from 539 BC. Assyrians have possibly existed in north western Iran for many thousands of years.
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Austria
Austria (i/ˈɒstriə/ or /ˈɔːstriə/; German: Österreich [ˈøːstɐˌʁaɪç] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country of roughly 8.47 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,855 square kilometres (32,377 sq mi) and has a temperate and alpine climate. Austria's terrain is highly mountainous due to the presence of the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 metres (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 metres (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speak local Austro-Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Burgenland Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when the vast majority of the country was a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and, in response to the coronation of Napoleon I as the Emperor of the French, the Austrian Empire was officially proclaimed in 1804. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary.
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Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis ( /ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːni/; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycanlılar, Азәрбајҹанлылар, آذربایجانلیلار ) or Azarbaijanis are Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighboring states, Georgia, Russia (Dagestan) and formerly Armenia. Also referred to as Azeris or Azaris (Azərilər, Азәриләр, آذریلر ) or Azerbaijani Turks (Azərbaycan türkləri), they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to the Iranian plateau. The Azerbaijanis are predominantly Shi'a Muslim and have a mixed cultural heritage including Turkic, Iranic and Caucasian elements.
Following the Russo-Persian Wars of 1813 and 1828, the territories of the Qajar Persian Empire in the Caucasus were ceded to the Russian Empire and the treaties of Gulistan in 1813 and Turkmenchay in 1828 finalized the borders between Czarist Russia and Qajar Iran. The formation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 established the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Despite living on two sides of an international border, the Azeris form a single ethnic group. However, northerners and southerners differ due to nearly two centuries of separate social evolution in Iranian Azerbaijan and Russian/Soviet-influenced Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani language unifies Azerbaijanis, and is mutually intelligible with Turkmen, Qashqai, Gagauz and Anatolian Turkish (including the dialects spoken by the Iraqi Turkmen), all of which belong to the Oghuz, or Western, group of Turkic languages.
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Bahman Ghobadi
Bahman Ghobadi (Persian: بهمن قبادی, Kurdish: بههمهن قوبادی) is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Ghobadi belongs to the so called "new wave" of Iranian cinema.
He was born in Baneh, a northwestern Kurdistan Province of Iran. His family moved to Sanandaj in 1981. Ghobadi received a Bachelor of Arts in film directing from Iran Broadcasting College. After a brief career in industrial photography, Ghobadi began making short 8 mm films. His documentary Life In Fog won numerous awards. Bahman Ghobadi was assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami's The Wind Will Carry Us.[citation needed]
Bahman Ghobadi founded Mij Film in 2000, a company with the aim of production of films in Iran about its different ethnic groups. His first feature film was A Time for Drunken Horses (2000), the first Kurdish film produced in Iran.[who?] The film won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His second feature was Marooned in Iraq (2002), which brought him the Gold Plaque from the Chicago International Film Festival. His third feature, Turtles Can Fly, followed in 2004, winning the Glass Bear and Peace Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.[citation needed]
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Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch (Balochi: بلوچ) are an ethnic group who mainly inhabit the Balochistan region in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia.
The Baluch people mainly speak Baluchi, which is a branch of the Iranian languages, and more specifically of the North-western Iranian languages, that is highly influenced by that of Mesopotamia and shares similarities with Kurdish and other languages of the region. It also contains archaic features reminiscent of Old Persian and Avestan. They inhabit mountainous terrains and deserts, and maintain a very distinct cultural identity. The Baloch-speaking population worldwide is estimated to be in the range of 10 to 15 million.[citation needed] However, the exact number of Baloch and those who are or claim to be of Baloch ancestry is difficult to determine. In the Punjab province of Pakistan almost 10% of peoples are Balochi.[citation needed] Most of them speak Saraiki but in the Jhang area of Punjab, the majority of the Baloch population speak Punjabi also.[citation needed]
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Buyid dynasty
The Buyid dynasty, also known as the Buyid Empire or the Buyids (Persian: آل بویه Āl-e Buye), also known as Buwaihids, Buyahids, or Buyyids, were a Shī‘ah Iranian dynasty that originated from Daylaman in Gilan. They founded a confederation that controlled most of modern-day Iran and Iraq in the 10th and 11th centuries.
The founders of the Būyid confederation were ‘Alī ibn Būyah and his two younger brothers, al-Hassan and Aḥmad. Originally a soldier in the service of the Ziyārīds of Ṭabaristān, ‘Alī was able to recruit an army to defeat a Turkish general from Baghdad named Yaqut in 934. Over the next nine years the three brothers gained control of the remainder of the 'Abbāsid Caliphate. While they accepted the titular authority of the caliph in Baghdad, the Būyid rulers assumed effective control of the state.
The first several decades of the Būyid confederation were characterized by large territorial gains. In addition to Fars and Jibal, which were conquered in the 930s, and central Iraq, which submitted in 945, the Būyids took Kermān (967), Oman (967), the Jazīra (979), Ṭabaristān (980), and Gorgan (981). After this, however, the Būyids went into a slow decline, with pieces of the confederation gradually breaking off and local dynasties under their rule becoming de facto independent.
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Chopy Fatah
Chopy Fatah [Kurdish:Çopî Fetah / چۆپی فەتاح] more commonly known as Chopy is a contemporary Kurdish singer. She was born in Kirkuk, Iraq in 1983 and her family emigrated to The Netherlands in 1988. She released her first album titled Çît Naw Binêm in 2003
After emigrating to the Netherlands, she joined a choir school in 1990 and also attended a music school in 1996 where she focused on singing under the supervision of her teachers. In 1999, she attended the Kurdish Music Academy in Germany where she studied under the supervision of the Kurdish music teacher Mr.Wirya Ahmad. She performed on stage for the first time in The Hague, The Netherlands in 2000. She also participated for the first time in a TV-program titled Shanisheen on MedyaTV. Her first CD (Çît Naw Binêm) was released under supervision of Mr.Burhan Mofti in 2003. In 2007, she released her second CD titled Nawit Denem Zino and in 2010 she released her third CD titled Crystal. Her last CD with the name Şara was released in 2011 and was named after her mother.
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Feleknas Uca
Feleknas Uca (born 17 September 1976) is a German Die Linke politician of Kurdish ancestry. From 1999 to 2009 she was member of the European Parliament from Germany. Feleknas Uca was at one time the world's only Yazidi parliamentarian until the Iraqi legislature was elected in 2005.
Feleknas Uca was born in Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany to an immigrant Kurdish family originally from Turkey. She graduated from Comprehensive School in Celle before taking an apprenticeship as a doctor's assistant, and completed her Abitur by distance learning.
In 1999, aged 22, she was elected to the European Parliament fifth of six places on the Party of Democratic Socialism national list. In the 5th European Parliament (1999-2004), she sat on the Parliament's committees on Culture, Education and the Media and Equal Opportunities. She maintained close links with far left groups in Turkey and, in particular, Kurdish nationalist groups. She was a member of the EU-Turkey joint parliamentary committee. In the PDS' selection of candidates for elections to the 6th European Parliament (2004-2009), Uca slipped to seventh place on the PDS national list, putting her seat under severe pressure. However, in the elections, the PDS secured a slightly increased share of the vote and she was returned in the last successful place.
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Gilaki people
The Gilaki people (in Gilaki: گیلک) are an Iranian people whose homeland is the Gilan Province in northwest Iran. They are also found in the eastward neighboring province of Mazandaran. Along with the Mazandarani people, the Gilaki comprise one of the Caspian people, inhabiting the southern coastal region of the Caspian Sea. They speak the Gilaki language, which is closely related to Mazandarani. Gilaki is not a dialect of Persian, but it shares many words with it as well as with Kurdish. The Mazandarani people call their language Geleki or Gilaki but more recently call it Mazani or Mazandarani from the name of their province. ^ a b c d e f g C.S. Coon, "Iran:Demography and Ethnography" in Encycloapedia of Islam, Volme IV, E.J. Brill, pp 10,8. Excerpt: "The Lurs speak an aberrant form of Archaic Persian" See maps also on page 10 for distribution of Persian languages and dialect ^ a b c Kathryn M. Coughlin, "Muslim cultures today: a reference guide," Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. pg 89: "...Iranians speak Persian or a Persian dialect such as Gilaki or Mazandarani"
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Iranian Armenians
Iranian-Armenians (Armenian: Իրանահայ Iranahye), sometimes called Persian-Armenians (Պարսկահայ Parskahye), are Iranian citizens of Armenian or both Iranian and Armenian origin. Their number is about 3,000,000. They mostly live in Tehran and Jolfa district, Isfahan. The Iranian-Armenians were very influential and active in the modernization of Iran during the 19th and 20th centuries. After the Iranian Revolution, many Armenians immigrated to Armenian diasporic communities in North America and Western Europe.Today the Armenians are Iran's largest Christian religious minority. Despite their cultural Armenian identity in Iran, no sizeable numbers of Iranian-Armenians hold Armenian citizenship.
Since Antiquity there has always been much interaction between Ancient Armenia and Persia (Iran).
On the Behistun inscription of 515 BC, Darius the Great indirectly confirmed that Urartu and Armenia are synonymous when describing his conquests. Armenia became a satrap of the Persian Empire for a long period of time. Regardless, relations between Armenians and Persians were cordial.
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Iranian Georgians
Iranian Georgians are an ethnic group living in Iran. Today's Georgia was a subject to the Safavid empire in 17th century and Shah Abbas I relocated communities of Christian, Muslim, and Georgian Jews as part of his programs to develop industrial economy, strengthen the military and populate newly built towns in various places in Iran including the provinces of Isfahan and Mazandaran. The Georgian community of Fereydunshahr have retained their distinct Georgian identity until this day, while adopting aspects of Iranian culture such as Persian language, and Twelver Shia Islam.
The first compact Georgian settlements appeared in Iran in the 1610s when Shah Abbas I relocated thousands from their historical homeland, eastern Georgian provinces of Kakheti and Kartli. Most of modern-day Iranian Georgians are their descendants thoug h subsequent waves of deportations also occurred throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The Georgian deportees were settled by the Shah's government into the scarcely populated lands which were quickly made by their new inhabitants into the lively agricultural areas. Many of these new settlements were given Georgian names, reflecting the toponyms found in Georgia. During the Safavid era, Georgia became so politically and somewhat culturally intertwined with Iran that Georgians almost replaced the Qezelbash among the Safavid officials.
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Iranian languages
The Iranian languages (also called Iranic languages) form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn are a subgroup of the Indo-European language family. The speakers of Iranian languages are known as Iranian peoples.
The Iranian languages are considered in three stages of Old (until 400 BCE), Middle (400 BCE – 900 CE), and New (since 900 CE). From the Old Iranian languages the better understood and recorded ones are Old Persian (a language of Achaemenid Iran) and Avestan (the language of Zarathushtra). Middle Iranian languages included Middle Persian (a language of Sassanid Iran) and Parthian (a language of Arsacid Iran). There are many Iranian languages, the largest amongst them are Persian, Pashto, Kurdish, and Balochi.
Today, there are an estimated 150–200 million native speakers of Iranian languages. The Ethnologue lists 87 Iranian languages.Persian has about 65 million native speakers, Pashto about 50 million, Kurdish about 18 million, Balochi about 7 million, and Lurish about 2.3 million.
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Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples (Iranic peoples) are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group that comprise the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of the Indo-European-speaking peoples. Their historical areas of settlement were on the Iranian plateau, and comprised most of Iran and certain areas of Central Asia such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and most of Afghanistan, some parts of western Pakistan, northern Iraq and eastern Turkey, and scattered parts of the Caucasus Mountains. Their current distribution spreads across the Iranian plateau, and stretches from Pakistan's Indus River in the east to eastern Turkey in the west, and from Central Asia and the Caucasus in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south – a region that is sometimes called the Iranian cultural continent, or Greater Persia by scholars, and represents the extent of the Iranian languages and influence of the Persian People, through the geopolitical reach of the Persian empire.
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Iraqi people
The Iraqi people (Arabic: العراقيون ʿIrāqīyūn, Kurdish: گهلی عیراق Îraqîyan, Aramaic: ܥܡܐ ܥܝܪܩܝܐ ʿIrāqāyā) or Mesopotamian people (Arabic: شعب بلاد ما بين النهرين) are the native inhabitants of the country of Iraq, (also known as Mesopotamia), and their related diaspora. From late Assyrian and Babylonian times until the early Islamic era, the Iraqi people spoke Aramaic but also witnessed a minority Arab presence.
Arabic had been a minority language in Iraq since the 8th century BC, it was spoken in Hatra in the 1st and 2nd centuries, and by Iraqi Christians in Al-Hirah from the 3rd century, and from the 8th century following the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia it became the common language of Iraqi Muslims, due to Arabic being the language of the Qur'an and the Caliphate. This change was facilitated by the fact that Arabic being a Semitic language, shared a close resemblance to Iraq's traditional languages of Akkadian and Aramaic. Some of Iraq's Christians and Mandaeans retained dialects of Aramaic, since it remained the liturgical language of their faiths. Kurdish-speaking Iraqis live in the mountainous Zagros region of northeast Iraq to the east of the upper Tigris. The Kurds and Arabs of Mesopotamia have interacted and intermarried for well over a millennium. Modern genetic studies indicate that Iraqi Arabs and Kurds are very closely related. Arabic and Kurdish are Iraq's national languages.
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Ismail I
Ismail I (July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil (Persian: شاه اسماعیل; full name: Abū l-Muzaffar bin Haydar as-Safavī), was a Shah of Azerbaijan (1501), Shah of Iran (1502) and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an Twelver Shia militant religious order and unified all of Iran by 1509. Born in Ardabil in Northwestern Iran, he reigned as Shah Ismail I of Iran from 1502 to 1524.
Ismail played a key role in the rise of Twelver Islam; he converted Iran from Sunni and Ismaili Shi'i Islam, importing religious authorities from the Levant. In Alevism, Shah Ismail remains revered as a spiritual guide.
Ismail was also a prolific poet who, under the pen name Khatā'ī ("Sinner") contributed greatly to the literary development of the Azerbaijani language.
Ismail was born to Martha and Shaykh Haydar on July 17, 1487 in Ardabil. His father, Haydar, was the sheikh of the Safaviyya Sufi order and a direct descendant of its founder, Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). Ismail was the last in line of hereditary Grand Masters of the Safaviyah Sufi order, prior to his ascent to a ruling dynasty. As a boy only a year old, he lost his father, the leader of a growing Qizilbash Shi'i community in Azerbaijan, who died in battle. His mother, Martha, was the daughter of Uzun Hasan by his Pontic Greek wife Theodora, better known as Despina Khatun. Theodora was the daughter of Emperor John IV of Trebizond. (She had married Uzun Hassan in a deal to protect Trebizond from the Ottomans.) Ismail grew up bilingual, speaking Persian and Azeri.
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Jakob Künzler
Jakob Künzler (March 8, 1871 – January 15, 1949) was a Swiss who resided in an oriental mission in Urfa and who witnessed the Armenian Genocide.
Born in Hundwil, Switzerland, he worked in the canton Appenzell and made a living as a carpenter. Afterwards he was trained in Basel as an evangelist deacon (Krankenpfleger). In 1899 he traveled to Urfa in Turkey, where he found his own place to work. He continued to study medicine until he became an independent operating surgeon, and later in 1905 he married Elizabeth Bender, daughter of a Christian missionary and granddaughter of an Ethiopian princess.
From 1915 to 1917 Künzler became an eyewitness to the Armenian Genocide, the subject of his 1921 book In the Land of Blood and Tears. Despite mortal danger he helped provide, when he could, for thousands of Armenian orphans and resumed his hospital enterprise in Urfa.
He was a Swiss pharmacist who had remained in Turkey serving the sick and wounded, non-Muslims and Muslims alike, in a hospital in Urfa who documented accounts of massacres of various Armenian labor battalion companies.
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Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani (Sorani: جەلال تاڵەبانی Celal Tallebanî, Arabic: جلال طالباني Jalāl Ṭālabānī; born November 12, 1933) is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was of partial Kurdish heritage.
Talabani is the founder and secretary general of one of the main Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). He was a prominent member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council, which was established following the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Talabani has been an advocate for Kurdish rights and democracy in Iraq for more than 50 years.
Talabani was born in 1933 in Talaban Village and descends from the Talabani tribe that has produced many leading social figures[citation needed]. He received his elementary and intermediate school education in Koya (Koysanjak) and his high school education in Erbil and Kirkuk. In the late 1950s Mustafa Barzani sent him to Syria to study law. He is fluent in Kurdish and Arabic and has working knowledge in Persian with Kurdish accent and English. His youngest son, Qubad, is the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government in the United States. Talabani is a member of the Socialist International.
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Kurdish Christians
Kurdish Christians (Kurdish: Kurdên Xirîstî) are Kurds who follow Christianity and mostly live in the Kurdistan region. The word Xirîstî is derived from the Greek words χριστιανός (khristianos) and χριστιανή (khristiani). The Arabic word Mesîhî is also sometimes used. Kurdish Christians should not be confused with other historical Christian communities living in the area such as the Assyrians, Armenians or Georgians. The total number of Kurdish Christians today is uncertain but is probably in the tens of thousands, most of them living in Turkey.
According to a legend, Mar Saba succeeded in converting some sun-worshipping Kurds to Christianity in the fifth century. According to Coptic documents, the earliest Christian missionary works among the Kurds are attributed to St. Andrew .
Most Kurds converted to Islam after the Arab conquest of the Sassanid Empire. However, there were Kurdish converts to Christianity even after the spread of Islam. In the ninth century, a Kurd named Nasr or Narseh converted to Christianity, and changed his name to Theophobos during the reign of Emperor Theophilus and was the emperor's intimate friend and commander for many years. During the same period, the Kurdish prince Ibn-ad-Dahhak, who possessed the fortress of al-Jafary, abandoned Islam for Orthodox Christianity. In return, the Byzantines had given him extensive lands and a fortress. He was eventually executed with his entire family during a summer raid by Thamal, the Arab governor of Tarsus, in 927.
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Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds (Kurdish: کورد Kurd), are an Iranic people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. They speak the Kurdish language, which is a member of the Iranian branch of Indo-European languages. The Kurds number about 30 million, the majority living in the Middle East, with significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey, in Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Russia, Lebanon and, in recent decades, some European countries and the United States. The Kurds are an indigenous ethnic minority in countries where the Kurdistan region is located, although they have enjoyed partial autonomy in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991. An irredentist movement pushes for the creation of a Kurdish nation state.
The exact origins of the name, "Kurd", are unclear. Reynolds believes that the term Kurd is most likely related to the ancient term Qardu. The common root of Kurd and Qardu is first mentioned in a Sumerian tablet from the third millennium B.C. as the "land of Kar-da." Qardu is etymologically related to the Assyrian term Urartu corresponding to Ararat. According to Asatrian, the most reasonable explanation of this ethnonym is its possible connections with the Cyrtii (Cyrtaei)
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Kurdish women
Kurdish women (Kurdish: Jinên/Afiretên Kurd) have traditionally played important roles in Kurdish history, society and politics.
Sharaf ad-Din Bitlisi's 1597 Sharafnāma mentions three Kurdish women assuming power in Kurdish principalities. Evliya Çelebi also noted that Kurdish women did occasionally assume power in Kurdistan and Ottoman authorities accepted the succession in those principalities by a female ruler.
In the late 19th century, Lady Halima of Hakari was the ruler of Bash Kala until she was forced to surrender to the Ottoman government after the suppression of Bedir Khan revolt in 1847. A young Kurdish woman named Fatma became chief of the Ezdinan tribe in 1909 and she was known among her tribe as the queen. During the World War I, Russian forces negotiated their safe passage through tribal territory with Lady Maryam of the famous Nehri family, who according to Basile Nikitine, wielded great authority among her followers. Lady Adela, ruler of Halabja, exerted great influence in the affairs of Jaf tribe in the Shahrazur plain on the Turco-Iranian frontier. The revival of commerce and restoration of law and order in the region of Halabja is attributed to her sound judgement.
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Kurds in Georgia
In the 20th century, most Kurds fled religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire. The Kurds in Georgia mainly live in the capital of Tbilisi, and Rustavi. In Georgia, Kurds enjoy a higher standard of living than the Kurds in Turkey and the Kurds in Iran and they face no discrimination in Georgia, but the return of their Kurdish surnames needs efforts, says Kurdish activist in Georgia. The Kurds also have their own schools, school books and a printing press in Georgia. Illiteracy among them disappeared in the early 1900s. According to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees rapport from 1998, about 80% of the Kurdish population in Georgia are Yazidi Kurds. Kurds in Georgia are politically neutral, however in 1999, they staged a huge demonstration in Tbilisi, demanding the release of the founder of Kurdistan Workers' Party, Abdullah Ocalan. Kurds in Georgia use Cyrillic. Earlier in the 1920s, they used the Latin script.
The first Kurds came to Georgia, during the reign of George III in the 12th century. Kurdish tribes appeared in Georgia in the 16th century, in the city of Mtskheta. During the 18th century Kurds arrived to Tbilisi, to get assistance from King Erekle II of the Kingdom of Kakheti during the Kurdish liberation in Turkey. When Russia and Iran signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Kurds got the opportunity to work in Georgia. Most Kurds exiled from Van and Kars to Georgia in 1918, after Turkey oppressed them politically and religiously. Kurds of Georgia also became victims of Stalin’s purges in 1944. Between 1979 and 1989, the Kurdish population in Georgia increased with 30 %. When Georgia became independent, the Kurdish population in Georgia reduced.
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Leyla Zana
Leyla Zana (born May 3, 1961 in Silvan, Diyarbakır Province), is a Kurdish politician, who was imprisoned for 10 years for her political activism, which was ambiguously deemed by the Turkish courts to be against the unity of the country. When she was a member of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, she was banned from joining any political party for five years with the Constitutional Court's decision to ban this party. She has been elected as an independent member of parliament for Diyarbakır by the support of Peace and Democracy Party.
She was awarded the 1995 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, but was unable to collect it until her release in 2004. She was also awarded the Rafto Prize in 1994 after being recognized by the Rafto Foundation for being incarcerated for her peaceful struggle for the human rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey and the neighbouring countries.
She was born in May 1961, in Silvan, Diyarbakır Province, in the southeast of Turkey. When she was 14 years old, she was married to Mehdi Zana who was the mayor of Diyarbakır until the military coup d'état and a political prisoner after it.
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Lurs
Lurs (also Lors, Lori/Persian:لُر) are an Iranic people living mainly in south-western Iran. Their population is estimated at above four million. They occupy Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kuh-Gilu-Boir Ahmed provinces.
The Lur people mostly speak Lori, a Southwestern Iranian language, closely related to Persian. "Luri and Bakhtiari are much more closely related to Persian, than Kurdish."
Ethnologists classify the Lurs as aboriginal Persians.[citation needed] Their language forms a dialect of Persian and does not differ materially from Persian.[citation needed]
Lori dialects, which are divided into two main groups:
Lurs are a mixture of aboriginal Indo-Iranian tribes, originating from Central Asia.
"The Lurs are thought to be a division of the ancient Kurds, both tribes being considered true descendants of the Medes."
The area traditionally known as Luristan is divided into two regions. Greater Lur, and Lesser Lur.
Greater Lur includes ChaharMahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and parts of western Isfahan province, Fars province Mamasani County and Rostam and northwest of Khuzestan province. This region was in Middle Ages ruled by a group known as Hazaraspids.
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Mandaeans
Mandaeism or Mandaeanism (Modern Mandaic: Mandaʻiūtā (מנדעיותא); Arabic: مندائية Mandāʼīyah/Mandāʾiyyah; Persian: مندائیان Mandâ'iyân) is a gnostic religion[citation needed] (Aramaic manda means "knowledge", as does Greek gnosis) with a strongly dualistic worldview.
Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, Shem, Aram and especially John the Baptist, but reject Jesus of Nazareth and are hostile to Christianity. They are sometimes identified with mentions in the Quran of the Sabian religion, particularly in an Arabian context, but the Sabian religious community is extinct today.
According to most scholars, Mandaeans migrated from the Southern Levant to Mesopotamia in the first centuries CE and are certainly of pre-Arab and pre-Islamic origin. They are Semites and speak a dialect of Eastern Aramaic known as Mandaic. They may well be related to the "Nabateans of Iraq" who were pagan, Aramaic speaking indigenous pre-Arab and pre-Islamic inhabitants of southern Iraq.
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Massoud Barzani
Massoud Barzani (Kurdish: مەسعوود بارزانی; Arabic: مسعود بارزاني; born 16 August 1946) is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad. He has five sons (including Masrour) and three daughters.
Massoud Barzani succeeded his father, the former Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani, as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1979. Working closely with his brother Idriss Barzani until Idriss' death, Barzani and various other Kurdish groups fought Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq War. For much of this time, the Kurdish leadership was exiled to Iran.
With Saddam Hussein's defeat in the first Gulf War, Kurdish forces were able to retake much of the traditional homeland of the Kurds in Iraq. However, as Iraqi forces regrouped they pushed the Kurdish fighters back and hundreds of thousands of civilians fled to the mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, where thousands died under heavy fire from Iraqi gunships and many more succumbed to starvation and exposure. United States-led allies started Operation Provide Comfort to establish a safe zone within Iraq. This zone, protected by a no-fly zone, eventually developed into an autonomous Kurdish zone under the control of the two dominant Kurdish political parties, the KDP led by Massoud Barzani and the PUK led by Jalal Talabani. This zone incorporated most of the three governorates of Duhok, Hewler, and Silemani.
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Medes
The Medes (/midz/) (from Old Persian Māda-) were an ancient Iranian people who lived in Iran in an area known as Media and spoke a northwestern Iranian language referred to as the Median language. Their arrival to the region is associated with the first wave of Iranian tribes in the late second millennium BCE (the Bronze Age collapse) through the beginning of the first millennium BCE.
In the 7th century BCE a unified Median state was formed which together with Babylonia, Lydia, and Egypt became one of the four major powers of the ancient Near East. An alliance with the Babylonians helped the Medes to capture Nineveh in 612 BCE which resulted in the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The Medes were subsequently able to establish their Median kingdom (with Ecbatana as their royal centre) beyond their original homeland (central-western Iran) and had eventually a territory stretching roughly from northeastern Iran to the Halys River in Anatolia. The Median kingdom was conquered in 550 BCE by Cyrus the Great who established the next Iranian dynasty—the Achaemenid Empire.
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Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani (Kurdish: Mistefa Barzani) (March 14, 1903 – March 1, 1979) also known as Mullah Mustafa was a Kurdish nationalist leader, and the most prominent political figure in the modern Kurdish politics. In 1946 he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to lead the Kurdish revolution against Iraqi regimes. Barzani was the primary political and military leader of the Kurdish revolution until his death in March 1979. He led campaigns of armed struggle against both the Iraqi and Iranian governments.
Mustafa Barzani was born in 1903 in Barzan, a village in northern Iraqi Kurdistan, (then part of the Ottoman Empire). Following an insurrection launched by his tribe, he was moved along with his mother and the rest of his family in to jail, when Barzani was only at the age of 5 years. His father, grandfather, and a brother were later executed by the Ottoman authorities for other insurrections. At an early age he joined other tribal fighters in aiding Sheikh Barzinji's revolt against the British in Iraq.
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Nizami Ganjavi
Nizami Ganjavi (Persian: نظامی گنجوی; Kurdish: Nîzamî Gencewî, نیزامی گهنجهوی, Nezāmi-ye Ganjavi; Azerbaijani: Nizami Gəncəvi, نظامی گنجوی; 1141 to 1209), Nizami Ganje'i,Nizami, or Nezāmi (Persian: نظامی), whose formal name was Niẓām ad-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Ilyās ibn-Yūsuf ibn-Zakkī, was a 12th-century Persian poet. Nezāmi is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated and shared by Afghanistan,Azerbaijan,Iran,Kurdistan region and Tajikistan.
His personal name was Ilyas and his chosen pen-name was Nezami (also spelled as Nizami and Neẓāmi). He was born of an urban background in Ganja (Great Seljuq empire now present-day Azerbaijan) and is believed to have spent his whole life in South Caucasus. According to De Blois, Ganja was a city which at that time had predominantly an Iranian population. The Armenian historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi (Ca. 1200-1271) mentions that: "This city was densely populated with Iranians and a small number of Christians".
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Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire.
The name "Parthia" is a continuation from Latin Parthia, from Old Persian Parthava, which was the Parthian language self-designator signifying "of the Parthians" who were an Iranian people.
Parthia roughly corresponds to the western half of Khorasan region in northeastern Iran. It was bordered by the Kopet Dag mountain range in the north and the Dasht-e-Kavir desert in the south. It bordered Media on the west, Hyrcania on the north west, Margiana on the north east, and Aria on the south east.
During Arsacid times, Parthia was united with Hyrcania as one administrative unit, and that region is therefore often (subject to context) considered a part of Parthia proper.
As the region inhabited by Parthians, Parthia first appears as a political entity in Achaemenid lists of governorates ("satrapies") under their dominion. Prior to this, the people of the region seem to have been subjects of the Medes, and 7th century BC Assyrian texts mention a country named Partakka or Partukka (though this "need not have coincided topographically with the later Parthia").
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Pascal Sebah
Pascal Sébah (1823-1886) was an Ottoman pioneer photographer who worked in Istanbul. He was born in Istanbul to a Syrian Catholic father and an Armenian mother. In 1857 he opened his first photography studio in Istanbul and by 1873 was successful enough to open another studio in Cairo. After he died in 1886, the studio was managed by his brother Cosmi until Pascal's son, Jean, joined him in 1888.
Michelle L. Woodward, "Between Orientalist Clichés and Images of Modernization: Photographic Practice in the Late Ottoman Era," History of Photography, Winter 2003, Vol. 27, No. 4.
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Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians. The synonymous usage of Iranian and Persian has persisted over the centuries although some modern Western sources use Iranic/Iranian as a wider term that includes the term Persian as well as related Iranian languages and ethnic groups. However, these terms have been used both synonymously as well as in a complementary fashion since ancient times; as the Ancient Iranian peoples such as the Old Persians, Medes, Bactrians, Parthians and Avesta peoples considered themselves to be part of the greater Iranian ethnic stock.
The term Persian translates to "from or of Persis" which is a region north of the Persian Gulf located in Pars, Iran. It was from this region that Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid empire, united all other Iranian empires (such as the Medes and the Elamites), and expanded the Persian cultural and social influences by incorporating the Babylonian empire, and the Lydian empire. Although not the first Iranian empire, the Achaemenid empire is the first Persian empire well recognized by Greek and Persian historians for its massive cultural, military and social influences going as far as Athens, Egypt, and Libya.
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Qashqai people
Qashqai (pronounced [qaʃqaːʔiː]; also spelled Ghashghai, Ghashghay, Gashgai, Gashgay, Kashkai , Qashqay, Qashqa'i and Qashqai: قشقایی) are a semi-nomadic Turkic people who mainly live in the provinces of Fars, Khuzestan and southern Isfahan, especially around the city of Shiraz in Fars. They are bilingual and speak the Persian language and the Qashqai language which is a member of the Turkic family of languages. The Qashqai were originally nomadic pastoralists and some remain so today. The traditional nomadic Qashqai travelled with their flocks each year from the summer highland pastures north of Shiraz roughly 480 km or 300 mi south to the winter pastures on lower (and warmer) lands near the Persian Gulf, to the southwest of Shiraz. The majority, however, have now become partially or wholly sedentary. The trend towards settlement has been increasing markedly since the 1960s.
The Qashqai are made up of a number of tribes and sub-tribes including the Amalaeh, Darreh-Shuri, Kashkuli, Shesh(6) Baluki, Farsimadan, Qaracheh, Rahimi and Safi -Khani.
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Qazi Muhammad
Qazi Muhammad (Kurdish قازی محهمهد or Qazî Mihemmed) (1893–1947) was a nationalist and religious Kurdish leader and the Head of the Republic of Kurdistan, (Republic of Mahabad) the second modern Kurdish state in the Middle East (after the Republic of Ararat).
Qazi Muhammad acted as the President of the Soviet backed Republic of Mahabad, in Kurdistan of Iran, (Eastern Kurdistan) in 1946. He was also the founder of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, the PDKI, that was established after the need for a more transparent party was felt by its adherents. (Komeley Jiyanewey Kurd existed prior to that, as a secret organization). Mustafa Barzani, the father of the nationalist Kurdish movement in Iraqi Kurdistan (Southern Kurdistan), was also the commander of its army. His cousin Mohammed Hossein Saif Qazi was a minister in his cabinet. A year later, after the Soviets withdrew from Iran, the Kurdish Republic was crushed by Iran's central government. The Iranian military court sentenced Qazi and some of his associates to death, and he was hanged in Chwarchira Square, in the center of the city of Mahabad, on March 30, 1947.
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Roya Toloui
Roya Toloui (born August 29, 1965 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province, Iran) is a prominent Kurdish-Iranian journalist, human rights activist and feminist, currently residing in the US. She was born in Baneh in western Iran. She received her high school diploma at Baneh and studied pathology at the University of Mashhad.
She was the editor-in-chief of Rasan (Rising up), a Kurdish monthly magazine about women's issues. Three issues of the magazine were published in Sanandaj in spring and summer of 2005 until it was closed down in the summer of 2005 by the Iranian judiciary. She is the founder of the Association of the Kurdish Women Supporting Peace in Kurdistan. She is also a member of the Kurdish PEN.
Due to her outspoken criticism of authorities as well as defence of the rights of Kurdish and Iranian women, she was tried in a Revolutionary Court in April 2005 and was accused of endangering national security.
Following demonstrations in Kurdish inhabited areas of western Iran, she was arrested on 2 August 2005, and held in prison for 66 days until freed on bail in October 2005. Her case of imprisonment was highlighted in the International PEN's Day of the Imprisoned Writer on November 2005. After her release, she fled Iran for Turkey and finally she sought refuge in the United States in April 2006.
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Ruhollah Khomeini
Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (روحاللّه مصطفوی موسوی خمینی, Persian pronunciation: [ruːholˈlɑːhe muːsæˈviːje xomeiˈniː], 22 or 24 September 1902 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. Following the revolution, Khomeini became the country's Supreme Leader — a position created in the constitution as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation – until his death.
Khomeini was a marja ("source of emulation") in Twelver Shi'a Islam, author of more than forty books, but is primarily known for his political activities. He spent more than 15 years in exile for his opposition to the last Shah. In his writings and preachings he expanded the Shi'a Usuli theory of velayat-e faqih, the "guardianship of the jurisconsult (clerical authority)" to include theocratic political rule by the Islamic jurists. This principle (though not known to the wider public before the revolution) was installed in the new Iranian constitution after being put to a referendum.
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Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي Ṣaddām Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Maǧīd al-Tikrītī; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, which espoused ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism, Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup, later referred to as the 17 July Revolution, that brought the party to long-term power of Iraq.
As vice president under the ailing General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and at a time when many groups were considered capable of overthrowing the government, Saddam created security forces through which he tightly controlled conflict between the government and the armed forces. In the early 1970s, Saddam nationalized oil and other industries. The state-owned banks were put under his control, leaving the system eventually insolvent mostly due to the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and UN sanctions. Through the 1970s, Saddam cemented his authority over the apparatuses of government as oil money helped Iraq's economy to grow at a rapid pace. Positions of power in the country were filled with Sunnis, a minority that made up only a fifth of the population.
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Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (Arabic: صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب, Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, Kurdish: سهلاحهدین ئهیوبی, Selah'edînê Eyubî) (ca. 1138 – March 4, 1193), better known in the Western world as Saladin, was a KurdishMuslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant. At the height of his power, his sultanate included Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Hejaz, Yemen, and parts of North Africa.
Under his personal leadership, his forces defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin, leading the way to his re-capture of Palestine, which had been seized from the Fatimid Egyptians by the Crusaders 88 years earlier. Though the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem would continue to exist for a period, its defeat at Hattin marked a turning point in its conflict with the Muslims and Arabs. As such, Saladin is a prominent figure in Kurdish, Arab, and Muslim culture. Saladin was a strict adherent of Sunni Islam. His noble and chivalrous behavior was noted by Christian chroniclers, especially in the accounts of the Siege of Kerak, and despite being the nemesis of the Crusaders, he won the respect of many of them, including Richard the Lionheart; rather than becoming a hated figure in Europe, he became a celebrated example of the principles of chivalry.
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Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina) (Ottoman Turkish: سليم اوّل, Modern Turkish: I.Selim), nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" (October 10, 1465/1466/1470 – September 22, 1520), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. His reign is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516-1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of Sham, Hejaz, and Egypt itself. With the heart of the Arab World now under their control, the Ottomans became the dominant power in the region, and in the Islamic world. Upon conquering Egypt, Selim took the title of Caliph of Islam, being the first Ottoman sultan to do so. He was also granted the title of "Khâdim ül Haramain ish Sharifain" (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), by the Sharif of Mecca in 1517.
Selim's reign represented a sudden change in the expansion policy of the empire, which was working mostly against the West and the Beyliks before his reign. On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned almost 1 billion acres (trebling during Selim's reign).
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Sharaf Khan Bidlisi
Sharaf Khan Bidlisi or Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi, (Kurdish: شەرەفخانی بەدلیسی, Şerefxanê Bedlîsî ), (Persian: شرفخان بدلیسی) was a medieval Kurdish Emir and a politician from the Emirate of Bitlis.
But he is more known as a historian, writer and poet who wrote exclusively in Persian and Kurdish. Born in the Garmrood village, in the Principality of Bitlis, at a young age he was send to the Safavid's court and obtained his education there.
He is the author of one of the most important works on Medieval Kurdish history written in 1597, Sharafnama. He created a good picture of Kurdish life and Kurdish dynasties in the 16th century in his works. Outside Iran and Kurdish speaking countries, Sharaf Khan Bidlisi has had an impact on Kurdish literature and societies through the translation of his works by other scholars.
He was also a gifted artist, and a well educated man excelling as much in mathematics and military strategy, as he did in history.
Sharaf Khan Bidlisi was born in February 25, 1543, in the Principality of Bitlis, son of Shamsaddin Batlisi, in the Garmrood village, during the exile of his father. The Rojaki dynasty, which had ruled intermittently as an independent emirate from their capital of Bitlis since at least the 9th century, and therefore, he never took up the common tribal title of “Khan”, preferring instead the royal title of emir or mir, “prince.” He was most commonly known as, Mir Sharaf (Prince Sharaf). Later his family was taken under protection of the Safavid dynasty. He was schooled at Tahmasb's court, and wrote in 1596:
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Shivan Qaderi
Shivan Qaderi (a.k.a. Sayed Kamal Astam, Sayed Kamal Astom, Shwane Qadri, or Sayed Kamal Asfaram, in Kurdish:(Şivan Qaderî) was an Iranian Kurd who with two other men were shot by Iranian security forces in Mahabad, on July 9, 2005. According to the claims of the opposition, the security forces then tied Qaderi's body to a Toyota jeep and dragged it through the streets[citation needed]. Iranian authorities confirmed that Qaderi, "who was on the run and wanted by the judiciary", was shot and killed while allegedly evading arrest. According to the Iranian sources he was a "criminal and smuggler" and according to the opposition groups he was an "opposition activist".
For the next six weeks, riots and protests erupted in Kurdish towns and villages throughout Western Iran such as Mahabad, Sanandaj, Sardasht, Piranshahr, Oshnavieh, Baneh, Bokan and Saqiz (and even inspiring protests in southwestern Iran and in Baluchistan in eastern Iran) with scores killed and injured[citation needed], and an untold number arrested without charge. The Iranian authorities also shut down several major Kurdish newspapers arresting reporters and editors. The Free life Party of Kurdistan PJAK that about 50.000 people had protested after his death on the Chuwarchira Square. ROJ TV alleges that after he was shot, Iranian soldiers tied Ghaderi’s body "to a military vehicle and dragged it through the city in a clear attempt to intimidate the population and deter further protests."
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Simko Shikak
Simko Shikak also Ismail Agha Shikak (1887-1930), (known as Simitquh by to the Iranian historians and media, which is just a garbling of his given name, "Ismail Agha," that is further garbled by Kurdish into "Simqoh" or "Simko")) was a Kurdish chieftain of the Shakak tribe. He was born into a prominent Kurdish feudal family based in Chihriq castle located near Baranduz river in Urmia region in northwestern Iran. By 1920 parts of Iranian Azerbaijan located west of Lake Urmia were under his control. He led Kurdish farmers into battle and defeated the Iranian army on several occasions. The Iranian government had him assassinated in 1930.Simko took part in the massacre of the Assyrians of Khoy and instigated the massacre of 1000 Assyrians in Salmas.
His family was one of the most prominent and politically active Kurdish families throughout Qajar reign from the late 18th to early 20th century. Sadiq Khan Shikak was one of the generals and governors in the Agha Muhammad Khan's early Qajar state and was commanding a force of 10,000 soldiers. However, he was soon fell out of favor and Qajar monarch attempted to murder him. Sadiq Khan has been accused of taking part in the assassination of Qajar king in the town of Shusha in 1797. Among other prominent members of the family are Ismail Khan The Great and his son Ali Khan, Muhammad Pasha son of Ali Khan, Cewer (Ja'afar) Agha brother of Simko. Many members of the family were murdered by the Qajar state such as Cewer(Dja'far) Agha who was killed at Tabriz by the order of governor general.
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Sultan Sahak
Sultan Sahak, or Soltân Sahak (Persian: سلطان سهاک, ) (born 14th century - died 15th century) was a religious leader who founded the secret and syncretistic religion of the Ahl-e Haqq, also known as the Yârsân. He is considered to be the manifestation of the total divine essence by the Ahl-e Haqq. According to the Ahl-e Haqq hagigography, the Asian conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) once met with Sultan and used him as an oracle.
Sultan Sahak was born in Barzanjeh, which is in the province of present day Sulaymania, Kurdistan Region. According to the Ahl-e Haqq hagiography, he was a direct descendant of the Shia Islamic Imam Musa Kazim. His father, Shaykh Isi, was a religious leader and his mother, Khatun-e Razbar, is considered the manifestation of one of the seven archangels. As with Jesus, the birth of Sultan is also believed to have been a case of virgin birth. According to his followers he revealed the fourth stage of the religion (Haqiqat=truth) to earth, the Bayabas-e Pirdiwari (beyond the bridge). Sultan Sahak's teachings were recorded by his disciples and later published in the Gurani language as the Kalam-e Saranjam. He is given various names by the followers of the Ahl-e Haqq, including Shah-e Haqiqat (the King of Truth), Saheb-Karam, Saan Sahaak and Khwaavandekaar (Lord).
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Talysh people
Talysh (also Talishi, Taleshi or Talyshi) are an Iranian people indigenous to a region shared between Azerbaijan and Iran which spans the South Caucasus and the southwestern shore of the Caspian Sea. They speak the Talysh language, one of the Northwestern Iranian languages. It is spoken in the northern regions of the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Ardabil and the southern parts of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Northern Talysh (the part in the Republic of Azerbaijan) was historically known as Talish-i Gushtasbi. In Iran there is a Talesh County in Gilan. Anthropologically they belong to the Balkan-Caucasian type of the European race
The Talishis generally identify themselves with the ancient Cadusians, who inhabited the area to the southwest of Caspian Sea, bounded on the north by Kura River, including modern provinces of Ardabil and Zanjan. The name Talishi may be etymologically related to Cadusi, which has influenced the name of the Caspian and Caucasus.[citation needed]
Talysh has two major mutually intelligible dialects — Northern (in Azerbaijan and Iran), and Southern (in Iran). According to Ethnologue, Azerbaijani is used as literary language and speakers also use Azerbaijani.
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Timur
Timur (Turkish: Demir "iron", Persian: تمور Timūr, Chagatai: Temür "iron"; 8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), historically known as Tamerlane (from Persian: تيمور لنگ, Timūr-i Lang, Aksak Timur "Timur the Lame" in Turkish), was a Turkic, who conquered West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty. He was the grandfather of Ulugh Beg, who ruled Central Asia from 1411 to 1449, and the great-great-grandfather of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire, which ruled South Asia for centuries.
Timur envisioned the restoration of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. Unlike his predecessors Timur was also a devout Muslim and referred to himself as the Sword of Islam. His armies were inclusively multi-ethnic and multicultural. During his lifetime Timur would emerge as the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world after defeating the formidable Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire and the declining Sultanate of Delhi; Timur had also decisively defeated the Knights Hospitaler at Smyrna and since then referred to himself as a Ghazi. By the end of his reign Timur had also gained complete suzerainty over all the remnants of the Chagatai Khanate, Ilkhanate, Golden Horde and even the Yuan Khanate.
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Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" (Turkish: singular: Türk, plural: Türkler), are a nation and ethnic group primarily living in Turkey, and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities have been established in the Balkans, the island of Cyprus, the Levant, Meskhetia, and North Africa. The Turkish minorities are the second largest ethnic groups in Bulgaria and Cyprus. In addition, due to modern migration, a Turkish diaspora has been established, particularly in Western Europe (see Turks in Europe), where large communities have been formed in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. There are also Turkish communities living in Australia, the former Soviet Union and the United States.
Although Turkic languages may have been spoken as early as 600 BC, the name "Turk" first appeared in Chinese sources and derives from the term "Tujue" (T’u-chue), meaning "strong" or "powerful", which was used in the 6th century C.E. to refer to the Göktürks.
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Turkmen people
The Turkmen (Turkmen: Türkmen/Түркмен, plural Türkmenler/Түркменлер) are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, Syria, Iraq and North Caucasus (Stavropol Krai). They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai, Gagauz and Salar.
Originally, all Turkic tribes that were not part of the Turkic dynastic mythological system (for example, Uigurs, Karluks, Kalaches and a number of other tribes) were designated "Turkmens". Only later did this word come to refer to a specific ethnonym. The etymology of the term derives from Türk plus the Sogdian affix of similarity -myn ,-men, and means "resembling a Türk" or "co-Türk". A prominent Turkic scholar, Mahmud Kashgari, also mentions the etymology Türk manand (like Turks). The language and ethnicity of the Turkmen were much influenced by their migration to the west. Kashgari calls the Karluks Turkmen as well, but the first time the etymology Turkmen was used was by Makdisi in the second half of the 10th-century AD. Like Kashgari, he wrote that the Karluks and Oghuz Turks were called Turkmen. Some modern scholars have proposed that the element -man/-men acts as an intensifier, and have translated the word as "pure Turk" or "most Turk-like of the Turks". Among Muslim chroniclers such as Ibn Kathir the etymology was attributed to the mass conversion of two hundred thousand households in AH 349 (971 CE), causing them to be named Turk Iman, which is a combination of "Turk" and "Iman" إيمان (faith, belief), meaning "believing Turks", with the term later dropping the hard-to-pronounce hamza.
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Turkmen Sahra
Turkmen Sahra (Persian/Turkmeni: ترکمن صحرا) that means Plain of Turkmens, is a region in the northeast of Iran near the Caspian Sea, bordering Turkmenistan, the majority of whose inhabitants are ethnic Turkmen. The biggest city is Gorgan which is dominated by Persian inhabitants though in recent years there has been immigration of Turkmen and Zabuli from southern Iran. Other cities of Turkmensahra are Gonbad called Kummet in Turkmen, Aqqala (Ak Qala), Kalaleh (Kelalal) and Gomishan (Kumushdepe), meaning the "silvery hill" in Turkmen, and Bandar Torkaman (Bender .]]Turkmen), generally just called Bandar. Bandar Torkaman should not be confused with Bandar Gaz which is also a city in Turkmensahra but inhabited by Persians. There were according to Ethnologue over 2 million Turkmens in Turkmensahra in 1997; according to the opposition of Iran of Turkmen origin there are 3 million Turkmens, but these figures are disputed.
Turkmens today in Turkmensahra live fairly modern lifestyles although the effects of religion and the Muslim way of life are visible. The economy is based on industry even if agriculture still plays a great role in some Turkmens' life, like in other places of Iran. The professions among Turkmens shows the pattern of a modern economy even if there are still some shortcomings due to lack of funding from the central authorities. The economic potential of Turkmensahra is big since a vast amount of oil was discovered early in the 1930. But since there was a deal with the Soviet Union that there would be no oil extraction from Turkmensahra there is not a oil industry at the moment.
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Uzbeks
The Uzbeks (Oʻzbek, pl. Oʻzbeklar) are a major Turkic-speaking ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Smaller diaspora populations of Uzbeks from Central Asia, mainly from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, are also found in Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, North America, and Western Europe.
The origin of the name Uzbek remains disputed. One view holds that it is eponymously named after Uzbeg Khan. Another states that the name means independent or the lord itself, from Oʻz (self) and Bek/Bey/Beg (from the Turkic root meaning a noble title). However there is another theory that the pronunciation of Uz comes from one of the Oghuz Turks variously known as Uz or Uguz united with the word Bey or Bek to form uguz-bey, meaning "leader of an oguz".
Although Turko-Mongol infiltration into Central Asia had started early, as late as the 13th century AD when Turkic and Mongol armies finally conquered the entire region, the majority of Central Asia's peoples were Iranic peoples such as Sogdians, Bactrians and, more ancient, the Saka–Massagetae tribes. It is generally believed that these ancient Indo-European-speaking peoples were linguistically assimilated by smaller but dominant Turkic-speaking groups while the sedentary population finally adopted the Persian language, the traditional lingua franca of the eastern Islamic lands. The language-shift from Middle Iranian to Turkic and New Persian was predominantly the result of an elite dominance process. This process was dramatically boosted during the Mongol conquest when millions were either killed or pushed further south to the Pamir region.
wn.com/Uzbeks -
World War I
World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939 (World War II), and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war). These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of enormous increases in lethality of weapons, thanks to new technology, without corresponding improvements in protection or mobility. It was the sixth-deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.
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Xenophon
Xenophon (Ancient Greek: Ξενοφῶν, Xenophōn; c. 430 – 354 BC), son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates. He is known for his writings on the history of his own times, the 4th century BC, preserving the sayings of Socrates, and descriptions of life in ancient Greece and the Persian Empire.
Xenophon's birth date is uncertain, but most scholars agree that he was born around 431 BC near the city of Athens. Xenophon was born into the ranks of the upper classes, thus granting him access to certain privileges of the aristocracy of ancient Attica. While a young man, Xenophon participated in the expedition led by Cyrus the Younger against his older brother, king Artaxerxes II of Persia, in 401 BC. Xenophon writes that he had asked the veteran Socrates for advice on whether to go with Cyrus, and that Socrates referred him to the divinely inspired Delphic oracle. Xenophon's query to the oracle, however, was not whether or not to accept Cyrus' invitation, but "to which of the gods he must pray and do sacrifice, so that he might best accomplish his intended journey and return in safety, with good fortune". The oracle answered his question and told him to which gods to pray and sacrifice. When Xenophon returned to Athens and told Socrates of the oracle's advice, Socrates chastised him for asking so disingenuous a question.
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Yazidi
The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: ئێزیدی or Êzidî) are a Kurdish ethnoreligious group with Indo-Iranian roots. They currently live primarily in the Nineveh Province of northern Iraq. Additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria have been in decline since the 1990s, their members having emigrated to Europe, especially to Germany. Their religion, Yazidism, is a branch of Yazdânism, and is seen as a highly syncretic complex of local Kurdish beliefs that contains Zoroastrian elements and Islamic Sufi doctrine introduced to the area by Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir in the 12th century. The Yazidi believe in God as creator of the world, which he placed under the care of seven holy beings or angels, the chief of whom is Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel.
Historically, the Yazidi lived primarily in communities in what are now Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, and also had significant numbers in Armenia and Georgia. However, events since the 20th century have resulted in considerable demographic shift in these areas as well as mass emigration. As a result population estimates are unclear in many regions, and estimates of the size of the total population vary.
wn.com/Yazidi -
Yılmaz Güney
Yılmaz Güney, (born Yılmaz Pütün, 1 April 1937 – 9 September 1984) was a -Kurdishfilm director, scenarist, novelist and actor from Turkey. Many of his works are devoted to the plight of ordinary, working class people in Turkey.
Yılmaz Güney was born in 1937 in the Yenice county of Adana. His father was a Zaza-Kurd from Siverek, and his mother was a Kurmanci-Kurd from Varto, Turkey. His parents migrated to Adana to work as cotton field laborers. As a result of his family background young Yılmaz grew among the working class poor, which formed a strong background for his future works which generally focused on a realistic portrayal of down and out people in Turkey. Güney studied law and economics at the universities in Ankara and Istanbul, but by the age of 21 he found himself actively involved in film-making. As Yeşilçam, the Turkish studio system, grew in strength, a handful of directors, including Atıf Yılmaz, began to use the cinema as a means of addressing the problems of the people. Mostly, state-sanctioned melodramas, war films and play adaptations had previously played in Turkish theaters, but these new filmmakers began to fill the screens with more artistic, personal and relevant pictures of Turkish/Kurdish life. Yılmaz Güney was one of the most popular names to emerge from the Young Turkish Cinema, a gruff-looking young actor who earned the moniker "Çirkin Kral," ("the Ugly King") or (pasha nashrin) in Kurdish. After working as an apprentice screenwriter for and assistant to Atıf Yılmaz, Güney soon began appearing in as many as 20 films a year and became Turkey's one of the most popular actors.
wn.com/Yılmaz_Güney -
Zaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan, Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus, Sanliurfa, Sivas, and Tunceli provinces. Almost all speakers of the Zaza language consider themselves as Kurds and they are often counted as such by international statistics and surveys as part of the Kurdish people.
The exact number of Zaza Kurds is unknown, due to the absence of recent and extensive census analyses. The fact that some Zazas have mixed into other regional ethnic groups has also contributed to the uncertainty. Many Zazas live outside their homeland. Apart from widespread suppression and mass evacuation of villages, the economically miserable situation of the Zaza areas forces the local population to emigrate to Turkish or European cities. There are many Zazas living in major Turkish cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Moreover, the Zaza diaspora is spread across Europe (mainly in Germany) and beyond (United States, Canada, etc.) According to estimated figures, the Zaza population should be somewhere between 1 to 2 million.
wn.com/Zaza_people
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Origin of Ancient Iranian People - Kurdish, Persian, Scythian, Bactrian etc. (Documentary)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:21
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up of tribes who are defined as the Persians, the Medes, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Alans, the Cimmerians, and the Sarmatians. The Persian, Mede, Scythian, Parthian and Bactrian tribes populated the Iranian Plateau. The Alans, Cimmerians, Sarmatians and other Scythian tribes populated the steppe north of the Black Sea. Case of the Bronze Age by Carl C. Lamberg-Karlovsky: "Iranian people" belong to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) community which is ancestral to the Celtic, Italic (including Romance), Germanic, Baltic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Albanian, Armernian, Greek, and Tocharian languages. There is an agreement that the PIE community split into 2 major groups. One headed west for Europe and became speakers of Indo-European (all the languages of modern Europe save for Basque, Hungarian, and Finnish) while others headed east for Eurasia to become Indo-Iranians. The Indo-Iranians were a community that spoke a common language prior to their branching off into the Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages. Iranian refers to the languages of Iran (Persian, Laki, Gilaki, Luri etc. ), Pakistan (Baluch), Afghanistan (Pashto), Tadjikistan (Tadjik) etc. and Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit, Hindi and its many related languages. Iranian tribes during the Bronze Ages gave birth to various Kingdoms and Empires. They come from same culture, religion, language, and celebrated (still do) the same ...
http://wn.com/Origin_of_Ancient_Iranian_People_Kurdish,_Persian,_Scythian,_Bactrian_etc_Documentary
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up of tribes who are defined as the Persians, the Medes, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Alans, the Cimmerians, and the Sarmatians. The Persian, Mede, Scythian, Parthian and Bactrian tribes populated the Iranian Plateau. The Alans, Cimmerians, Sarmatians and other Scythian tribes populated the steppe north of the Black Sea. Case of the Bronze Age by Carl C. Lamberg-Karlovsky: "Iranian people" belong to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) community which is ancestral to the Celtic, Italic (including Romance), Germanic, Baltic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Albanian, Armernian, Greek, and Tocharian languages. There is an agreement that the PIE community split into 2 major groups. One headed west for Europe and became speakers of Indo-European (all the languages of modern Europe save for Basque, Hungarian, and Finnish) while others headed east for Eurasia to become Indo-Iranians. The Indo-Iranians were a community that spoke a common language prior to their branching off into the Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages. Iranian refers to the languages of Iran (Persian, Laki, Gilaki, Luri etc. ), Pakistan (Baluch), Afghanistan (Pashto), Tadjikistan (Tadjik) etc. and Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit, Hindi and its many related languages. Iranian tribes during the Bronze Ages gave birth to various Kingdoms and Empires. They come from same culture, religion, language, and celebrated (still do) the same ...
Kurdish folk music / Kurd u kurdistan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:46
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
Median / Medes Empire
http://wn.com/Kurdish_folk_music_Kurd_u_kurdistan
Kurdish Peshmerga on their way towards Kirkuk 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:40
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of Kurdistan, and it will remain that way. ;) Biji Peshmerga! Biji Kurdistan!
http://wn.com/Kurdish_Peshmerga_on_their_way_towards_Kirkuk_2012
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of Kurdistan, and it will remain that way. ;) Biji Peshmerga! Biji Kurdistan!
- published: 23 Feb 2013
- views: 48
- author: Zakaria Kurdish
Turkey-Iran bombed Kurdish villages/killing civilians in South - North Kurdistan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 34:14
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq and Iran, where Kurdish rebels are attacking the Iranian military, and in response Iran is shelling Iraqi territory, killing Kurdish civilians and forcing thousands of villagers from their homes. Deny against the Kurdish people, and destroy the enemy policy developed policy in contrast the Kurdish people, leads to resistance to the enemy!!! So who are the Kurds????? The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia. As old age will not be known. Where they live always Anatolia .. Sons Zagros ..the children of the Sun and fire: The Kurds Kurdistan is Hidden paradise of Adam and Eve, the most ancient peoples of the Middle East is a region extending from the Zagros mountains in the Taurus mountains and the people who speak a language of Indo-European language group. Their name based on a historical geography of Kurdistan, another definition could be called in the north of Mesopotamia. History of the Kurds in the history of resources leads to back 12000 years.... Mesopotamia at the stage of history before Christ, the many tribes of Kurdish origin appeared to be emerging research. For example, at the aforementioned names, Sumerian,Subaru, Kurti, Guti, Lullu,Hittit,Luwian, Kusin, Kassit, Manna, Urartu, Karduk, Cyrtii, Gordyene, Cord,Corduene, Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Gordyaia, Korduene, Korchayk,Girdiyan, Gutian Carduchoi, Sassanid,Kingdom of Kurdish Commagene (KomaGel), Kardakes,Sarmatians Alans ...
http://wn.com/Turkey-Iran_bombed_Kurdish_villages_killing_civilians_in_South_North_Kurdistan
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq and Iran, where Kurdish rebels are attacking the Iranian military, and in response Iran is shelling Iraqi territory, killing Kurdish civilians and forcing thousands of villagers from their homes. Deny against the Kurdish people, and destroy the enemy policy developed policy in contrast the Kurdish people, leads to resistance to the enemy!!! So who are the Kurds????? The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia. As old age will not be known. Where they live always Anatolia .. Sons Zagros ..the children of the Sun and fire: The Kurds Kurdistan is Hidden paradise of Adam and Eve, the most ancient peoples of the Middle East is a region extending from the Zagros mountains in the Taurus mountains and the people who speak a language of Indo-European language group. Their name based on a historical geography of Kurdistan, another definition could be called in the north of Mesopotamia. History of the Kurds in the history of resources leads to back 12000 years.... Mesopotamia at the stage of history before Christ, the many tribes of Kurdish origin appeared to be emerging research. For example, at the aforementioned names, Sumerian,Subaru, Kurti, Guti, Lullu,Hittit,Luwian, Kusin, Kassit, Manna, Urartu, Karduk, Cyrtii, Gordyene, Cord,Corduene, Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Gordyaia, Korduene, Korchayk,Girdiyan, Gutian Carduchoi, Sassanid,Kingdom of Kurdish Commagene (KomaGel), Kardakes,Sarmatians Alans ...
- published: 10 Apr 2012
- views: 8216
- author: Gutian Mitanni Hittite Medes
Syria - Kurdish Armed Forces in Afrin
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:26
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
kurdish armed forces . the people protecting units ( YPG ) in efrin syria
http://wn.com/Syria_Kurdish_Armed_Forces_in_Afrin
kurdish armed forces . the people protecting units ( YPG ) in efrin syria
- published: 02 Feb 2013
- views: 4480
- author: Kurdish Power
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:09
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
http://wn.com/Aryas_Javan_Charanos_New_Kurdish_Video_Clip_2012
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
- published: 07 May 2012
- views: 44014
- author: xandayak
Talk to Al Jazeera - Massoud Barzani: Flying the Kurdish flag
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 25:01
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
There are more than thirty million Kurds - most of them living in an overlapping area of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. It is said to be the biggest ethnic community in the world without a homeland. In some of the countries in which they live, they are prevented from speaking their language or obtaining citizenship. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, used chemical weapons against the Kurds, destroyed their villages and killed tens of thousands of them during his rule. The bodies are still being unearthed. The US encouraged them to rise up against Saddam when his forces were driven out of Kuwait in 1991 but then left them hanging. And thousands died fleeing to Turkey as refugees. But the no-fly zone that the US, British and French established to protect them from Saddam's attacks, allowed them to break away from Iraqi government authority, while remaining part of Iraq. Since 2003, the Kurdish region has become the most stable and prosperous part of Iraq, fuelled by oil and Turkish investment. And while relations with Turkey have improved, they have worsened with Baghdad - with disagreements over oil, land and politics that some fear could turn violent. Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, has emerged as a crucial player in Iraqi politics and as the leader of Kurdish aspirations in the region. He has warned that Iraq's Kurds could seek independence if they do not get what they need from Baghdad. And that his region will not be dragged down by the rest of Iraq. On ...
http://wn.com/Talk_to_Al_Jazeera_Massoud_Barzani_Flying_the_Kurdish_flag
There are more than thirty million Kurds - most of them living in an overlapping area of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. It is said to be the biggest ethnic community in the world without a homeland. In some of the countries in which they live, they are prevented from speaking their language or obtaining citizenship. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, used chemical weapons against the Kurds, destroyed their villages and killed tens of thousands of them during his rule. The bodies are still being unearthed. The US encouraged them to rise up against Saddam when his forces were driven out of Kuwait in 1991 but then left them hanging. And thousands died fleeing to Turkey as refugees. But the no-fly zone that the US, British and French established to protect them from Saddam's attacks, allowed them to break away from Iraqi government authority, while remaining part of Iraq. Since 2003, the Kurdish region has become the most stable and prosperous part of Iraq, fuelled by oil and Turkish investment. And while relations with Turkey have improved, they have worsened with Baghdad - with disagreements over oil, land and politics that some fear could turn violent. Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, has emerged as a crucial player in Iraqi politics and as the leader of Kurdish aspirations in the region. He has warned that Iraq's Kurds could seek independence if they do not get what they need from Baghdad. And that his region will not be dragged down by the rest of Iraq. On ...
- published: 28 Jul 2012
- views: 23121
- author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Kurdish wedding clip intro 2010
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:59
- Updated: 15 Jan 2013
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional Video Entity located at Nashville, TN. For further information or recording your occasions contact Babankurdi at (615) 968-9367 and Kamarankurdi (615) 397-1508. We hope like the video and feel free to send your comments and feedback to Komobanpro@gmail.com
http://wn.com/Kurdish_wedding_clip_intro_2010
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional Video Entity located at Nashville, TN. For further information or recording your occasions contact Babankurdi at (615) 968-9367 and Kamarankurdi (615) 397-1508. We hope like the video and feel free to send your comments and feedback to Komobanpro@gmail.com
- published: 02 Mar 2012
- views: 8473
- author: KamoBanVideoPro
Shadmehr Aghili - Halam Avaz Mishe OFFICIAL VIDEO HD With Kurdish Subtitle
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:36
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
gorani farsi zhernusi kurdi Shadmehr Aghili - Halam Avaz Mishe OFFICIAL VIDEO HD with Kurdish sub
http://wn.com/Shadmehr_Aghili_Halam_Avaz_Mishe_OFFICIAL_VIDEO_HD_With_Kurdish_Subtitle
gorani farsi zhernusi kurdi Shadmehr Aghili - Halam Avaz Mishe OFFICIAL VIDEO HD with Kurdish sub
- published: 10 Oct 2012
- views: 611
- author: Bayar Slemani
Kurds on March: Syria mayhem ramps up insurgency in Turkey
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:17
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to resolve the separatist crisis showing no signs of yielding results. And, as Irina Galushko reports, Turkey meddling in Syria may only embolden militants at home. RT LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT! www.youtube.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Follow us on Google+ plus.google.com RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.
http://wn.com/Kurds_on_March_Syria_mayhem_ramps_up_insurgency_in_Turkey
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to resolve the separatist crisis showing no signs of yielding results. And, as Irina Galushko reports, Turkey meddling in Syria may only embolden militants at home. RT LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT! www.youtube.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Follow us on Google+ plus.google.com RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.
- published: 13 Jan 2013
- views: 12075
- author: RussiaToday
BBCW three kurdish womens killed
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:18
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
Three Kurdish Activists Shot Dead in Paris
http://wn.com/BBCW_three_kurdish_womens_killed
Kurdish Rap LS - Tonight New Video 2013
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:27
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
LS - To Night New Video 2013
http://wn.com/Kurdish_Rap_LS_Tonight_New_Video_2013
Hamid Askari- Age Be To Nemiresam -sub titel kurdish
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:57
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
www.fb.com/GORANY.FARCI
http://wn.com/Hamid_Askari_Age_Be_To_Nemiresam_-sub_titel_kurdish
Harlem Shake Kurdish (The Original)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:30
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
Harlem Şhake Kurdish Köy Style Authentic Edition Camera: Nikon D3100 Please Subscribe!
http://wn.com/Harlem_Shake_Kurdish_The_Original
Harlem Şhake Kurdish Köy Style Authentic Edition Camera: Nikon D3100 Please Subscribe!
- published: 22 Feb 2013
- views: 12270
- author: RohatRoyal
Keca Deng xwesh - nalinek te guhe min - Kurdish Talent best Kurdish super star
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:10
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
MihoKurd.net http Keca Deng xwesh - Perwin Keca nugihshti
http://wn.com/Keca_Deng_xwesh_nalinek_te_guhe_min_Kurdish_Talent_best_Kurdish_super_star
MihoKurd.net http Keca Deng xwesh - Perwin Keca nugihshti
- published: 30 Sep 2012
- views: 24631
- author: MihoKurd
Med TV: Kurdên Qefqasya (2/4)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:00
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
Very rare Med TV documentary film about Yezidî Kurds in Azerbaijan.
http://wn.com/Med_TV_Kurdên_Qefqasya_2_4
Very rare Med TV documentary film about Yezidî Kurds in Azerbaijan.
- published: 14 Dec 2011
- views: 5067
- author: Wekhevxwaz
Talk to Al Jazeera - Murat Karayilan: Hoping for a Kurdish Spring
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 25:13
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
The chief of the PKK's armed wing explains the Kurdish role in Syria and the impact of the Arab Spring on the region.
http://wn.com/Talk_to_Al_Jazeera_Murat_Karayilan_Hoping_for_a_Kurdish_Spring
The chief of the PKK's armed wing explains the Kurdish role in Syria and the impact of the Arab Spring on the region.
- published: 13 Oct 2012
- views: 5765
- author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Awaya Shans- XFM Kurdish Radio
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:42
- Updated: 21 Feb 2013
www.facebook.com
http://wn.com/Awaya_Shans_XFM_Kurdish_Radio
Kurdish Resistance In North Kurdistan (Bakurê Kurdistan)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:52
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
HPG The Kurdish Guerilla Defense Forces
http://wn.com/Kurdish_Resistance_In_North_Kurdistan_Bakurê_Kurdistan
Kurdistan - Persian singer Moein معین & Jamshid - Erbil (Hawler) ***new***
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:08
- Updated: 11 Feb 2013
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took to the street to welcome Persian singer moin in Kurdistan and hundreds of Iranian people came from Iran to see him closely. Singer not allows singing in Iran. Because Iranian régime believes young people getting exciting by music and thats not allowed in Iran. Thats why Iranian people came to Kurdistan to enjoy moein and jamshid music. Since the revolution of 1978, Iran has been living under strict Islamic rule. One law that has been enforced on Iranian is banning the performance of western music in public. Jazz, rock, hip hop, heavy metal and more have been deemed forbidden by the government. Despite threats of imprisonment, whipping and other punishments, Tehran youth defy the ban and continue to create music in underground studios. Some who are good enough are signed up by record companies overseas and eventually leave Iran for more prosperous opportunities in the West. But some are adamant about staying in Iran and trying to build a music scene under the increasingly difficult conditions. It is illegal and punishable by death for a female to sing in public. Security is present to make sure the audience does not get 'over excited with the music. Singer not allows singing in Iran. ©Kurdistan united news agency reported
http://wn.com/Kurdistan_Persian_singer_Moein_معین_Jamshid_Erbil_Hawler_***new***
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took to the street to welcome Persian singer moin in Kurdistan and hundreds of Iranian people came from Iran to see him closely. Singer not allows singing in Iran. Because Iranian régime believes young people getting exciting by music and thats not allowed in Iran. Thats why Iranian people came to Kurdistan to enjoy moein and jamshid music. Since the revolution of 1978, Iran has been living under strict Islamic rule. One law that has been enforced on Iranian is banning the performance of western music in public. Jazz, rock, hip hop, heavy metal and more have been deemed forbidden by the government. Despite threats of imprisonment, whipping and other punishments, Tehran youth defy the ban and continue to create music in underground studios. Some who are good enough are signed up by record companies overseas and eventually leave Iran for more prosperous opportunities in the West. But some are adamant about staying in Iran and trying to build a music scene under the increasingly difficult conditions. It is illegal and punishable by death for a female to sing in public. Security is present to make sure the audience does not get 'over excited with the music. Singer not allows singing in Iran. ©Kurdistan united news agency reported
- published: 01 Oct 2009
- views: 87393
- author: BotinGundi
bo KURDISTAN KURDISH KURD SONG 2012 HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:59
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
http://wn.com/bo_KURDISTAN_KURDISH_KURD_SONG_2012_HD
Keca Deng xwesh "Dadê" - Kurdish Talent best - Strana Kurdî dibêje - Kurdish super star
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:25
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
Kurdish Talent best - Keca Kurd Strana Kurdî dibêje - Kurdish super star
http://wn.com/Keca_Deng_xwesh_Dadê_Kurdish_Talent_best_Strana_Kurdî_dibêje_Kurdish_super_star
Kurdish Talent best - Keca Kurd Strana Kurdî dibêje - Kurdish super star
- published: 02 Jul 2012
- views: 82240
- author: MihoKurd
HPG Kurdish Peoples Defence Force
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:59
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
http://wn.com/HPG_Kurdish_Peoples_Defence_Force
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Origin of Ancient Iranian People - Kurdish, Persian, Scythian, Bactrian etc. (Documentary)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:21
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up of tribes who are defined as the Persians, the Medes, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Alans, the Cimmerians, and the Sarmatians. The Persian, Mede, Scythian, Parthian and Bactrian tribes populated the Iranian Plateau. The Alans, Cimmerians, Sarmatians and other Scythian tribes populated the steppe north of the Black Sea. Case of the Bronze Age by Carl C. Lamberg-Karlovsky: "Iranian people" belong to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) community which is ancestral to the Celtic, Italic (including Romance), Germanic, Baltic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Albanian, Armernian, Greek, and Tocharian languages. There is an agreement that the PIE community split into 2 major groups. One headed west for Europe and became speakers of Indo-European (all the languages of modern Europe save for Basque, Hungarian, and Finnish) while others headed east for Eurasia to become Indo-Iranians. The Indo-Iranians were a community that spoke a common language prior to their branching off into the Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages. Iranian refers to the languages of Iran (Persian, Laki, Gilaki, Luri etc. ), Pakistan (Baluch), Afghanistan (Pashto), Tadjikistan (Tadjik) etc. and Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit, Hindi and its many related languages. Iranian tribes during the Bronze Ages gave birth to various Kingdoms and Empires. They come from same culture, religion, language, and celebrated (still do) the same ...
http://wn.com/Origin_of_Ancient_Iranian_People_Kurdish,_Persian,_Scythian,_Bactrian_etc_Documentary
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up of tribes who are defined as the Persians, the Medes, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Alans, the Cimmerians, and the Sarmatians. The Persian, Mede, Scythian, Parthian and Bactrian tribes populated the Iranian Plateau. The Alans, Cimmerians, Sarmatians and other Scythian tribes populated the steppe north of the Black Sea. Case of the Bronze Age by Carl C. Lamberg-Karlovsky: "Iranian people" belong to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) community which is ancestral to the Celtic, Italic (including Romance), Germanic, Baltic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Albanian, Armernian, Greek, and Tocharian languages. There is an agreement that the PIE community split into 2 major groups. One headed west for Europe and became speakers of Indo-European (all the languages of modern Europe save for Basque, Hungarian, and Finnish) while others headed east for Eurasia to become Indo-Iranians. The Indo-Iranians were a community that spoke a common language prior to their branching off into the Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages. Iranian refers to the languages of Iran (Persian, Laki, Gilaki, Luri etc. ), Pakistan (Baluch), Afghanistan (Pashto), Tadjikistan (Tadjik) etc. and Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit, Hindi and its many related languages. Iranian tribes during the Bronze Ages gave birth to various Kingdoms and Empires. They come from same culture, religion, language, and celebrated (still do) the same ...
- published: 25 Feb 2013
- views: 106
- author: Dustin Edward
Hewramî-Kurdish - Ciwanrro, Kurdistan (Javanroud) جوانرود \ جوانرو
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:12
- Updated: 11 Feb 2013
This is a song by Hewramî-Kurdish singer, Osman Hewramî. The footage is from the city of Ciwanrro (English pronunciation: Jwan-ro, also Javanroud) in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), showing the culture and traditions of the Kurdish people and the beautiful nature of Kurdistan.
http://wn.com/Hewramî-Kurdish_Ciwanrro,_Kurdistan_Javanroud_جوانرود_\_جوانرو
This is a song by Hewramî-Kurdish singer, Osman Hewramî. The footage is from the city of Ciwanrro (English pronunciation: Jwan-ro, also Javanroud) in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), showing the culture and traditions of the Kurdish people and the beautiful nature of Kurdistan.
- published: 15 Apr 2007
- views: 30910
- author: hevalo
Rezan (Kurdish Rapper) - Roj TV Interview - Part 1 (Pêşkeşvan: Sipan Xelat )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 15:44
- Updated: 16 Feb 2013
NEW MUSICVIDEO: www.youtube.com facebook.com
http://wn.com/Rezan_Kurdish_Rapper_Roj_TV_Interview_Part_1_Pêşkeşvan_Sipan_Xelat_
NEW MUSICVIDEO: www.youtube.com facebook.com
- published: 13 Jan 2012
- views: 14422
- author: REZAN HIPHOPAKURDI
Mam Jalal- an interview for history in February 1988
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:48
- Updated: 16 Feb 2013
I don't have any affiliation or intimacy for this man, but I want to talk about some cleverness of him as a Kurdish politician, so if you hate him please don't harass me with your rubbish comments. Jalal Talabani as known as Mam Jalal is a great Kurdish politician, commander, leader and founder of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and well-known for politic addressing, he passed hard stages of national revolution till he could be president of Iraq and replaced the person who said Forgiveness for all except Jalal Talabani He talks about right of self destination for every Kurd ones, and developing of Kurdish community, innovation of destructed cities and rural lands, growing agricultural units and promoting education process..etc beside the striving career for fulfilling Kurdish aims. He expects and talks about some events to be happened in the Kurdistan at the interview which were true therefore he deserves to say this man is clever, intelligent and has an intellectual personality however he isn't in desire of a part of Kurdish community in now , I said this for history without any affiliation or intimacy for PUK
http://wn.com/Mam_Jalal_an_interview_for_history_in_February_1988
I don't have any affiliation or intimacy for this man, but I want to talk about some cleverness of him as a Kurdish politician, so if you hate him please don't harass me with your rubbish comments. Jalal Talabani as known as Mam Jalal is a great Kurdish politician, commander, leader and founder of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and well-known for politic addressing, he passed hard stages of national revolution till he could be president of Iraq and replaced the person who said Forgiveness for all except Jalal Talabani He talks about right of self destination for every Kurd ones, and developing of Kurdish community, innovation of destructed cities and rural lands, growing agricultural units and promoting education process..etc beside the striving career for fulfilling Kurdish aims. He expects and talks about some events to be happened in the Kurdistan at the interview which were true therefore he deserves to say this man is clever, intelligent and has an intellectual personality however he isn't in desire of a part of Kurdish community in now , I said this for history without any affiliation or intimacy for PUK
- published: 23 Mar 2012
- views: 14090
- author: 525iM5X5
Kurds on March: Syria mayhem ramps up insurgency in Turkey
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:17
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to resolve the separatist crisis showing no signs of yielding results. And, as Irina Galushko reports, Turkey meddling in Syria may only embolden militants at home. RT LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT! www.youtube.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Follow us on Google+ plus.google.com RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.
http://wn.com/Kurds_on_March_Syria_mayhem_ramps_up_insurgency_in_Turkey
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to resolve the separatist crisis showing no signs of yielding results. And, as Irina Galushko reports, Turkey meddling in Syria may only embolden militants at home. RT LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT! www.youtube.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Follow us on Google+ plus.google.com RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.
- published: 13 Jan 2013
- views: 12075
- author: RussiaToday
Sivan Perwer - Kine Em - Greatest Kurdish Voice
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:25
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
www.facebook.com Şivan Perwer - Kine Em ! Kurdistan - 1991 Favorite this video for all your friends Please vote for this video Dive tu vî videoye deynî nav bijarêyên xwe. Bila hemû hevalên te bibînin. Bu video'nun tüm arkadaşlarınızca izlenmesini sağlayın, onu favorilerinize...
http://wn.com/Sivan_Perwer_Kine_Em_Greatest_Kurdish_Voice
www.facebook.com Şivan Perwer - Kine Em ! Kurdistan - 1991 Favorite this video for all your friends Please vote for this video Dive tu vî videoye deynî nav bijarêyên xwe. Bila hemû hevalên te bibînin. Bu video'nun tüm arkadaşlarınızca izlenmesini sağlayın, onu favorilerinize...
- published: 23 Feb 2007
- views: 1503851
- author: Siyabend Amed
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:09
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
http://wn.com/Aryas_Javan_Charanos_New_Kurdish_Video_Clip_2012
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
- published: 07 May 2012
- views: 44014
- author: xandayak
Kurdish Peshmerga on their way towards Kirkuk 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:40
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of Kurdistan, and it will remain that way. ;) Biji Peshmerga! Biji Kurdistan!
http://wn.com/Kurdish_Peshmerga_on_their_way_towards_Kirkuk_2012
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of Kurdistan, and it will remain that way. ;) Biji Peshmerga! Biji Kurdistan!
- published: 23 Feb 2013
- views: 48
- author: Zakaria Kurdish
Kurds Vote in USA 2010
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:19
- Updated: 02 Feb 2013
Kurds at Nashville, Atlanta and surrounding areas of Tennessee voting at the Iraqi Parliament Election on March 07, 2010
http://wn.com/Kurds_Vote_in_USA_2010
Kurds at Nashville, Atlanta and surrounding areas of Tennessee voting at the Iraqi Parliament Election on March 07, 2010
- published: 10 Mar 2010
- views: 9417
- author: JURIBOYKA
Turkey-Iran bombed Kurdish villages/killing civilians in South - North Kurdistan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 34:14
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq and Iran, where Kurdish rebels are attacking the Iranian military, and in response Iran is shelling Iraqi territory, killing Kurdish civilians and forcing thousands of villagers from their homes. Deny against the Kurdish people, and destroy the enemy policy developed policy in contrast the Kurdish people, leads to resistance to the enemy!!! So who are the Kurds????? The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia. As old age will not be known. Where they live always Anatolia .. Sons Zagros ..the children of the Sun and fire: The Kurds Kurdistan is Hidden paradise of Adam and Eve, the most ancient peoples of the Middle East is a region extending from the Zagros mountains in the Taurus mountains and the people who speak a language of Indo-European language group. Their name based on a historical geography of Kurdistan, another definition could be called in the north of Mesopotamia. History of the Kurds in the history of resources leads to back 12000 years.... Mesopotamia at the stage of history before Christ, the many tribes of Kurdish origin appeared to be emerging research. For example, at the aforementioned names, Sumerian,Subaru, Kurti, Guti, Lullu,Hittit,Luwian, Kusin, Kassit, Manna, Urartu, Karduk, Cyrtii, Gordyene, Cord,Corduene, Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Gordyaia, Korduene, Korchayk,Girdiyan, Gutian Carduchoi, Sassanid,Kingdom of Kurdish Commagene (KomaGel), Kardakes,Sarmatians Alans ...
http://wn.com/Turkey-Iran_bombed_Kurdish_villages_killing_civilians_in_South_North_Kurdistan
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq and Iran, where Kurdish rebels are attacking the Iranian military, and in response Iran is shelling Iraqi territory, killing Kurdish civilians and forcing thousands of villagers from their homes. Deny against the Kurdish people, and destroy the enemy policy developed policy in contrast the Kurdish people, leads to resistance to the enemy!!! So who are the Kurds????? The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia. As old age will not be known. Where they live always Anatolia .. Sons Zagros ..the children of the Sun and fire: The Kurds Kurdistan is Hidden paradise of Adam and Eve, the most ancient peoples of the Middle East is a region extending from the Zagros mountains in the Taurus mountains and the people who speak a language of Indo-European language group. Their name based on a historical geography of Kurdistan, another definition could be called in the north of Mesopotamia. History of the Kurds in the history of resources leads to back 12000 years.... Mesopotamia at the stage of history before Christ, the many tribes of Kurdish origin appeared to be emerging research. For example, at the aforementioned names, Sumerian,Subaru, Kurti, Guti, Lullu,Hittit,Luwian, Kusin, Kassit, Manna, Urartu, Karduk, Cyrtii, Gordyene, Cord,Corduene, Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Gordyaia, Korduene, Korchayk,Girdiyan, Gutian Carduchoi, Sassanid,Kingdom of Kurdish Commagene (KomaGel), Kardakes,Sarmatians Alans ...
- published: 10 Apr 2012
- views: 8216
- author: Gutian Mitanni Hittite Medes
Kurdish wedding clip intro 2010
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:59
- Updated: 15 Jan 2013
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional Video Entity located at Nashville, TN. For further information or recording your occasions contact Babankurdi at (615) 968-9367 and Kamarankurdi (615) 397-1508. We hope like the video and feel free to send your comments and feedback to Komobanpro@gmail.com
http://wn.com/Kurdish_wedding_clip_intro_2010
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional Video Entity located at Nashville, TN. For further information or recording your occasions contact Babankurdi at (615) 968-9367 and Kamarankurdi (615) 397-1508. We hope like the video and feel free to send your comments and feedback to Komobanpro@gmail.com
- published: 02 Mar 2012
- views: 8473
- author: KamoBanVideoPro
Kirmaşan, Kurdistan (Kermanshah) کرمانشاه \ کرمانشان
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:03
- Updated: 29 Jan 2013
A video of pictures of the city of Kirmaşan in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran). The poem about Kirmaşan in the beginning is recited by famous Kurdish singer, Nasirî Rezazî. The song filled with poetry about Kirmaşan is performed by new Kurdish singer, Reza Loristanî.
http://wn.com/Kirmaşan,_Kurdistan_Kermanshah_کرمانشاه_\_کرمانشان
A video of pictures of the city of Kirmaşan in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran). The poem about Kirmaşan in the beginning is recited by famous Kurdish singer, Nasirî Rezazî. The song filled with poetry about Kirmaşan is performed by new Kurdish singer, Reza Loristanî.
- published: 15 Apr 2007
- views: 51160
- author: hevalo
Koraw 1991 _ Kurds Mass Exoduss ( the Migration) in Spring 1991 کۆڕهو
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:13
- Updated: 20 Sep 2012
this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
http://wn.com/Koraw_1991_Kurds_Mass_Exoduss_the_Migration_in_Spring_1991_کۆڕهو
this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
- published: 12 Apr 2009
- views: 12899
- author: 525iM5X5
NPT: Next Door Neighbors - Little Kurdistan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 26:44
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
The first in Nashville Public Television's Next Door Neighbors documentary series. Little Kurdistan profiles Nashville's Kurdish community, the largest Kurdish community in the United States.
http://wn.com/NPT_Next_Door_Neighbors_Little_Kurdistan
The first in Nashville Public Television's Next Door Neighbors documentary series. Little Kurdistan profiles Nashville's Kurdish community, the largest Kurdish community in the United States.
- published: 03 Jun 2009
- views: 16973
- author: wnptvideos
Hamid Askari- Age Be To Nemiresam -sub titel kurdish
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:57
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
www.fb.com/GORANY.FARCI
http://wn.com/Hamid_Askari_Age_Be_To_Nemiresam_-sub_titel_kurdish
Kurdistan - Persian singer Moein معین & Jamshid - Erbil (Hawler) ***new***
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:08
- Updated: 11 Feb 2013
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took to the street to welcome Persian singer moin in Kurdistan and hundreds of Iranian people came from Iran to see him closely. Singer not allows singing in Iran. Because Iranian régime believes young people getting exciting by music and thats not allowed in Iran. Thats why Iranian people came to Kurdistan to enjoy moein and jamshid music. Since the revolution of 1978, Iran has been living under strict Islamic rule. One law that has been enforced on Iranian is banning the performance of western music in public. Jazz, rock, hip hop, heavy metal and more have been deemed forbidden by the government. Despite threats of imprisonment, whipping and other punishments, Tehran youth defy the ban and continue to create music in underground studios. Some who are good enough are signed up by record companies overseas and eventually leave Iran for more prosperous opportunities in the West. But some are adamant about staying in Iran and trying to build a music scene under the increasingly difficult conditions. It is illegal and punishable by death for a female to sing in public. Security is present to make sure the audience does not get 'over excited with the music. Singer not allows singing in Iran. ©Kurdistan united news agency reported
http://wn.com/Kurdistan_Persian_singer_Moein_معین_Jamshid_Erbil_Hawler_***new***
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took to the street to welcome Persian singer moin in Kurdistan and hundreds of Iranian people came from Iran to see him closely. Singer not allows singing in Iran. Because Iranian régime believes young people getting exciting by music and thats not allowed in Iran. Thats why Iranian people came to Kurdistan to enjoy moein and jamshid music. Since the revolution of 1978, Iran has been living under strict Islamic rule. One law that has been enforced on Iranian is banning the performance of western music in public. Jazz, rock, hip hop, heavy metal and more have been deemed forbidden by the government. Despite threats of imprisonment, whipping and other punishments, Tehran youth defy the ban and continue to create music in underground studios. Some who are good enough are signed up by record companies overseas and eventually leave Iran for more prosperous opportunities in the West. But some are adamant about staying in Iran and trying to build a music scene under the increasingly difficult conditions. It is illegal and punishable by death for a female to sing in public. Security is present to make sure the audience does not get 'over excited with the music. Singer not allows singing in Iran. ©Kurdistan united news agency reported
- published: 01 Oct 2009
- views: 87393
- author: BotinGundi
Profile of Iranian Kurd Director Bahman Ghobadi
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 17:57
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
Watch more at www.linktv.org In late May of 2007 Peter Scarlet, artistic director of the Tribeca Film Festival and our host and co-curator for CINEMONDO, traveled to the Kurdish-held area of Northern Iraq and shot an interview with Iranian Kurd filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. Bahman Ghobadi first came to the movie world's attention in 2000, when his first feature film, "A Time for Drunken Horses," won the prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was the first Kurdish language movie ever to gain worldwide attention. Since then Ghobadi has made three more features, all in the Kurdish language. His most recent, "Half Moon," is currently banned in Iran though it has been shown in festivals around the world. Link TV's 17-minute profile of Ghobadi provides a fascinating introduction to the work of a filmmaker who has riveted audiences around the world with his courageous and deeply affecting films about Kurdish life on the Iranian-Iraqi border. For more: linktv.org
http://wn.com/Profile_of_Iranian_Kurd_Director_Bahman_Ghobadi
Watch more at www.linktv.org In late May of 2007 Peter Scarlet, artistic director of the Tribeca Film Festival and our host and co-curator for CINEMONDO, traveled to the Kurdish-held area of Northern Iraq and shot an interview with Iranian Kurd filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. Bahman Ghobadi first came to the movie world's attention in 2000, when his first feature film, "A Time for Drunken Horses," won the prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was the first Kurdish language movie ever to gain worldwide attention. Since then Ghobadi has made three more features, all in the Kurdish language. His most recent, "Half Moon," is currently banned in Iran though it has been shown in festivals around the world. Link TV's 17-minute profile of Ghobadi provides a fascinating introduction to the work of a filmmaker who has riveted audiences around the world with his courageous and deeply affecting films about Kurdish life on the Iranian-Iraqi border. For more: linktv.org
- published: 23 May 2008
- views: 59121
- author: linktv
Gulf War 1991 - Kurdish Exodess in 1991 -Part 2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:30
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
The mass exodess of kurdish refugees (nearly 3 millions) to the borders of Turkey and Iran after the failed uprising in 1991 against the dictatorship rule of Iraq, followed by the rutheless forces of the regime (part 1). this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the ... this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
http://wn.com/Gulf_War_1991_Kurdish_Exodess_in_1991_-Part_2
The mass exodess of kurdish refugees (nearly 3 millions) to the borders of Turkey and Iran after the failed uprising in 1991 against the dictatorship rule of Iraq, followed by the rutheless forces of the regime (part 1). this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the ... this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
- published: 09 Jan 2010
- views: 5588
- author: Xezal1991KurdishGirl
Med TV: Kurdên Qefqasya (2/4)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:00
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
Very rare Med TV documentary film about Yezidî Kurds in Azerbaijan.
http://wn.com/Med_TV_Kurdên_Qefqasya_2_4
Very rare Med TV documentary film about Yezidî Kurds in Azerbaijan.
- published: 14 Dec 2011
- views: 5067
- author: Wekhevxwaz
Talk to Al Jazeera - Massoud Barzani: Flying the Kurdish flag
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 25:01
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
There are more than thirty million Kurds - most of them living in an overlapping area of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. It is said to be the biggest ethnic community in the world without a homeland. In some of the countries in which they live, they are prevented from speaking their language or obtaining citizenship. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, used chemical weapons against the Kurds, destroyed their villages and killed tens of thousands of them during his rule. The bodies are still being unearthed. The US encouraged them to rise up against Saddam when his forces were driven out of Kuwait in 1991 but then left them hanging. And thousands died fleeing to Turkey as refugees. But the no-fly zone that the US, British and French established to protect them from Saddam's attacks, allowed them to break away from Iraqi government authority, while remaining part of Iraq. Since 2003, the Kurdish region has become the most stable and prosperous part of Iraq, fuelled by oil and Turkish investment. And while relations with Turkey have improved, they have worsened with Baghdad - with disagreements over oil, land and politics that some fear could turn violent. Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, has emerged as a crucial player in Iraqi politics and as the leader of Kurdish aspirations in the region. He has warned that Iraq's Kurds could seek independence if they do not get what they need from Baghdad. And that his region will not be dragged down by the rest of Iraq. On ...
http://wn.com/Talk_to_Al_Jazeera_Massoud_Barzani_Flying_the_Kurdish_flag
There are more than thirty million Kurds - most of them living in an overlapping area of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. It is said to be the biggest ethnic community in the world without a homeland. In some of the countries in which they live, they are prevented from speaking their language or obtaining citizenship. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, used chemical weapons against the Kurds, destroyed their villages and killed tens of thousands of them during his rule. The bodies are still being unearthed. The US encouraged them to rise up against Saddam when his forces were driven out of Kuwait in 1991 but then left them hanging. And thousands died fleeing to Turkey as refugees. But the no-fly zone that the US, British and French established to protect them from Saddam's attacks, allowed them to break away from Iraqi government authority, while remaining part of Iraq. Since 2003, the Kurdish region has become the most stable and prosperous part of Iraq, fuelled by oil and Turkish investment. And while relations with Turkey have improved, they have worsened with Baghdad - with disagreements over oil, land and politics that some fear could turn violent. Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, has emerged as a crucial player in Iraqi politics and as the leader of Kurdish aspirations in the region. He has warned that Iraq's Kurds could seek independence if they do not get what they need from Baghdad. And that his region will not be dragged down by the rest of Iraq. On ...
- published: 28 Jul 2012
- views: 23121
- author: AlJazeeraEnglish
Xero Abbas Concert in Batman Kurdistan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:00
- Updated: 28 Jul 2012
Xero talking about kurds and began to sing
http://wn.com/Xero_Abbas_Concert_in_Batman_Kurdistan
The Fall of Duhok - Iraq
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 13:26
- Updated: 27 Feb 2013
World divided over Libya no-fly zone To see more go to www.youtube.com Follow us on Facebook (goo.gl or Twitter (www.twitter.com As a new No Fly Zone comes into being we offer a report filmed in Northern Iraq days before that historic no fly zone was implemented. There are many similarities with Kurdish civilians fleeing Saddam's gunships and secret police encouraged to kill. April 1991
http://wn.com/The_Fall_of_Duhok_Iraq
World divided over Libya no-fly zone To see more go to www.youtube.com Follow us on Facebook (goo.gl or Twitter (www.twitter.com As a new No Fly Zone comes into being we offer a report filmed in Northern Iraq days before that historic no fly zone was implemented. There are many similarities with Kurdish civilians fleeing Saddam's gunships and secret police encouraged to kill. April 1991
- published: 11 Feb 2011
- views: 12302
- author: journeymanpictures
Syria - Kurdish Armed Forces in Afrin
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:26
- Updated: 28 Feb 2013
kurdish armed forces . the people protecting units ( YPG ) in efrin syria
http://wn.com/Syria_Kurdish_Armed_Forces_in_Afrin
kurdish armed forces . the people protecting units ( YPG ) in efrin syria
- published: 02 Feb 2013
- views: 4480
- author: Kurdish Power
13:21
Origin of Ancient Iranian People - Kurdish, Persian, Scythian, Bactrian etc. (Documentary)
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up o...
published: 25 Feb 2013
author: Dustin Edward
Origin of Ancient Iranian People - Kurdish, Persian, Scythian, Bactrian etc. (Documentary)
A Michael Wood documentary for BBC and PBS Iranian people or "Iranic people" are made up of tribes who are defined as the Persians, the Medes, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Alans, the Cimmerians, and the Sarmatians. The Persian, Mede, Scythian, Parthian and Bactrian tribes populated the Iranian Plateau. The Alans, Cimmerians, Sarmatians and other Scythian tribes populated the steppe north of the Black Sea. Case of the Bronze Age by Carl C. Lamberg-Karlovsky: "Iranian people" belong to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) community which is ancestral to the Celtic, Italic (including Romance), Germanic, Baltic, Slavic, Indo-Iranian, Albanian, Armernian, Greek, and Tocharian languages. There is an agreement that the PIE community split into 2 major groups. One headed west for Europe and became speakers of Indo-European (all the languages of modern Europe save for Basque, Hungarian, and Finnish) while others headed east for Eurasia to become Indo-Iranians. The Indo-Iranians were a community that spoke a common language prior to their branching off into the Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages. Iranian refers to the languages of Iran (Persian, Laki, Gilaki, Luri etc. ), Pakistan (Baluch), Afghanistan (Pashto), Tadjikistan (Tadjik) etc. and Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit, Hindi and its many related languages. Iranian tribes during the Bronze Ages gave birth to various Kingdoms and Empires. They come from same culture, religion, language, and celebrated (still do) the same ...
- published: 25 Feb 2013
- views: 106
- author: Dustin Edward
4:12
Hewramî-Kurdish - Ciwanrro, Kurdistan (Javanroud) جوانرود \ جوانرو
This is a song by Hewramî-Kurdish singer, Osman Hewramî. The footage is from the city of C...
published: 15 Apr 2007
author: hevalo
Hewramî-Kurdish - Ciwanrro, Kurdistan (Javanroud) جوانرود \ جوانرو
This is a song by Hewramî-Kurdish singer, Osman Hewramî. The footage is from the city of Ciwanrro (English pronunciation: Jwan-ro, also Javanroud) in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran), showing the culture and traditions of the Kurdish people and the beautiful nature of Kurdistan.
- published: 15 Apr 2007
- views: 30910
- author: hevalo
15:44
Rezan (Kurdish Rapper) - Roj TV Interview - Part 1 (Pêşkeşvan: Sipan Xelat )
NEW MUSICVIDEO: www.youtube.com facebook.com...
published: 13 Jan 2012
author: REZAN HIPHOPAKURDI
Rezan (Kurdish Rapper) - Roj TV Interview - Part 1 (Pêşkeşvan: Sipan Xelat )
NEW MUSICVIDEO: www.youtube.com facebook.com
- published: 13 Jan 2012
- views: 14422
- author: REZAN HIPHOPAKURDI
10:48
Mam Jalal- an interview for history in February 1988
I don't have any affiliation or intimacy for this man, but I want to talk about some cleve...
published: 23 Mar 2012
author: 525iM5X5
Mam Jalal- an interview for history in February 1988
I don't have any affiliation or intimacy for this man, but I want to talk about some cleverness of him as a Kurdish politician, so if you hate him please don't harass me with your rubbish comments. Jalal Talabani as known as Mam Jalal is a great Kurdish politician, commander, leader and founder of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and well-known for politic addressing, he passed hard stages of national revolution till he could be president of Iraq and replaced the person who said Forgiveness for all except Jalal Talabani He talks about right of self destination for every Kurd ones, and developing of Kurdish community, innovation of destructed cities and rural lands, growing agricultural units and promoting education process..etc beside the striving career for fulfilling Kurdish aims. He expects and talks about some events to be happened in the Kurdistan at the interview which were true therefore he deserves to say this man is clever, intelligent and has an intellectual personality however he isn't in desire of a part of Kurdish community in now , I said this for history without any affiliation or intimacy for PUK
- published: 23 Mar 2012
- views: 14090
- author: 525iM5X5
3:17
Kurds on March: Syria mayhem ramps up insurgency in Turkey
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to reso...
published: 13 Jan 2013
author: RussiaToday
Kurds on March: Syria mayhem ramps up insurgency in Turkey
Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's south-east has rolled on for 3 decades - with talks to resolve the separatist crisis showing no signs of yielding results. And, as Irina Galushko reports, Turkey meddling in Syria may only embolden militants at home. RT LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT! www.youtube.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Follow us on Google+ plus.google.com RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 500 million YouTube views benchmark.
- published: 13 Jan 2013
- views: 12075
- author: RussiaToday
7:25
Sivan Perwer - Kine Em - Greatest Kurdish Voice
www.facebook.com Şivan Perwer - Kine Em ! Kurdistan - 1991 Favorite this video for all you...
published: 23 Feb 2007
author: Siyabend Amed
Sivan Perwer - Kine Em - Greatest Kurdish Voice
www.facebook.com Şivan Perwer - Kine Em ! Kurdistan - 1991 Favorite this video for all your friends Please vote for this video Dive tu vî videoye deynî nav bijarêyên xwe. Bila hemû hevalên te bibînin. Bu video'nun tüm arkadaşlarınızca izlenmesini sağlayın, onu favorilerinize...
- published: 23 Feb 2007
- views: 1503851
- author: Siyabend Amed
4:09
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012...
published: 07 May 2012
author: xandayak
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
Aryas Javan - Charanos - New Kurdish Video Clip 2012
- published: 07 May 2012
- views: 44014
- author: xandayak
5:40
Kurdish Peshmerga on their way towards Kirkuk 2012
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of...
published: 23 Feb 2013
author: Zakaria Kurdish
Kurdish Peshmerga on their way towards Kirkuk 2012
Message to Arabs and Turkomans: Don't fuck with the Kurds! Kirkuk is the heart and quds of Kurdistan, and it will remain that way. ;) Biji Peshmerga! Biji Kurdistan!
- published: 23 Feb 2013
- views: 48
- author: Zakaria Kurdish
10:19
Kurds Vote in USA 2010
Kurds at Nashville, Atlanta and surrounding areas of Tennessee voting at the Iraqi Parliam...
published: 10 Mar 2010
author: JURIBOYKA
Kurds Vote in USA 2010
Kurds at Nashville, Atlanta and surrounding areas of Tennessee voting at the Iraqi Parliament Election on March 07, 2010
- published: 10 Mar 2010
- views: 9417
- author: JURIBOYKA
34:14
Turkey-Iran bombed Kurdish villages/killing civilians in South - North Kurdistan
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq...
published: 10 Apr 2012
author: Gutian Mitanni Hittite Medes
Turkey-Iran bombed Kurdish villages/killing civilians in South - North Kurdistan
HDNet's "World Report" correspondent Willem Marx travels to the mountainous border of Iraq and Iran, where Kurdish rebels are attacking the Iranian military, and in response Iran is shelling Iraqi territory, killing Kurdish civilians and forcing thousands of villagers from their homes. Deny against the Kurdish people, and destroy the enemy policy developed policy in contrast the Kurdish people, leads to resistance to the enemy!!! So who are the Kurds????? The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia. As old age will not be known. Where they live always Anatolia .. Sons Zagros ..the children of the Sun and fire: The Kurds Kurdistan is Hidden paradise of Adam and Eve, the most ancient peoples of the Middle East is a region extending from the Zagros mountains in the Taurus mountains and the people who speak a language of Indo-European language group. Their name based on a historical geography of Kurdistan, another definition could be called in the north of Mesopotamia. History of the Kurds in the history of resources leads to back 12000 years.... Mesopotamia at the stage of history before Christ, the many tribes of Kurdish origin appeared to be emerging research. For example, at the aforementioned names, Sumerian,Subaru, Kurti, Guti, Lullu,Hittit,Luwian, Kusin, Kassit, Manna, Urartu, Karduk, Cyrtii, Gordyene, Cord,Corduene, Gorduene, Cordyene, Cardyene, Gordyaia, Korduene, Korchayk,Girdiyan, Gutian Carduchoi, Sassanid,Kingdom of Kurdish Commagene (KomaGel), Kardakes,Sarmatians Alans ...
- published: 10 Apr 2012
- views: 8216
- author: Gutian Mitanni Hittite Medes
14:59
Kurdish wedding clip intro 2010
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional...
published: 02 Mar 2012
author: KamoBanVideoPro
Kurdish wedding clip intro 2010
The video has been recorded and edited by KamoBan Video Production which is a professional Video Entity located at Nashville, TN. For further information or recording your occasions contact Babankurdi at (615) 968-9367 and Kamarankurdi (615) 397-1508. We hope like the video and feel free to send your comments and feedback to Komobanpro@gmail.com
- published: 02 Mar 2012
- views: 8473
- author: KamoBanVideoPro
6:03
Kirmaşan, Kurdistan (Kermanshah) کرمانشاه \ کرمانشان
A video of pictures of the city of Kirmaşan in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran). The poem about Ki...
published: 15 Apr 2007
author: hevalo
Kirmaşan, Kurdistan (Kermanshah) کرمانشاه \ کرمانشان
A video of pictures of the city of Kirmaşan in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran). The poem about Kirmaşan in the beginning is recited by famous Kurdish singer, Nasirî Rezazî. The song filled with poetry about Kirmaşan is performed by new Kurdish singer, Reza Loristanî.
- published: 15 Apr 2007
- views: 51160
- author: hevalo
10:13
Koraw 1991 _ Kurds Mass Exoduss ( the Migration) in Spring 1991 کۆڕهو
this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring...
published: 12 Apr 2009
author: 525iM5X5
Koraw 1991 _ Kurds Mass Exoduss ( the Migration) in Spring 1991 کۆڕهو
this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
- published: 12 Apr 2009
- views: 12899
- author: 525iM5X5
26:44
NPT: Next Door Neighbors - Little Kurdistan
The first in Nashville Public Television's Next Door Neighbors documentary series. Little ...
published: 03 Jun 2009
author: wnptvideos
NPT: Next Door Neighbors - Little Kurdistan
The first in Nashville Public Television's Next Door Neighbors documentary series. Little Kurdistan profiles Nashville's Kurdish community, the largest Kurdish community in the United States.
- published: 03 Jun 2009
- views: 16973
- author: wnptvideos
Vimeo results:
9:51
Centenarian: a 110yr old woman & stories from her village
Centenarian is a photo documentary about a 110 year old Kurdish woman named Feyruz and oth...
published: 04 Jun 2011
author: Mario Mattei
Centenarian: a 110yr old woman & stories from her village
Centenarian is a photo documentary about a 110 year old Kurdish woman named Feyruz and other connected stories of struggles and hope from her village in southeast Turkey. The inhabitants of Andaç village have endured many hardships since the Turkish Republic formed in 1923. Despite often being generalized in the region as “terrorists,” hope remains.
Without glossing over the harsh realities of ethnic secessionism and nationalist conflicts, the 10 minute story uncovers threads of hope for Turkish and Kurdish “brotherhood.”
As the photographer and director, I received an invitation to attend a wedding and asked if I could interview various people in Andaç. I asked them to tell their story and the story of Andaç. The events included in the story are there because the characters shared about them. Take the stories for what they are and for what they mean to the people who shared them.
The story was made with respect for the humanity of both Kurds and Turks as well as the political and ethnic complexities, which I do not claim to understand fully. Amidst the tension and unrest, I sought to find a shared humanity that pointed toward something greater.
Locals brought me to Feyruz almost immediately because she was a matriarchal figure, gentle but proud, a believer in God, and maintained a hope for non-violent solutions.
0:45
Anfal /Kurdish Genocide.
How Can I for get the past!
This is my drawing a Kurdish Genocide which is the part of sy...
published: 21 Aug 2010
author: Osman Ahmed
Anfal /Kurdish Genocide.
How Can I for get the past!
This is my drawing a Kurdish Genocide which is the part of systematic process from Saddam regime against my people when I was witnessed in 1987 during Anfal /Kurdish Genocide process.
3:51
Assignment_5 Kurdish Music
Kurdish people celebrating their new year in Dublin 2012, live music....
published: 02 May 2012
author: Ali Khalil
Assignment_5 Kurdish Music
Kurdish people celebrating their new year in Dublin 2012, live music.
9:35
ANGELS OF IRAN | FOR KURDISTAN: THE SORAYA FALLAH STORY
A profile of Iranian-Kurdish human rights activist and researcher, Soraya Fallah, with her...
published: 14 Apr 2012
author: Education Under Fire
ANGELS OF IRAN | FOR KURDISTAN: THE SORAYA FALLAH STORY
A profile of Iranian-Kurdish human rights activist and researcher, Soraya Fallah, with her daughter Cklara Moradian. Soraya was imprisoned four times, and tortured so severely that she miscarried in solitary confinement. As Cklara, her daughter, says, "My parents are my heroes. They are incredibly resilient. Very few people have gone through as much as they have and have come out of it so strong and so passionate."
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: David Hoffman
PRODUCER / DIRECTOR: Jeff Kaufman
EDITOR / FIELD AUDIO: Daniel Kaufman
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Colin Trenbeath
ADDITIONAL EDITING: Jano Rosebiani
A Single Arrow Productions film
Youtube results:
3:57
Hamid Askari- Age Be To Nemiresam -sub titel kurdish
www.fb.com/GORANY.FARCI...
published: 18 Dec 2011
author: karmand1993
Hamid Askari- Age Be To Nemiresam -sub titel kurdish
www.fb.com/GORANY.FARCI
- published: 18 Dec 2011
- views: 11213
- author: karmand1993
8:08
Kurdistan - Persian singer Moein معین & Jamshid - Erbil (Hawler) ***new***
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took...
published: 01 Oct 2009
author: BotinGundi
Kurdistan - Persian singer Moein معین & Jamshid - Erbil (Hawler) ***new***
Kurdistan welcomed Persian singer moein and jamshid - Ten thousands of Kurdish people Took to the street to welcome Persian singer moin in Kurdistan and hundreds of Iranian people came from Iran to see him closely. Singer not allows singing in Iran. Because Iranian régime believes young people getting exciting by music and thats not allowed in Iran. Thats why Iranian people came to Kurdistan to enjoy moein and jamshid music. Since the revolution of 1978, Iran has been living under strict Islamic rule. One law that has been enforced on Iranian is banning the performance of western music in public. Jazz, rock, hip hop, heavy metal and more have been deemed forbidden by the government. Despite threats of imprisonment, whipping and other punishments, Tehran youth defy the ban and continue to create music in underground studios. Some who are good enough are signed up by record companies overseas and eventually leave Iran for more prosperous opportunities in the West. But some are adamant about staying in Iran and trying to build a music scene under the increasingly difficult conditions. It is illegal and punishable by death for a female to sing in public. Security is present to make sure the audience does not get 'over excited with the music. Singer not allows singing in Iran. ©Kurdistan united news agency reported
- published: 01 Oct 2009
- views: 87393
- author: BotinGundi
17:57
Profile of Iranian Kurd Director Bahman Ghobadi
Watch more at www.linktv.org In late May of 2007 Peter Scarlet, artistic director of the T...
published: 23 May 2008
author: linktv
Profile of Iranian Kurd Director Bahman Ghobadi
Watch more at www.linktv.org In late May of 2007 Peter Scarlet, artistic director of the Tribeca Film Festival and our host and co-curator for CINEMONDO, traveled to the Kurdish-held area of Northern Iraq and shot an interview with Iranian Kurd filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. Bahman Ghobadi first came to the movie world's attention in 2000, when his first feature film, "A Time for Drunken Horses," won the prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was the first Kurdish language movie ever to gain worldwide attention. Since then Ghobadi has made three more features, all in the Kurdish language. His most recent, "Half Moon," is currently banned in Iran though it has been shown in festivals around the world. Link TV's 17-minute profile of Ghobadi provides a fascinating introduction to the work of a filmmaker who has riveted audiences around the world with his courageous and deeply affecting films about Kurdish life on the Iranian-Iraqi border. For more: linktv.org
- published: 23 May 2008
- views: 59121
- author: linktv
8:30
Gulf War 1991 - Kurdish Exodess in 1991 -Part 2
The mass exodess of kurdish refugees (nearly 3 millions) to the borders of Turkey and Iran...
published: 09 Jan 2010
author: Xezal1991KurdishGirl
Gulf War 1991 - Kurdish Exodess in 1991 -Part 2
The mass exodess of kurdish refugees (nearly 3 millions) to the borders of Turkey and Iran after the failed uprising in 1991 against the dictatorship rule of Iraq, followed by the rutheless forces of the regime (part 1). this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the ... this video shows the large scale departure of million peoples of south Kurdistan in spring 1991 to Iran and Turkey borders in the end of March 1991 just a few weeks after the great uprising in the beginning of that month..ANY WAY THANKS TO BOTH IRANi's AND TURKEY's GOVERNMENT FOR SENDING THEIR AIDS LIKE FOOD AND TENT ALSO OPENING THEIR GATES AT THAT DARK DAY...
- published: 09 Jan 2010
- views: 5588
- author: Xezal1991KurdishGirl
"Kurd" redirects here. For other uses, see Kurd (disambiguation).
 |
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1st row: Saladin • Sharaf Khan Bidlisi • Nizami Ganjavi[1] • Mustafa Barzani |
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| Total population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| estimated 30[2] to 38 million[3][4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions with significant populations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kurdish and Zazaki–Gorani |
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Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Sufi, Yazidism, Yarsan, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Agnosticism, Atheism |
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other Iranian peoples |
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| Footnotes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All population numbers are estimates by 3rd parties.
Turkey, Iran and Syria do not track or provide population statistics. |
The Kurdish people, or Kurds (Kurdish: کورد Kurd), are an Iranic people[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. They speak the Kurdish language, which is a member of the Iranian branch of Indo-European languages.[17] The Kurds number about 30 million, the majority living in the Middle East, with significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey, in Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Russia, Lebanon and, in recent decades, some European countries and the United States. The Kurds are an indigenous[18] ethnic minority in countries where the Kurdistan region is located, although they have enjoyed partial autonomy in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1991. An irredentist movement pushes for the creation of a Kurdish nation state.
Contents |
Etymology[link]
The exact origins of the name, "Kurd", are unclear.[19] Reynolds believes that the term Kurd is most likely related to the ancient term Qardu. The common root of Kurd and Qardu is first mentioned in a Sumerian tablet from the third millennium B.C. as the "land of Kar-da." Qardu is etymologically related to the Assyrian term Urartu corresponding to Ararat.[20] According to Asatrian, the most reasonable explanation of this ethnonym is its possible connections with the Cyrtii (Cyrtaei)[21]
Yet another theory[22] proposes that the etymology is rooted in the name Carduchi, mentioned by Xenophon as the tribe who opposed the retreat of the Ten Thousand through the mountains north of Mesopotamia in the 4th century BC. According to G. Asatrian, the word Kurd was first written in sources in the form of Kurt(kwrt-) in the Middle Persian treatise (Karnamak Ardashir Papakan and the Matadakan i Hazar Dastan), used to describe a social group or tribes that existed before the development of the modern ethnic nation.[23] The term was adopted by Arabic writers of the early Islamic era and gradually became associated with an amalgamation of Iranian and Iranicized nomadic tribes and groups in the region[24][25][26] Sherefxan Bidlisi states that there are four division of Kurds: Kurmanj, Lur, Kalhor and Guran, each of which speak a different dialect or language variation. Of these, according to Ludwig Paul, only Kurmanji and possibly the Kalhuri correspond to the Kurdish language, while Luri and Gurani are linguistically distinct. Nonetheless, Ludwig writes that linguistics does not provide a definition for when a language becomes a dialect, and thus, non-linguistic factors contribute to the ethnic unity of some of the said groups, namely the Kurmanj, Kalhur, and Guran.[27]
Language[link]
Main article: Kurdish languages
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The Kurdish language (Kurdish: Kurdî or کوردی) collectively refers to the related dialects spoken by the Kurds.[28] It is mainly spoken in those parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey which comprise Kurdistan.[29] Kurdish holds official status in Iraq as a national language alongside Arabic, is recognized in Iran as a regional language, and in Armenia as a minority language.
The Kurdish languages belong to the north-western sub-group of the Iranian languages, which in turn belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family.
Most Kurds are either bilingual or multilingual, speaking the language of their respective nation of origin, such as Arabic, Persian, and Turkish as a second language alongside their native Kurdish, while those in diaspora communities often speak 3 or more languages. Kurdish Jews and some Kurdish Christians (not be confused with ethnic Assyrians) usually speak Aramaic (for example: Lishana Deni) as their first language. Aramaic is a Semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic rather than Kurdish.
According to Mackenzie, there are few linguistic features that all Kurdish dialects have in common and that are not at the same time found in other Iranian languages.[30]
The Kurdish dialects according to Mackenzie are classified as:[31]
- Northern group (The Kurmanji dialect group.)
- Central group (Part of the Sorani dialect group)
- Southern group (Part of the Sorani dialect group) including Kermanshahi, Ardalani and Laki language
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, The Kurdish language has two main groups:[32]
and several sub-dialects:
Although specialized sources consider Zaza–Gorani [34][31][35][36] to be separate languages which share a large number of words with Kurdish, the general term Kurd has, nevertheless, historically been used to designate also these groups.
Commenting on the differences between the "dialects" of Kurdish, Kreyenbroek clarifies that in some ways, Kurmanji and Sorani are as different from each other as English and German, giving the example that Kurmanji has grammatical gender and case-endings, but Sorani does not, and observing that referring to Sorani and Kurmanji as "dialects" of one language is supported only by "their common origin...and the fact that this usage reflects the sense of ethnic identity and unity of the Kurds."[37]
Population[link]
Main article: Kurdish population
The number of Kurds living in Southwest Asia is estimated at 26-34 million, with another one or two million living in diaspora. Kurds are the fourth largest ethnicity in the Middle East after Arabs, Persians, and Turks.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Kurds comprise 18% of the population in Turkey,[38] 15-20% in Iraq, 9% in Syria,[39][40] 7% in Iran and 1.3% in Armenia. In all of these countries except Iran, Kurds form the second largest ethnic group. Roughly 55% of the world's Kurds live in Turkey, about 18% each in Iran and Iraq, and a bit over 5% in Syria.[41]
McDowall has estimated that in 1991 the Kurds comprised 19% of the population in Turkey, 23% in Iraq, 10% in Iran, and 8% in Syria. The total number of Kurds in 1991 was in this estimate placed at 22.5 million, with 48% of this number living in Turkey, 18% in Iraq, 24% in Iran, and 4% in Syria.[42]
History[link]
Main article: History of the Kurdish people
Origins[link]
The Kurds as an ethnic group appear in the medieval period. The Kurdish people are believed to be of heterogenous origins[43] combining a number of earlier tribal or ethnic groups[34] including Median[34][43][44][45], Lullubi,[46] Guti,[46] Cyrtians,[47] Carduchi[48]. They have also absorbed some elements from Semitic,[34][49][50][51][52] Turkic[53][54][55][56] and Armenian[34][57][58][59][60][61].
According to Minorsky there is an "ethno-geographical identification" of present day Kurds as descendent of ancient Medes, an idea based on his "historical, linguistic, and philological" arguments.[62] This was further advanced by I. Gershevitch who provided first "a piece of linguistic confirmation" of Minorsky's identification and then another "sociolinguistic" argument. Those works of Minorsky were the base of yet another and different approach by Mackenzie. He argued that in contrast to Minorsky (and precisely Gershevitch's advancement) the evolution of the present day Kurdish language as a North Western Iranian language was to "lean more toward Persian" and in turn "marked off from Median".[62] These disagreements of scholars caused bitter reactions.[62] Dandamaev considers Carduchi (who were from the upper Tigris near the Assyrian and Median borders) less likely than Cyrtians as ancestors of modern Kurds.[63] However according to McDowall, the term Cyrtii was first applied to Seleucid or Parthian mercenary slingers from Zagros, and it is not clear if it denoted a coherent linguistic or ethnic group.[64] Gershevitch and Fisher consider the independent Kardouchoi or Carduchi as the ancestors of the Kurds, or at least the original nucleus of the Iranian-speaking people in what is now Kurdistan.[48]
Medieval period[link]
Further information: Saladin and Ayyubid dynasty
In the 7th century, the Arabs possessed the castles and fortifications of the Kurds. The conquest of the cities of Sharazor and Darabaz took place in 643 CE. In 838 CE, Mir Jafar one of the leaders of the Kurds in Mosul revolted against the Caliph Al-Mu'tasim who sent the commander Itakh to combat against him. Itakh won this war and killed many of the Kurds. The Kurds revolted again in 903 CE, during the period of Almoqtadar. Eventually Arabs conquered the Kurdish regions and gradually converted the majority of Kurds to Islam. In the second half of the 10th century, the Kurdish area was shared among four big Kurdish principalities. In the north were the Shaddadid (951–1174) in parts of present-day Armenia and Arran, and the Rawadid (955–1221) in Tabriz and Maragheh. In the east were the Hasanwayhids (959–1015) and the Annazid (990–1117) in Kermanshah, Dinawar and Khanaqin. In the west were the Marwanid (990–1096) of Diyarbakır. After these, the Ardalan dynasty (14th century to 1867) were established in present-day Khanaqin, Kirkuk and Sinne.
The best-known Kurdish leaders to establish political domain in the region were the Ayyubid in 1171, first under the leadership of Kurdish sultan, Saladin. Born in the city of Tikrit in present-day Iraq, Saladin's ancestry was of a Kurdish tribe who originated in the city of Dvin in northern Armenia.[65] The Ayyubids went on to rule the Diyarbakir plains, Syria and Egypt and Saladin led Muslims to recapture the city of Jerusalem from the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin. The Ayyubids dynasty lasted until 1341 when the last Ayyubid sultanate fell to Mongolian invasions.
Ottoman period[link]
Further information: Sheik Ubeydullah
When Sultan Selim I, after defeating Shah Ismail I in 1514, annexed Armenia and Kurdistan, he entrusted the organisation of the conquered territories to Idris, the historian, who was a Kurd of Bitlis. He divided the territory into sanjaks or districts, and, making no attempt to interfere with the principle of heredity, installed the local chiefs as governors. He also resettled the rich pastoral country between Erzerum and Erivan, which had lain in waste since the passage of Timur, with Kurds from the Hakkari and Bohtan districts.
The Ottoman centralist policies in the beginning of the 19th century aimed to remove power from the principalities and localities, which directly affected the Kurdish emirs. Bedirhan Bey was the last emir of the Cizre Bohtan Emirate after initiating an uprising in 1847 against the Ottomans to protect the current structures of the Kurdish principalities. Although his uprising is not classified as a nationalist one, his children played significant roles in the emergence and the development of Kurdish nationalism through the next century.[66]
The first modern Kurdish nationalist movement emerged in 1880 with an uprising led by a Kurdish landowner and head of the powerful Shemdinan family, Sheik Ubeydullah, who demanded political autonomy or outright independence for Kurds as well as the recognition of a Kurdistan state without interference from Turkish or Persian authorities.[67] The uprising against Qajar Persia and the Ottoman Empire was ultimately suppressed by the Ottomans and Ubeydullah, along with other notables, were exiled to Istanbul.
20th century[link]
Further information: Kurdish nationalism, Rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire, and Iraqi Kurdistan
Kurdish nationalism emerged after World War I with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire which had historically successfully integrated (but not assimilated) the Kurds, through use of forced repression of Kurdish movements to gain independence. Revolts did occur sporadically but only in 1880 with the uprising led by Sheik Ubeydullah were demands as an ethnic group or nation made. Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid responded by a campaign of integration by co-opting prominent Kurdish opponents to strong Ottoman power with prestigious positions in his government. This strategy appears successful given the loyalty displayed by the Kurdish Hamidiye regiments during World War I.[68]
The Kurdish ethnonationalist movement that emerged following World War I and end of the Ottoman empire was largely reactionary to the changes taking place in mainstream Turkey, primarily radical secularization which the strongly Muslim Kurds abhorred, centralization of authority which threatened the power of local chieftains and Kurdish autonomy, and rampant Turkish nationalism in the new Turkish Republic which obviously threatened to marginalize them.[69]
Jakob Künzler, head of a missionary hospital in Urfa, has documented the large scale ethnic cleansing of both Armenians and Kurds by the Young Turks during World War I.[70] He has given a detailed account of deportation of Kurds from Erzurum and Bitlis in winter of 1916. The Kurds were perceived to be subversive elements that would take the Russian side in the war. In order to eliminate this threat, Young Turks embarked on a large scale deportation of Kurds from the regions of Djabachdjur, Palu, Musch, Erzurum and Bitlis. Around 300,000 Kurds were forced to move southwards to Urfa and then westwards to Aintab and Marasch. In the summer of 1917, Kurds were moved to the Konya region in central Anatolia. Through this measures, the Young Turk leaders aimed at eliminating the Kurds by deporting them from their ancestral lands and by dispersing them in small pockets of exiled communities. By the end of World War I, up to 700,000 Kurds were forcibly deported and almost half of the displaced perished.[71]
Some of the Kurdish groups sought self-determination and the championing in the Treaty of Sèvres of Kurdish autonomy in the aftermath of World War I, Kemal Atatürk prevented such a result. Kurds backed by the United Kingdom declared independence in 1927 and established so-called Republic of Ararat. Turkey suppressed Kurdist revolts in 1925, 1930, and 1937–1938, while Iran did the same in the 1920s to Simko Shikak at Lake Urmia and Jaafar Sultan of Hewraman region who controlled the region between Marivan and north of Halabja. A short-lived Soviet-sponsored Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in Iran did not long outlast World War II.
From 1922–1924 in Iraq a Kingdom of Kurdistan existed. When Ba'athist administrators thwarted Kurdish nationalist ambitions in Iraq, war broke out in the 1960s. In 1970 the Kurds rejected limited territorial self-rule within Iraq, demanding larger areas including the oil-rich Kirkuk region.
During 1920s and 1930s, several large scale Kurdish revolts took place in Kurdistan Following these rebellions, the area of Turkish Kurdistan was put under martial law and a large number of the Kurds were displaced. Government also encouraged resettlement of Albanians from Kosovo and Assyrians in the region to change the population makeup. These events and measures led to a long-lasting mutual distrust between Ankara and the Kurds .[72] During the relatively open government of the 1950s, Kurds gained political office and started working within the framework of the Turkish Republic to further their interests but this move towards integration was halted with the 1960 Turkish coup d'état.[68] The 1970s saw an evolution in Kurdish nationalism as Marxist political thought influenced a new generation of Kurdish nationalists opposed to the local feudal authorities who had been a traditional source of opposition to authority, eventually they would form the militant separatist PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, European Union, NATO and many states that includes United States), or Kurdistan Workers Party in English.
Kurdish Communities in West Asia[link]
Further information: Kurdistan and Kurdish refugees
Iraq[link]
Kurds constitute approximately 17% of Iraq's population. They are the majority in at least three provinces in northern Iraq which are together known as Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurds also have a presence in Kirkuk, Mosul, Khanaqin, and Baghdad. Around 300,000 Kurds live in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 50,000 in the city of Mosul and around 100,000 elsewhere in southern Iraq.[73]
Kurds led by Mustafa Barzani were engaged in heavy fighting against successive Iraqi regimes from 1960 to 1975. In March 1970, Iraq announced a peace plan providing for Kurdish autonomy. The plan was to be implemented in four years.[74] However, at the same time, the Iraqi regime started an Arabization program in the oil-rich regions of Kirkuk and Khanaqin.[75] The peace agreement did not last long, and in 1974, the Iraqi government began a new offensive against the Kurds. Moreover in March 1975, Iraq and Iran signed the Algiers Accord, according to which Iran cut supplies to Iraqi Kurds. Iraq started another wave of Arabization by moving Arabs to the oil fields in Kurdistan, particularly those around Kirkuk.[76] Between 1975 and 1978, 200,000 Kurds were deported to other parts of Iraq.[77]
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 such as the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of civilians, the wholesale destruction of thousands of villages and the deportation of thousands of Kurds to southern and central Iraq.
The genocidal campaign, conducted between 1986 and 1989 and culminating in 1988, carried out by the Iraqi government against the Kurdish population was called Anfal ("Spoils of War"). The Anfal campaign led to destruction of over two thousand villages and killing of 182,000 Kurdish civilians.[78] The campaign included the use of ground offensives, aerial bombing, systematic destruction of settlements, mass deportation, firing squads, and chemical attacks, including the most infamous attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988 that killed 5000 civilians instantly.
After the collapse of the Kurdish uprising in March 1991, Iraqi troops recaptured most of the Kurdish areas and 1.5 million Kurds abandoned their homes and fled to the Turkish and Iranian borders. It is estimated that close to 20,000 Kurds succumbed to death due to exhaustion, lack of food, exposure to cold and disease. On 5 April 1991, UN Security Council passed resolution 688 which condemned the repression of Iraqi Kurdish civilians and demanded that Iraq end its repressive measures and allow immediate access to international humanitarian organizations.[79] This was the first international document (since the League of Nations arbitration of Mosul in 1926) to mention Kurds by name. In mid-April, the Coalition established safe havens inside Iraqi borders and prohibited Iraqi planes from flying north of 36th parallel.[80] In October 1991, Kurdish guerrillas captured Erbil and Sulaimaniyah after a series of clashes with Iraqi troops. In late October, Iraqi government retaliated by imposing a food and fuel embargo on the Kurds and stopping to pay civil servants in the Kurdish region. The embargo, however, backfired and Kurds held parliamentary elections in May 1992 and established Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).[81]
The Kurdish population welcomed the American troops in 2003 by holding celebrations and dancing in the streets.[82][83][84][85] The area controlled by peshmerga was expanded, and Kurds now have effective control in Kirkuk and parts of Mosul. The authority of the KRG and legality of its laws and regulations were recognized in the articles 113 and 137 of the new Iraqi Constitution ratified in 2005.[86] By the beginning of 2006, the two Kurdish administrations of Erbil and Sulaimaniya were unified. On August 14, 2007 Yazidis were targeted in a series of bombings that became the deadliest suicide attack since the Iraq War began, killing 796 civilians, wounding 1,562.[87]
Turkey[link]
Main articles: Kurds in Turkey, Turkish Kurdistan, Human rights in Turkey, Kurdistan Workers Party, and Human rights of Kurdish people in Turkey
According to CIA Factbook, Kurds formed approximately 18% of the population in Turkey (approximately 14 million) in 2008. This estimate however does not include the Zaza people which are often considered to be Kurds.[88] Kurdish sources however claim there are as many as 25 million Kurds in Turkey.[89] In 1980, Ethnologue estimated the number of Kurdish-speakers in Turkey at around five million,[90] when the country's population stood at 44 million.[91] Kurds form the largest minority group in Turkey, and they have posed the most serious and persistent challenge to the official image of a homogeneous society. During the 1930s and 1940s, the government had disguised the presence of the Kurds statistically by categorizing them as Mountain Turks. This classification was changed to the new euphemism of Eastern Turk in 1980.[92]
Several large scale Kurdish revolts in 1925, 1930 and 1938 were suppressed by the Turkish government and more than one million Kurds were forcibly relocated between 1925 and 1938. The use of Kurdish language, dress, folklore, and names were banned and the Kurdish-inhabited areas remained under martial law until 1946.[93] The Ararat revolt, which reached its apex in 1930, was only suppressed after a massive military campaign including destruction of many villages and their populations. In quelling the revolt, Turkey was assisted by the close cooperation of its neighboring states such as Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.[94] The revolt was organized by a Kurdish party called Khoybun which signed a treaty with the Dashnaksutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) in 1927.[94] By 1970s, Kurdish leftist organizations such as Kurdistan Socialist Party-Turkey (KSP-T) emerged in Turkey which were against violence and supported civil activities and participation in elections. In 1977, Mehdi Zana a supporter of KSP-T won the mayoralty of Diyarbakir in the local elections. At about the same time, generational fissures gave birth to two new organizations: the National Liberation of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Workers Party.[95]
The Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK), also known as KADEK and Kongra-Gel, is considered by the US, the EU, and NATO to be a terrorist organization.[96] It is an ethnic secessionist organization using violence for the purpose of achieving its goal of creating an independent Kurdish state in parts of southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, northeastern Syria and northwestern Iran.
Between 1984 and 1999, the PKK and the Turkish military engaged in open war, and much of the countryside in the southeast was depopulated, as Kurdish civilians moved to local defensible centers such as Diyarbakır, Van, and Şırnak, as well as to the cities of western Turkey and even to western Europe. The causes of the depopulation included PKK atrocities against Kurdish clans they could not control, the poverty of the southeast, and the Turkish state's military operations.[97] State actions also included forced inscription, forced evacuation, destruction of villages, severe harassment and extrajudicial executions.[98][99]
Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish female MP from Diyarbakir, caused an uproar in Turkish Parliament after adding the following sentence in Kurdish to her parliamentary oath during the swearing-in ceremony in 1994:[100]
I take this oath for the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish peoples. —
In March 1994, the Turkish Parliament voted to lift the immunity of Zana and five other Kurdish DEP members: Hatip Dicle, Ahmet Turk, Sirri Sakik, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak. Zana, Dicle, Sadak and Dogan were sentenced to 15 years in jail by the Supreme Court in October 1995. Zana was awarded the Sakharov Prize for human rights by the European Parliament in 1995. She was released in 2004 amid warnings from European institutions that the continued imprisonment of the four Kurdish MPs would affect Turkey's bid to join the EU.[101][102] The 2009 local elections resulted in 5.7 % for Kurdish political party DTP.[103]
Officially protected death squads are accused of disappearance of 3,200 Kurds and Assyrians in 1993 and 1994 in the so called mystery killings. Kurdish politicians, human-rights activists, journalists, teachers and other members of intelligentsia were among the victims. Virtually none of the perpetrators were investigated nor punished. Turkish government also encouraged an Islamic extremist group called Hezbollah to assassinate suspected PKK members and often ordinary Kurds.[104] Azimet Köylüoğlu, the state minister of human rights, revealed the extent of security forces' excesses in autumn 1994: While acts of terrorism in other regions are done by the PKK; in Tunceli it is state terrorism. In Tunceli, it is the state that is evacuating and burning villages. In the southeast there are two million people left homeless.[105]
Iran[link]
Main articles: Iranian Kurdistan and History of the Kurds
| Major Ethnic Groups of Iran |
|---|
 Iranian
Kurd Iranian
Kurd Uninhabited
|
The Kurdish part of Iran has been a part of this country from historical times. The Kurds constitute today approximately 7% of Iran's overall population. 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 BCE.[106] According to some sources, "some Kurds in Iran 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, has sought either regional autonomy or the outright establishment of an independent Kurdish state".[106] According to Amnesty International, similar policies to that of the Turkish government have been used in Iran, as registering babies with certain Kurdish names is not allowed, the use of the Kurdish language in education has been frequently prevented, and there is frequent militarisation of the Kurdish region.[107]
In the 17th century, a large number of Kurds were settled by Shah Abbas I to Khorasan in Eastern Iran and resettled in the cities of Northern Khorasan province (Quchan, Bojnurd, Shirvan, DareGaz, and Esfaraeen) to defend Iran's frontier against Uzbeks. Others migrated to Afghanistan where they took refuge.[108] The Kurds of Khorasan, numbering around 700,000, still use the Kurmanji Kurdish dialect.[8][109] During the 19th and 20th centuries, successive Iranian governments crushed Kurdish revolts led by Kurdish notables such as Shaikh Ubaidullah (against Qajars in 1880) and Simko (against Pahlavis in the 1920s).[110]
In January 1946, during the Soviet occupation of north-western Iran, the Soviet-backed Kurdish Republic of Mahabad declared independence in parts of Iranian Kurdistan. Nevertheless, the Soviet forces left Iran in May 1946, and the self-declared republic fell to the Iranian army after only a few months and the president of the republic Qazi Muhammad was hanged publicly in Mahabad. After the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became more autocratic and suppressed most opposition including Kurdish political groups seeking greater rights for Iranian Kurds. He also prohibited any teaching of the Kurdish language.[110]
After the Iranian revolution, intense fighting occurred between militant Kurdish groups and the Islamic Republic between 1979 and 1982. In August 1979, Ruhollah Khomeini declared a "holy war" against the Kurdish rebels seeking autonomy or independence, and ordered the Armed Forces to move to the Kurdish areas of Iran in order to push the Kurdish rebels out and restore central rule to the country.[111] In September 1979, Revolutionary Guards massacred 56 inhabitants of the village of Qalatan and all of the residents of the village of Qarna. These two Kurdish villages are located close to Naghadeh in West Azerbaijan Province. Kurdish opposition described this masscre as the Sabra and Shatila of Kurdistan.[112] A picture of a firing squad of Revolutionary Guards executing Kurdish prisoners around Sanandaj gained international fame and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980.[113][114] The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fought to reestablish government control in the Kurdish regions, as a result around ten thousand Kurds were killed.[110] Since 1983, the Iranian government has maintained control over the Iranian Kurdistan.[115] Frequent unrest and the occasional military crackdown have occurred since the 1990s.[116]
In Iran, Kurds express their cultural identity freely, but have no self-government or administration. As in all parts of Iran, membership of a non-governmental political party is punishable by imprisonment or even death. Kurdish human rights activists in Iran have been threatened by Iranian authorities.[117][118] Following the killing of Kurdish opposition activist Shivan Qaderi and two other Kurdish men by Iranian security forces in Mahabad on July 9, 2005, six weeks of riots and protests erupted in Kurdish towns and villages throughout eastern Kurdistan. Scores were killed and injured, and an untold number arrested without charge. The Iranian authorities have also shut down several major Kurdish newspapers and arrested editors and reporters. Among those was Roya Toloui, a Women's rights activist and head of the Rasan ("Rising") newspaper in Sanandaj, who was alleged to be tortured for two months for involvement in the organization of peaceful protests throughout Kurdistan province.[119] According to an Iran analyst at International Crisis Group, "Kurds, who live in the some of the least developed parts of Iran, pose the most serious internal problem for Iran to resolve, and given what they see next door--the newfound confidence of Iraqi Kurds--there's concern Iranian Kurds will agitate for greater autonomy."[120]
Syria[link]
Main article: Kurds in Syria
Kurds account for 9% of Syria's population, a total of around 1.6 million people.[121] This makes them the largest ethnic minority in the country. They are mostly concentrated in the northeast and the north, but there are also significant Kurdish populations in Aleppo and Damascus. Kurds often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not. According to Amnesty International, Kurdish human rights activists are mistreated and persecuted.[122] No political parties are allowed for any group, Kurdish or otherwise.
Techniques used to suppress the ethnic identity of Kurds in Syria include various bans on the use of the Kurdish language, refusal to register children with Kurdish names, the replacement of Kurdish place names with new names in Arabic, the prohibition of businesses that do not have Arabic names, the prohibition of Kurdish private schools, and the prohibition of books and other materials written in Kurdish.[123][124] Having been denied the right to Syrian nationality, around 300,000 Kurds have been deprived of any social rights, in violation of international law.[125][126] As a consequence, these Kurds are in effect trapped within Syria. In March 2011, in part to avoid further demonstrations and unrest from spreading across Syria, the Syrian government promised to tackle the issue and grant Syrian citizenship to approximately 300,000 Kurds who had been previously denied the right.[127]
On March 12, 2004, beginning at a stadium in Qamishli (a largely Kurdish city in northeastern Syria), clashes between Kurds and Syrians broke out and continued over a number of days. At least thirty people were killed and more than 160 injured. The unrest spread to other Kurdish towns along the northern border with Turkey, and then to Damascus and Aleppo.[128][129]
Armenia[link]
See also: Kurdish-Armenian relations
Between the 1930s and 1980s, Armenia was a part of the Soviet Union, within which Kurds, like other ethnic groups, had the status of a protected minority. Armenian Kurds were permitted their own state-sponsored newspaper, radio broadcasts and cultural events. During the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, many non-Yazidi Kurds were forced to leave their homes since both the Azeri and non-Yazidi Kurds were Muslim.
Azerbaijan[link]
Main article: Kurds in Azerbaijan
In 1920, two Kurdish-inhabited areas of Jewanshir (capital Kalbajar) and eastern Zangazur (capital Lachin) were combined to form the Kurdistan Okrug (or "Red Kurdistan"). The period of existence of the Kurdish administrative unit was brief and did not last beyond 1929. Kurds subsequently faced many repressive measures, including deportations, imposed by the Soviet government. As a result of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, many Kurdish areas have been destroyed and more than 150,000 Kurds have been deported since 1988 by separatist Armenian forces.[130]
Diaspora[link]
According to a report by the Council of Europe, approximately 1.3 million Kurds live in Western Europe. The earliest immigrants were Kurds from Turkey, who settled in Germany, Austria, the Benelux countries, Great Britain, Switzerland and France during the 1960s. Successive periods of political and social turmoil in the Middle East during 1980s and 1990s brought new waves of Kurdish refugees, mostly from Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein, came to Europe.[8] In recent years, many Kurdish asylum seekers from both Iran and Iraq have settled in the United Kingdom (especially in the town of Dewsbury and in some northern areas of London), which has sometimes caused media controversy over their right to remain.[131] There have been tensions between Kurds and the established Muslim community in Dewsbury,[132][133] which is home to very traditional mosques such as the Markazi.
There was substantial immigration of Kurds into North America, who are mainly political refugees and immigrants seeking economic opportunity. An estimated 100,000 Kurds are known to live in the United States, with 50,000 in Canada and less than 15,000 in Australia.[citation needed]
Religion[link]
Islam[link]
Sunni, Shia and Sufi[link]
_Kurdistan.jpg)
Today, the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslim, belonging to the Shafi school. Mystical practices and participation in Sufi orders are also widespread among Kurds.[134] There is also a minority of Kurds who are Shia Muslims, primarily living in the Ilam and Kermanshah provinces of Iran, Central and south eastern Iraq (Fayli Kurds), and who are Alevi, who mostly live in Turkey.
Alevi[link]
The Alevis (usually considered adharents of a branch of Shia Islam) are another religious minority among the Kurds. They are mainly living in Tunceli, Erzincan, eastern Sivas, northern and southern Malatya, eastern and northwestern Kahramanmaraş, northern Adana, western Kayseri, central and western Adıyaman, northeastern Gaziantep, northern Elazığ, southwestern Erzurum, northern Bingöl, northwestern Muş and various other areas in Anatolia. The American missionary Trowbridge, working at Aintab (present Gaziantep) reported that his Alevi acquaintances considered as their highest spiritual leaders an Ahl-i Haqq sayyid family in the Guran district.[135]
Ahl-i Haqq (Yarsan)[link]
Ahl-i Haqq's basic pillars are summarized this verse of Gurani:
"Yāri Chār Chivan Bāvari Vajā- Pāki o Rāsti o Nisti o Redā"
which translates roughly to:
The Yarsan should strive for these four qualities
purity, rectitude, self-effacement and self-abnegation.[136]
Among its belief include the principle of successive lives of human souls where each soul is allotted a time of 50 thousand years to reach its perfection (the stage of Death within God). If that soul does not reach its perfection, then it is judged by its deed after its 50 thousand years. Another belief of the Yarsan is the and repeated manifestation of the light of the divine essence, the archangels and a class of saviours (Haftwan, Haft Sardar-i Din, Chehel Tan, Haftad o Do Pir..) in human form.
The founder of the religion, Sultan Sahak appeared among the Guran in mid or late 15th century, and is considered by them as the last great manifestation of the divine essence. Yarsan followers also recognize Ali as one of their divine incarnations, although he is surpassed in importance by Sultan Sahak. The Sultan Sahak is accompanied by seven companions who are the manifestation of the seven primordial archangels (haft tan or heptad).
Binyamin (the pir or spiritual master) is the manifestation of the light Gabriel, while Dawud (the Dalil or Guide) is the manifestation of Mikail or Raphael.[137]
There are strong similarities between religious practices and myths of Ahl-i Haqq and Alevi. According to one Ahl-i Haqq legend, after Sultan Sahak had completed his teachings among the Guran, he reappeared in Anatolia in the form of Haji Bektash. Moreover, the Ahl-i Haqq consider the Bektashi and Alevi as kindred communities.[135]
Yazidis[link]
Yazidi is a minority religion practiced among Kurdish communities of northern Iraq, Armenia, Georgia and Russia. According to Yazidi beliefs, although God created the world but left it in the care of a heptad of seven holy beings or angels. The most prominent angel is Tawûsê Melek (Malak Taus) or the Peacock Angel. One of their holy texts Kiteba Jelwa(Book of Illumination) is considered to be the words of Malak Taus. Yazidi accounts of creation have much in common with those of the Ahl-e Haqq. Yazidis believe in the periodic reincarnation of the seven holy beings in human form. Their holiest shrine and the tomb of faith's founder (Shaikh Adi bin Mosafer), is located in Lalish (36 miles northeast of Mosul) in northern Iraq.[138]
Zoroastrianism[link]
Zoroastrianism is an ancient monotheistic religion practiced among a minority of Kurds. The religion, founded sometime before the 6th century BCE, is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster and was the religion of the majority in the greater Iran until the ninth century.[139] However, the number of Kurds that adhered to the Zoroastrian faith throughout history is unclear. Modern Kurdish Zoroastrian communities still exist, and more recently, small Kurdish Zoroastrian communities have established new temples and have been attempting to recruit new members to their faith.[140]
Judaism and Christianity[link]
Main articles: Kurdish Christians and Kurdish Jews
Christianity and Judaism both are still practised in very small numbers across Kurdistan. There are however some 200,000 Kurdish Jews, residing in Israel. The Jews of Kurdistan migrated to Palestine during the previous centuries but the overwhelming majority of the Kurdish Jews had fled to Israel together with Iraqi Jews in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah during 1950–1952.
For centuries, the Jews had lived as protected subjects of the tribal chieftains (aghas) and survived in the urban centers and villages in which they lived. According to the new book by Mordechai Zaken, the Kurdistani Jews had managed to survive by supporting their tribal chieftains and village aghas in times of need and through financial contributions, occasional gifts, variety of services as well as taxes and dues in the form of commissions of their commercial and agricultural transactions. In return, the tribal Kurdish aghas would protect their Jewish subjects and grant them patronage in the tribal arena. Indeed some wealthy Jewish merchants and community leaders had to deal at times with aghas who coveted their vineyards or other material goods and satisfy their needs and fulfill their desire. However, in his research, Zaken points out that there was a kind of tribal tradition, passed on from father to son, to keep and protect the Jewish subjects in the village (at times one or two Jewish families in one village) or the tribal arena.[141]
Culture[link]
File:Kurds008.jpg
Kurdish dance
Kurdish culture is a legacy from the various ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society, but primarily of three layers of indigenous (Hurrian), ancient Iranian, and Islamic roots. Kurdish culture is close to that of other Iranian peoples. Kurds, for instance, also celebrate Newroz (March 21) as New Year's Day.[142] Kurdish films mainly evoke poverty and the lack of rights of Kurdish people in the region. Yılmaz Güney (Yol [143]) and Bahman Qubadi (A Time for Drunken Horses, Turtles Can Fly) are among the better-known Kurdish directors.
In contrast to many neighboring Muslim populations, Kurdish women are not secluded and do not wear the face veil. Kurdish men and women participate in mixed-gender dancing during feasts, weddings and other social celebrations. Major Soane, a British colonial officer during World War I, noted that this is unusual among Islamic people and pointed out that in this respect Kurdish culture is more akin to that of eastern Europe than to the Middle East.[144]
Music[link]
Main article: Kurdish music
Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers: storytellers (çîrokbêj), minstrels (stranbêj), and bards (dengbêj). No specific music was associated with the Kurdish princely courts. Instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs are epic in nature, such as the popular Lawiks, heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes such as Saladin. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love, one of the first Kurdish female singers to sing heyrans is Chopy Fatah, while Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed during the autumn. Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk), erotic poetry, and work songs are also popular.
| This article is part of the Kurdish history and Culture series |
|---|
| Ancient history |
| Medieval history |
| Modern history |
| Culture |
See also[link]
- Kurdistan
- Iranian peoples
- Iranian languages
- Iraqi Kurdistan
- Iranian Kurdistan
- Turkish Kurdistan
- Syrian Kurdistan
- Kurds in Lebanon
- Kurds in Georgia
- Kurds in Turkey
- History of the Kurdish people
- Kurdistan Okrug
- List of Kurdish people
- Kurdish organisations
- Origins of the Kurds
- Yazidis
- Kurdish Jews
- Kurdish Christians
- List of Kurdish dynasties and countries
- Azarbaijani Kurds
Modern Kurdish governments[link]
- Kingdom of Kurdistan 1920
- Republic of Ararat 1927–30
- Republic of Mahabad 1946
- Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) (1991 to date)
Notes and references[link]
- ^ V.Minorsky: "review of G. H. Darab translation of Makhzan al-Asrar" 1945 Minorsky, BSOAS., 1948, xii/2, 441-5):"Whether Nizami was born in Qom or in Ganja is not quite clear. The verse (quoted on p. 14): "I am lost as a pearl in the sea of Ganja, yet I am from the Qohestan of the city of Qom ", does not expressly mean that he was born in Qom. On the other hand, Nizami's mother was of Kurdish origin, and this might point to Ganja where the Kurdish dynasty of Shaddad ruled down to AH. 468; even now Kurds are found to the south of Ganja.
- ^ a b c d CIA: 14 million in Turkey, 6.2–6.5 million in Iraq, 6.5-7.7 million in Iran (all for 2011), plus several million in Syria, neighboring countries, and the diaspora
- ^ a b c d e The Kurds: culture and language rights (Kerim Yildiz, Georgina Fryer, Kurdish Human Rights Project; 2004): 18% of Turkey, 20% of Iraq, 8% of Iran, 9.6%+ of Syria; plus 1–2 million in neighboring countries and the diaspora
- ^ a b Sandra Mackey , “The reckoning: Iraq and the legacy of Saddam”, W.W. Norton and Company, 2002. Excerpt from pg 350: “As much as 25% of Turkey is Kurdish.”
- ^ https://ojcs.siue.edu/ojs/index.php/ssa/article/view/1818/496
- ^ John L. Henriques , "Syria: issues and historical background", Nova Science Publishers, [1]
- ^ a b "The Kurdish Diaspora". Institut Kurde De Paris. http://www.institutkurde.org/en/kurdorama/. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The cultural situation of the Kurds, A report by Lord Russell-Johnston, Council of Europe, July 2006.
- ^ a b c d Ismet Chériff Vanly, “The Kurds in the Soviet Union”, in: Philip G. Kreyenbroek & S. Sperl (eds.), The Kurds: A Contemporary Overview (London: Routledge, 1992)). pg 164: Table based on 1990 estimates: Azerbaijan (180,000), Armenia (50,000), Georgia (40,000), Kazakhistan (30,000), Kyrghizistan (20,000), Uzbekistan (10,000), Tajikistan (3,000), Turkmenistan (50,000), Siberia (35,000), Krasnodar (20,000), Other (12,000), Total 450,000
- ^ Bois, Th.; Minorsky, V.; Bois, Th.; Bois, Th.; MacKenzie, D.N.; Bois, Th. "Kurds, Kurdistan." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. <http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_COM-0544> Excerpt 1:"The Kurds, an Iranian people of the Near East, live at the junction of more or less laicised Turkey"
- Michael G. Morony, "Iraq After the Muslim Conquest", Gorgias Press LLC, 2005. pg 265: "Kurds were the only smaller ethnic group native to Iraq. As with the Persians, their presence along the northeastern edge of Iraq was merely an extension of their presence in Western Iran. All of the non-Persian, tribal, pastoral, Iranian groups in the foothills and the mountains of the Zagros range along the eastern fringes of Iraq were called Kurds at that time."
- ^ G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp.1-58, 2009: "The ancient history of the Kurds, as in case of many other Iranian ethnic groups (Baluchis, etc.), can be reconstructed but in a very tentative and abstract form"
- ^ Michael G. Morony, "Iraq After the Muslim Conquest", Gorgias Press LLC, 2005. pg 265: "Kurds were only small ethnic group native to Iraq. As with the Persians, their presence along the northeastern edge of Iraq was merely an extension of their presence in Western Iran. All of the non-Persian, tribal, pastoral, Iranian groups in the foothills and the mountains of the Zagros range along the eastern fringes of Iraq were called Kurd at that time.
- ^ E. J. van Donzel, "Islamic desk reference ", BRILL, 1994. ISBN-9004097384. pg 222: "Kurds/Kurdistan: the Kurds are an Iranian people who live mainly at the junction of more or less laicised Turkey, Shi'i Iran Arab Sunni Iraq and North Syria and the former Soviet Transcaucasia. Several dynasties, such as the Marwanids of Diyarbakir, the Ayyubids, the Shaddadis and possibly the Safawids, as well as prominent personalities, were of Kurdish origin.
- ^ John Limbert, The Origins and Appearance of the Kurds in Pre-Islamic Iran, Iranian Studies, Vol.1, No.2, Spring 1968, pp.41-51. p.41: "In these last areas, the historic road from Baghdad to Hamadan and beyond divides the Kurds from their Iranian cousins, the Lurs."
- ^ RUSSELL, JR 1990 « Pre-Christian Armenian Religion*, dans Aufstieg und Nieder- gang der Romischen Welt, II, 18.4, p. 2679-2692, Berlin-New York, 1990., pg 2691: "A study of the pre-Islamic religion of the Kurds, an Iranian people who inhabited southern parts of Armenia from ancient times to present, has yet to be written"
- ^ Discoveries from Kurdish Looms by Robert D. Biggs, Mary and Leigh Block Gallery, Northwestern University, 1983, p.9 "Ethnically the Kurds are an Iranian people"
- ^ D.N. Mackenzie, "The Origin of Kurdish", Transactions of Philological Society, 1961, pp 68–86
- ^ Leonard, Thomas M. Encyclopedia of the developing world, Volume. Taylor & Francis, 2006. Excerpt: "Today the Kurds remain the only ethnic group in the world with indigenous representation in four world geopolitical blocs: the Arab World (in Iraq and Syria), NATO (in Turkey), the South Asian-Central Asian bloc (Iran and Turkmenistan), and the Russian-dominated bloc (since 1991, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). (924)
- ^ G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009: "Generally, the etymons and primary meanings of tribal names or ethnonyms, as well as place names, are often irrecoverable; Kurd is also an obscurity"
- ^ G. S. Reynolds, A Reflection on Two Qurʾānic Words (Iblīs and Jūdī), with Attention to the Theories of A. Mingana, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 124, No. 4 (Oct.–Dec., 2004), pp. 675–689. (see p.683, 684 & 687)
- ^ G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009: "Evidently, the most reasonable explanation of this ethnonym must be sought for in its possible connections with the Cyrtii (Cyrtaei) of the Classical authors."
- ^ Ilya Gershevitch, William Bayne Fisher, The Cambridge History of Iran: The Median and Achamenian Periods, 964 pp., Cambridge University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-521-20091-1, ISBN 978-0-521-20091-2, (see footnote of p.257)
- ^ G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009. Excerpt 1: ""Generally, the etymons and primary meanings of tribal names or ethnonyms, as well as place names, are often irrecoverable; Kurd is also an obscurity" " Excerpt 2: "It is clear that kurt in all the contexts has a distinct social sense, “nomad, tent-dweller”.It could equally be an attribute for any Iranian ethnic group having similar characteristics. To look for a particular ethnic sense here would be a futile exercise." pg 24: "The Pahlavi materials clearly show that kurd in pre-Islamic Iran was a social label, still a long way off from becoming an ethnonym or a term denoting a distinct group of people."
- ^ Bois, Th.; Minorsky, V.; Bois, Th.; Bois, Th.; MacKenzie, D.N.; Bois, Th. "Kurds, Kurdistan." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. <http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_COM-0544> Excerpt 1:"The Kurds, an Iranian people of the Near East, live at the junction of more or less laicised Turkey" "We thus find that about the period of the Arab conquest a single ethnic term Kurd (plur. Akra-d ) was beginning to be applied to an amalgamation of Iranian or iranicised tribes."
- ^ McDowall, David. 2000. A modern history of the Kurds. London: I.B. Tauris. p9
- ^ G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009
- ^ Ludwig Paul, "HISTORY OF THE KURDISH LANGUAGE" in Encyclopedia Iranica "Linguistics itself, or dialectology, does not provide any general or straightforward definition of at which point a language becomes a dialect (or vice versa). To attain a fuller understanding of the difficulties and questions that are raised by the issue of the “Kurdish language,” it is therefore necessary to consider also non-linguistic factors."
- ^ "Ludwig Paul, "Kurdish language"". Iranica.com. 2008-12-15. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kurdish-language-i. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Geographic distribution of Kurdish and other Iranic languages
- ^ "Kurdish Nationalism and Competing Ethnic Loyalties", Original English version of: "Nationalisme kurde et ethnicités intra-kurdes", Peuples Méditerranéens no. 68–69 (1994), 11–37. Excerpt: "This view was criticised by the linguist D.N. MacKenzie, according to whom there are but few linguistic features that all Kurdish dialects have in common and that are not at the same time found in other Iranian languages."
- ^ a b G. Asatrian, Prolegomena to the Study of the Kurds, Iran and the Caucasus, Vol.13, pp. 1–58, 2009: "The classification of the Kurdish dialects is not an easy task, despite the fact that there have been numerous attempts mostly by Kurdish authors to put them into a system. However, for the time being the commonly accepted classification of the Kurdish dialects is that of the late Prof. D. N. Mackenzie, the author of fundamental works in Kurdish dialectology (see Mackenzie 1961; idem 1961–1962; idem 1963a; idem 1981), who distinguished three groups of dialects: Northern, Central, and Southern."
- ^ Kurdish language. Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ "Kurdish language - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/325225/Kurdish-language. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b c d e Bois, Th.; Minorsky, V.; Bois, Th.; Bois, Th.; MacKenzie, D.N.; Bois, Th. "Kurds, Kurdistan." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. <http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_COM-0544> Excerpt 1:"The Kurds, an Iranian people of the Near East, live at the junction of more or less laicised Turkey"..Excerpt 2: "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" Excerpt 3:"We thus find that about the period of the Arab conquest a single ethnic term Kurd (plur. Akrād ) was beginning to be applied to an amalgamation of Iranian or iranicised tribes. Among the latter, some were autochthonous (the Ḳardū; the Tmorik̲h̲/Ṭamurāyē in the district of which Alḳī = Elk was the capital; the Χοθα̑ίται [= al-Ḵh̲uwayt̲h̲iyya] in the canton of Ḵh̲oyt of Sāsūn, the Orṭāyē [= al-Arṭān] in the bend of the Euphrates); some were Semites (cf. the popular genealogies of the Kurd tribes) and some probably Armenian (it is said that the Mamakān tribe is of Mamikonian origin). " Excerpt 4: "In the 20th century, the existence of an Iranian non-Kurdish element among the Kurds has been definitely established (the Gūrān-Zāzā group)."
- ^ Philip G. Kreyenbroek, Stefan Sperl, "The Kurds", Published by Routledge, 1992.
- ^ McKenzie, D. N. (1961) ‘The origins of Kurdish’, in Transactions of the Philological Society: 68–86.
- ^ Kreyenbroek, Philip (1992). "On the Kurdish Language", in The Kurds: a contemporary overview, eds. Philip Kreyenbroek and Stefan Sperl (p. 69).
- ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html
- ^ The CIA Factbook reports all non-Arabs make up 9.7% of the Syrian population, and does not break out the Kurdish figure separately. However, the United States State Department's country background notes indicates that the number is 9%.
- ^ http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm
- ^ "CIA: The World Factbook". Cia.gov. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Amir Hassanpour, "A Stateless Nation's Quest for Sovereignty in the Sky", Paper presented at the Freie Universitat Berlin, 7 November 1995.
- ^ a b M. Van Bruinessen, Agha, Shaikh and State, 373 pp., Zed Books, 1992. p.122:"The Kurds are undoubtedly of heterogeneous origins. Many people lived in what is now Kurdistan during the past millennia and almost all of the [sic?] them have disappeared as ethnic or linguistic groups.", p.117:"It is certainly not true that all tribes in Kurdistan have a common origin."
- ^ Windfuhr, Gernot. "Isoglosses: A Sketch on Persians and Parthians, Kurds and Medes" in Hommages et Opera Minora, Monumentum H. S. Nyberg, Vol. 2., Acta Iranica 5. Tehran-Liège: Bibliothèque Pahlavi, 457-472. pg 468. excerpt:"One may add that the overlay of a strong superstrate by a dialect from the eastern parts of Iran does not imply the conclusion that ethnically all Kurdish speakers are from the east, just as one would hesitate to identify the majority of Azarbayjani speakers as ethnic Turks. The majority of those who now speak Kurdish most likely were formerly speakers of Median dialects"
- ^ John Limbert, The Origins and Appearance of the Kurds in Pre-Islamic Iran, Iranian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, Spring 1968
- ^ a b Thomas Bois, The Kurds, 159 pp., 1966. (see p.10)
- ^ Encyclopedia Iranica, "Carduchi" by M. Dandamayev
- ^ a b Ilya Gershevitch, William Bayne Fisher, The Cambridge History of Iran: The Median and Achamenian Periods, 964 pp., Cambridge University Press, 1985, ISBN 0-521-20091-1, ISBN 978-0-521-20091-2, (see footnote of p.257)
- ^ P.G. Kreyenbroek, S. Sperl, The Kurds: a contemporary overview, 272 pp., Routledge Publishers, 1991. p.11:"By the time of the Arab Muslim conquests of the seventh century AD, the ethnic term Kurd was being applied to an amalgam of Iranian and Iranicized tribes, some of which may have been indigenous Kardu, but many of which were of Semetic or other ethnic origin."
- ^ D. McDowall, A modern history of the Kurds, 504 pp., I.B. Taris Publishers, 2004. p.9: "The Arab Rawadid tribe, which moved into Kurdistan at the beginning of the Abbasid era (750 CE) was considered to be Kurdish within 200 years, although its Arab origin was well known."
- ^ John Limbert, The Origins and Appearance of the Kurds in Pre-Islamic Iran, Iranian Studies, Vol.1, No.2, Spring 1968, pp. 41–51. p.42: "Some Kurdish tribes have given themselves Arab origins-- Arab tribes would go to the mountains, mingle with foreigners, and forget their mother tongue. These Arab genealogies may have a factual basis when we consider that the Kurds are apparently not homogeneous, but an amalgam of various ethnic elements."
- ^ W. Jwaideh, The Kurdish national movement: its origins and development, 419 pp., Syracuse University Press, 2006. p.11:"Despite the fact that the Kurds speak dialects akin to Persian, they are by no means a purely Iranian people", "The development of the Kurds Iranian character was at first slow and gradual process", "The Iranization of the Zagros and the Taurus mountain ranges was brought about by the appearance of the Medes, the Persians and other Iranian peoples."
- ^ M. Van Bruinessen, The Ethnic Identity of the Kurds, pp. 613–621 in Ethnic groups in Republic of Turkey, ed. by P.A. Andrews and R. Benninghaus, 664 pp., Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, 1989. p.619:"Karakeçili tribe located in the southwest of Diyarbakir are kurdophone, but according to local tradition they were originally Turkmen from Western Anatolia, who had been settled in this region by Sultan Selim I after the Ottoman conquest. Their process of Kurdification must have been completed before the 18th century, for the descendants of a section of this tribe who moved to Haymana (south of Ankara) around that time also continue to speak Kurdish."
- ^ S. Mutlu, Ethnic Kurds in Turkey, International Journal of Middle East Studies, pp. 517–541, Vol.28, No.4, 1996. p.519:"Some Turkish tribes living among Kurds, such as Karakeçili, Türkan and Beğdili also became Kurdish speakers."
- ^ D. McDowall, A Modern History of the Kurds, 515 pp., I.B. Tauris & Co., 2004. p.9: "There can be no doubt that at a later stage certain Arab and Turkoman tribes became Kurdish by culture."
- ^ M. Leezenberg, Gorani Influence on Central Kurdish, Substratum or Prestige Borrowing?, Conference on Bilingualism in the Iranian World, Germany, 1992. "The Shabak as well as Zengana tribes are in fact descendants from the partly Turcoman shia tribes that migrated in the East of Ottoman empire and in Safavid Persia until the 17th century. Zengana traditionally lived southeast of Kirkuk and Khanaqin and they seem to have largely assimilated to their Sorani-speaking neighbors."
- ^ D. McDowall, A Modern History of the Kurds, 515 pp., I.B. Tauris & Co., 2004. p.12:"In the 1940s, a shrinking Armenian but Kurdish-speaking tribe with a tenuous grasp of Christian doctrine was noticed in central Kurdistan, where it was progressively merging with a Kurdish tribe."
- ^ Martin Van Bruinessen, Genocide in Kurdistan?: The Suppression of the Dersim Rebellion In Turkey (1937–38) and the Chemical War Against the Iraqi Kurds (1988) in Genocide: conceptual and historical dimensions, by George J. Andreopoulos, 280 pp., Scholarly Book Services Inc., 2002. p.166: "Many of the Dersim Kurds are partly of Armenian descent- Dersim used to have a large Armenian population. Even well before the Armenian massacres(1915), many local Armenians voluntarily assimilated, becoming Alevi Kurds".
- ^ Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites: the ghulat sects, , 580 pp., Syracuse University Press, 1987. p.433:"One of the Kurdish tribes in the province of Sivas is possibly of Armenian origin. The Kizilbash Kurds retain certain Christian practices and sometimes call themselves Christians. There is evidence that some of the Kizilbash Kurds of Dersim came originally from Armenia".
- ^ Edwin Munsell Bliss, Turkey and the Armenian atrocities, 574 pp., Meshag Publishers, California, 1982, p.89:"Many of the Kurds of that section (Kharput) were originally of Armenian origin."
- ^ Abbas-Ali Madih, The Kurds of Khorasan, Iran and the Caucasus, pp. 11–31, Vol.11, 2007. p.14: "Even the presence of a certain Armenian ethnic element in the bulk of the Khorasani Kurds can not be totally excluded. In my field works, while identifying villages in the district of Chenaran (between Quchan and Mashad), for instance, I came across people who were claiming to be of Armenian origin." p.15:"Even in a superficial skimming of the language of the Khorasani Kurds, a number of important borrowings from Armenian become apparent. In the phonological system of the Khorasani Kurmanji, the Armenian trace is also visible. Also, after winnowing, when the work on the thrashing-floor is over, some groups of the Khorasani Kurds draw a cross-sign on the grain heaps cleaned from the husk, thus rendering homage to an old tradition"
- ^ a b c Antonio Panaino, Sara Circassia, ed. (2006). The scholarly contribution of Ilya Gershevitch to the development of Iranian studies: International Seminar, 11th April 2003, Ravenna (Simorg Series ed.). Mimesis Edizioni. ISBN 88-8483-314-0. See page 71-2.
- ^ Encyclopedia Iranica, "Carduchi" by M. Dandamayev Excerpt: "It has repeatedly been argued that the Carduchi were the ancestors of the Kurds, but the Cyrtii (Kurtioi) mentioned by Polybius, Livy, and Strabo (see MacKenzie, pp. 68–69) are more likely candidates."
- ^ David McDowall, A modern history of the Kurds, 515 pp., I.B.Tauris, 2004, ISBN 1-85043-416-6, ISBN 978-1-85043-416-0 (see p.9)
- ^ "R. S. Humphreys, "Ayyubids" in Encyclopedia Iranica". Iranica.com. http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ayyubids. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Ozoglu, Hakan. Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries. Feb 2004. ISBN 978-0-7914-5993-5. Pg 95.
- ^ Ozoglu, Hakan. Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries. Feb 2004. ISBN 978-0-7914-5993-5. Pg 75.
- ^ a b Laçiner, Bal; Bal, Ihsan. "The Ideological And Historical Roots Of Kurdist Movements In Turkey: Ethnicity Demography, Politics". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 10 (3): 473–504. DOI:10.1080/13537110490518282. http://www.turkishweekly.net/articles.php?id=15. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ Natali, Denise. "Ottoman Kurds and emergent Kurdish nationalism". Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies 13 (3): 383–387. DOI:10.1080/1066992042000300701.
- ^ Fisk, R. The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East, p.322. Vintage. ISBN 978-1-4000-7517-1
- ^ Dominik J. Schaller, Jürgen Zimmerer, Late Ottoman genocides: the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and Young Turkish population and extermination policies—introduction, Journal of Genocide Research, Vol.10, No.1, p.8, March 2008.
- ^ C. Dahlman, The Political Geography of Kurdistan, Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol.43, No.4, 2002, p.279
- ^ "By Location". Adherents.com. http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_155.html. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ G.S. Harris, Ethnic Conflict and the Kurds in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, pp. 118–120, 1977
- ^ Introduction. Genocide in Iraq: The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds (Human Rights Watch Report, 1993).
- ^ G.S. Harris, Ethnic Conflict and the Kurds in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, p.121, 1977
- ^ M. Farouk-Sluglett, P. Sluglett, J. Stork, Not Quite Armageddon: Impact of the War on Iraq, MERIP Reports, July–September 1984, p.24
- ^ International Center for Transitional Justice. The Prosecution Witness and Documentary Evidence Phases of the Anfal Trial http://www.ictj.org/images/content/7/2/725.pdf "According to the Chief Prosecutor, Iraqi forces repeatedly used chemical weapons, killed up to 182,000 civilians, forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands more, and almost completely destroyed local infrastructure."
- ^ Security Council Resolution 688, 5 April 1991.
- ^ D. McDowall, A Modern History of The Kurds, I.B. Tauris, 504 pp., 2004.(see pp. 373,375)
- ^ Johnathan C. Randal, After such knowledge, what forgiveness?: my encounters with Kurdistan, Westview Press, 368 pp., 1998.(see pp. 107–108)
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "FOXNews.com – Kurds Rejoice, But Fighting Continues in North – U.S. & World". Fox News. 2003-04-09. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83642,00.html. [dead link]
- ^ "– Coalition makes key advances in northern Iraq – April 10, 2003". Cnn.com. 2003-04-10. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/10/sprj.irq.war.main/index.html. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Published on Fri Apr 11 01:00:00 BST 2003. "The Scotsman". Thescotsman.scotsman.com. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=421832003. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Full Text of Iraqi Constitution, The Washington Post, October 2005.
- ^ United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2009 - Countries of Particular Concern: Iraq, 1 May 2009, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4a4f2735c.html [accessed 11 March 2012]
- ^ Turkey, The World Factbook, CIA, 2008.
- ^ "Thousands of Kurds celebrate New Kurdish Year Newroz in southeastern Turkey". Ekurd.net. 2008-03-21. http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2008/3/turkeykurdistan1755.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Ethnologue census of languages in Asian portion of Turkey". Ethnologue.com. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TRA. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Turkey - Population". Countrystudies.us. 1994-12-31. http://countrystudies.us/turkey/24.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Linguistic and Ethnic Groups in Turkey". Countrystudies.us. http://countrystudies.us/turkey/26.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ H. Hannum, Autonomy, Sovereignty, and Self-determination, 534 pp., University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8122-1572-9, ISBN 978-0-8122-1572-4 (see page 186).
- ^ a b Reşat Kasaba, The Cambridge History of Turkey, 600 pp., Cambridge University Press, 2008, ISBN 0-521-62096-1, ISBN 978-0-521-62096-3 (see page 340)
- ^ Reşat Kasaba, The Cambridge History of Turkey, 600 pp., Cambridge University Press, 2008, ISBN 0-521-62096-1, ISBN 978-0-521-62096-3 (see page 348)
- ^ COUNCIL COMMON POSITION 2008/586/CFSP of 15 July 2008: updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2007/871/CFSP
- ^ Radu, Michael. (2001). "The Rise and Fall of the PKK". Orbis 45 (1): 47–64. DOI:10.1016/S0030-4387(00)00057-0.
- ^ "Kurdistan – Turkey: Insurrection". Alexandria, Virginia, USA: GlobalSecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-turkey-insurrection.htm. Retrieved 20 October 2010. "One government strategy was the forced evacuation and in a number of instances burning some 850 Kurdish villages to prevent them from harboring PKK insurgents. Although militarily successful, the evacuations have caused great hardship to the villagers. The government was accused of harassment, destruction of villages, and the slaying of Kurds believed to be sympathetic to the PKK. Its tactics resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and turned thousands into refugees, who then crowded into major Turkish cities. The insurgents, in turn, targeted villages known to be sympathetic to the government, murdering state officials, teachers, government collaborators, and paramilitary village guards."
- ^ ""Still critical": Prospects in 2005 for Internally Displaced Kurds in Turkey" (PDF). Human Rights Watch (New York: Human Rights Watch) 17 (2(D)): 5–7. March 2005. ISBN D1702. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/turkey0305/turkey0305.pdf. "The local gendarmerie (soldiers who police rural areas) required villages to show their loyalty by forming platoons of “provisional village guards,” armed, paid, and supervised by the local gendarmerie post. Villagers were faced with a frightening dilemma. They could become village guards and risk being attacked by the PKK or refuse and be forcibly evacuated from their communities. Evacuations were unlawful and violent. Security forces would surround a village using helicopters, armored vehicles, troops, and village guards, and burn stored produce, agricultural equipment, crops, orchards, forests, and livestock. They set fire to houses, often giving the inhabitants no opportunity to retrieve their possessions. During the course of such operations, security forces frequently abused and humiliated villagers, stole their property and cash, and ill-treated or tortured them before herding them onto the roads and away from their former homes. The operations were marked by scores of “disappearances” and extrajudicial executions. 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."
- ^ Michael M. Gunter, The Kurds and the future of Turkey, 194 pp., Palgrave Macmillan, 1997. (p.66)
- ^ Michael M. Gunter, The Kurds and the future of Turkey, 194 pp., Palgrave Macmillan, 1997. (pp. 15, 66)
- ^ Bulent Gokay, The Kurdish Question in Turkey: Historical Roots, Dometic Concerns and International Law, in Minorities, Peoples and Self-Determination, Ed. by Nazila Ghanea and Alexandra Xanthaki, 352 pp., Martinus Nijhoff/Brill Publishers, 2005. (p.332)
- ^ Election results 2009 http://secim.haberler.com/2009/partisonuc.asp?id=10
- ^ J. C. Randal, After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness?, 356 pp., Westview Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8133-3580--9, p.258
- ^ J. C. Randal, After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness?, 356 pp., Westview Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8133-3580-9, p.259
- ^ a b Iran: Ethnic Groups, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Human Rights Abuses Against the Kurdish minority, 2008. Source http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/088/2008/en/f45865e9-5e3e-11dd-a592-c739f9b70de8/mde130882008eng.html Accessed on 2/2012. "Forced evictions and destruction of homes have left Kurds with restricted access to adequate housing.2 Parents are banned from registering their babies with certain Kurdish names. The use of the Kurdish language in education is frequently thwarted."
- ^ A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan By Gérard Chaliand, Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Marco Pallis, pg. 205
- ^ "Fifteenth periodic report of States parties due in 1998: Islamic Republic of Iran". Unhchr.ch. http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/f52bcc85689b17998025679f003f5a36?Opendocument. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b c M. Rubin, Are Kurds a Pariah Minority?, Social Research, Vol.70, No.1, Spring 2003, pp. 295–330
- ^ The Security of Southwest Asia by Zalmay Khalilza, page 191, University of Michigan Publishing
- ^ S. Ghaderi-Mameli, Kurds in the Islamic Republic: A Survey, Geopolitical Affairs, Vol.1, Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics, 2007.
- ^ A Chilling Photograph's Hidden History, The Wall Street Journal, Dec 2, 2006.
- ^ Pulitzer Prize photographer is revealed, 26 years later, The Independent, Dec 9, 2006.
- ^ alefbe.com[dead link]
- ^ Iran: Amnesty International calls for an urgent investigation into the killing of demonstrators.
- ^ Iran: Threats against Kurdish human rights defenders must stop[dead link]
- ^ "Status of minorities" (in (French)). Pdk-iran.org. http://www.pdk-iran.org/english/doc/unhrc_iran_2002_minorities.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Amnesty International". Web.amnesty.org. http://web.amnesty.org/wire/October2005/Iran. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Iran's Waning Human Rights (The New York Times)
- ^ "World Gazetteer". Gazetteer.de. http://www.gazetteer.de/wg.php?x=1136895927&men=gpro&lng=en&des=gamelan&dat=200&geo=-106&srt=pnan&col=aohdqcfbeimg&geo=0. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Syria: End persecution of human rights defenders and human rights activists.
- ^ "Syria: The Silenced Kurds". Hrw.org. http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Syria.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Essential Background: Overview of human rights issues in Syria. Human Rights Watch, 31-12-2004.
- ^ Washington, D.C. (2005-09-02). "Syria's Kurds Struggle for Rights". Voanews.com. http://voanews.com/english/archive/2005-09/2005-09-02-voa15.cfm?CFID=46444555&CFTOKEN=26238763. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Vinsinfo. "The Media Line". The Media Line. http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=12568. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Syria to tackle Kurd citizenship problem - Just In (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 2011-04-01. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/01/3179357.htm?section=justin. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Syria: Address Grievances Underlying Kurdish Unrest". Hrw.org. 2004-03-18. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/03/19/syria8132.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Serhildana 12ê Adarê ya Kurdistana Suriyê.
- ^ Kurds and Kurdistan: A General Background, p.22
- ^ "MP: Failed asylum seekers must go back – Dewsbury Reporter". Dewsburyreporter.co.uk. http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news?articleid=2737475. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Published on Tue Jun 12 14:33:59 BST 2007. "'I will not be muzzled' – Malik". Dewsburyreporter.co.uk. http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news/39I-will-not-be-muzzled39.2955186.jp. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ UK Polling Report Election Guide: Dewsbury
- ^ "The Kurds and Islam". International Turkey Network. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070703230947/http://www.itnet.org/kurds_islam.html.
- ^ a b Martin van Bruinessen, When Haji Bektash Still Bore the Name of Sultan Sahak: Notes on the Ahl-i Haqq of the Guran district, in Alexandre Popovic & Gilles Veinstein (eds), Bektachiyya: études sur l'ordre mystique des Bektachis et les groupes relevant de Hadji Bektach. Istanbul: Éditions Isis, 1995, pp. 117–138.
- ^ MOJAN MEMBRADO, "JEYḤUNĀBĀDI, ḤĀJJ NEʿMAT-ALLĀH MOKRI" in Encyclopedia Iranica. "Ḥājj Neʿmat-Allāh compiled and commented upon the existing material of the Ahl-e Ḥaqq tradition, stating his dismay at how far the Yāresān (i.e., Ahl-e Ḥaqq) had strayed from their core principles, and how those who at one time strove to realize the four pillars of purity, rectitude, self-effacement, and self-abnegation (pāki, rāsti, nisti, redā)
- ^ Jean During, "Notes Sur L'Angelgie Ahl-e-Haqq" in Gilles Veinstein, Syncrétismes et hérésies dans l'Orient seljoukide et ottoman (XIVe-XVIIIe siècles): actes du colloque du collège de France, octobre 2001
- ^ Yazidis, Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- ^ Hartz, Paula R. Zoroastrianism. "Until the ninth century, however, Zoroastrianism was still the majority religion," p52. Infobase Publishing, 2009.
- ^ Rojkan, Nesrin. "Kurds Open Zoroastrian Temple in Sweden". Rudaw, 27 Feb 2012. http://www.rudaw.net/english/world/4466.html
- ^ Jewish Subjects and their Tribal Chieftains in Kurdistan: A Study in Survival, By Mordechai Zaken. Published by Brill: • August 2007 • ISBN 978-90-04-16190-0 • Hardback (xxii, 364 pp.) • Jewish Identities in a Changing World, vol. 9
- ^ "Iraqi Kurds". culturalorientation.net. Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060902043336/http://www.culturalorientation.net/kurds/krelig.html.
- ^ DVD ~ Yilmaz Güney. "Yol (1982)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/6302824435. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ W. Juwaideh, The Kurdish national movement: its origins and development, 419 pp., Syracuse University Press, 2006.(see p.41),
Bibliography[link]
- Barth, F. 1953. Principles of Social Organization in Southern Kurdistan. Bulletin of the University Ethnographic Museum 7. Oslo.
- Hansen, H.H. 1961. The Kurdish Woman's Life. Copenhagen. Ethnographic Museum Record 7:1–213.
- Leach, E.R. 1938. Social and Economic Organization of the Rowanduz Kurds. London School of Economics Monographs on Social Anthropology 3:1–74.
- Longrigg, S.H. 1953. Iraq, 1900–1950. London.
- Masters, W.M. 1953. Rowanduz. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan.
External links[link]
- Kurds and Kurdistan, Encyclopaedia of Islam.
- Kurds, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Kurd, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- The Kurds: People without a country, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- 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, January 2005.
- Ethnic Cleansing and the Kurds
- The Kurds in the Ottoman Hungary by Zurab Aloian
- "The Other Iraq" Kurdish Information Website
- 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
- McKiernan, Kevin (March/April 1999). "Turkey's war on the Kurds". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) 55 (2): 26–37. DOI:10.2968/055002008. http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/wg3804452810m184/?p=ee9133a6962b49f093b163254a36d80c&pi=7. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
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| Massoud Barzani مەسعوود بارزانی |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Iraqi Kurdistan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 14 June 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | Nechervan Idris Barzani Barham Salih |
| Vice President | Kosrat Rasul Ali |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| President of the Governing Council of Iraq | |
| In office 1 April 2004 – 30 April 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Mohammad Bahr al-Ulloum |
| Succeeded by | Ezzedine Salim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-08-16) 16 August 1946 (age 65) Mahabad, Mahabad, Iran |
| Political party | Kurdistan Democratic Party |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Massoud Barzani (Kurdish: مەسعوود بارزانی; Arabic: مسعود بارزاني; born 16 August 1946) is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad. He has five sons (including Masrour) and three daughters.
Massoud Barzani succeeded his father, the former Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani, as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1979. Working closely with his brother Idriss Barzani until Idriss' death, Barzani and various other Kurdish groups fought Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq War. For much of this time, the Kurdish leadership was exiled to Iran.
Contents |
The autonomous zone[link]
With Saddam Hussein's defeat in the first Gulf War, Kurdish forces were able to retake much of the traditional homeland of the Kurds in Iraq. However, as Iraqi forces regrouped they pushed the Kurdish fighters back and hundreds of thousands of civilians fled to the mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, where thousands died under heavy fire from Iraqi gunships and many more succumbed to starvation and exposure. United States-led allies started Operation Provide Comfort to establish a safe zone within Iraq. This zone, protected by a no-fly zone, eventually developed into an autonomous Kurdish zone under the control of the two dominant Kurdish political parties, the KDP led by Massoud Barzani and the PUK led by Jalal Talabani. This zone incorporated most of the three governorates of Duhok, Hewler, and Silemani.
The Kurdish zone was divided between the two dominant parties; KDP in the Northwest and PUK in the Southeast. In December 1994 fighting broke out between the Peshmerga of PUK and of KDP. PUK quickly gained the upper hand and took control of Hewler city. Several armistice agreements were made and broken.
In the summer of 1996 Massoud Barzani called on the assistance of Saddam Hussein's Baath regime, and drove the PUK over the border to Iran. The PUK eventually regrouped and with Iranian assistance retook Silemani and parts of Hewler province. Hewler city remained in the hands of the KDP.
President of Kurdistan Region[link]
After the invasion of Iraq in 2003 Barzani became a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and was the president of the council in April 2004. He was elected as the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region by the Parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan in June 2005.[1][2][3]
In his presidency Mr Barzani has established several institutions in the Kurdistan Region to develop its emerging democracy, strengthen alliances and improve the decision-making process. In January 2007 he established the Kurdistan Presidency Council, which includes the Deputy President (Mr Kosrat Rasul Ali), the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Kurdistan National Assembly, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region.[citation needed]
In February 2011, President Barzani received the Atlantic Award from the Italian Atlantic Committee and the Italian Delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly, for his role in promoting peace, stability, and religious tolerance in the region. During the same visit Pope Benedict XVI received President Barzani and paid tribute to the President for his role in providing refuge and assistance to the fleeing Christians. The Atlantic Award is annually conferred to prominent international figures for their role in promoting peace, stability and religious tolerance in their regions.
As President of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani has made official visits to several countries including: meeting with US President George W. Bush at the White House (25 October 2005), UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street (31 October 2005), The Pope at the Vatican (14 November 2005), Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi in Rome (13 November 2005), King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh (13 March 2007) and King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman (19 March 2007).[4]
In July 2009, in the first direct election for the presidency of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Massoud Barzani was reelected as president by a popular ballot, receiving 69.6% of the votes. The elections were closely monitored by international observers and the Iraqi Electoral Commission. They were declared "free and fair".[citation needed]
Criticism[link]
Massoud Barzani and his relatives allegedly control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by some Kurdish media as well as international observers including Michael Rubin. In spite of the alleged accusation, President Barzani on several occasions has denied involvement in any commercial enterprises.[5] In May 2010 the journalist Sardasht Osman was murdered after criticising the Barzani family.[6] In July 2010 the opposition paper Rozhnama accused the Barzani-led KDP of pocketing large sums from illegal oil-smuggling.[7]
References[link]
- ^ "Middle East | Iraqi Kurdistan leader sworn in". BBC News. 2005-06-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4092926.stm. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ (2005-06-12). "Kurds in Northern Iraq Elect Regional President | News | English". Voanews.com. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-06/2005-06-12-voa17.cfm?CFID=4409674&CFTOKEN=96857876. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "President Bush Meets with President Barzani of Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. 2005-10-25. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/10/images/20051025-7_d-0221-515h.html. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Rubin, Michael (2008-01). "Is Iraqi Kurdistan a Good Ally?". AEI Middle Eastern Outlook. Middle East Forum. http://www.meforum.org/article/1822.
- ^ "Second journalist killed in Iraqi Kurdistan - Reporters Without Borders". En.rsf.org. http://en.rsf.org/irak-second-journalist-killed-in-iraqi-06-05-2010,37397.html. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Rudaw in English The Happening: Latest News and Multimedia about Kurdistan, Iraq and the World - KDP To Sue Change Movement‘s Paper". Rudaw.net. 2011-07-20. http://rudaw.net/english/kurds/3070.html. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Masoud Barzani |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mohammad Bahr al-Ulloum |
President of the Governing Council of Iraq 2004 |
Succeeded by Ezzedine Salim |
| New office | President of Iraqi Kurdistan 2005–present |
Incumbent |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
.svg){kind=small}
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barzani, Masoud |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 16 August 1946 |
| Place of birth | Mahabad, Mahabad, Iran |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010) |
| Shadmehr Aghili شادمهر عقیلی |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Shadmehr Aghili |
| Born | (1973-01-27) January 27, 1973 (age 39) Tehran,  Iran |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, Musician, Composer, Music Arranger, Actor, Producer and Song-writer |
| Instruments | Keyboard, Violin, Guitar, Piano, Electric guitar, Santur, Mandolin[1], Trumpet[2], Harmonica[3], Electronic Keyboard, Drum kit, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar,[4], Banjo, Koto[5] and Percussion instrument[citation needed] |
| Website | http://www.shadmehraghili.net |
Shadmehr Aghili (Persian: شادمهر عقیلی, born on January 27, 1973 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer,[6][7][8] and formerly an actor. He emigrated to Canada first, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Shadmehr is known as the "King of Persian Pop" and is one of the most popular Persian musicians and singers.[9]
Contents |
Career[link]
Seven single tracks entitled "Sabab" (Reason), "Residi" (You Arrived), "Mashkook" (Doubtful), "Boghz" (Choke of tears), "Bia" (Come), "Tane To" (Your Body) and "Ye Kari Kon" (Do Something) were all released under an unofficial title Sabab and were distributed even in Iran through underground black markets. Four of these tracks, namely "Sabab", "Residi", "Mashkook" and "Ye Kari Kon" in addition to three more tracks "Khial" (Image / Vision), "Shila" and "Tars" (Fear) are on his official album release Taghdir (Destiny) released by Century Records. On a cover of his Taghdir album he mentions that he was inspired by a 2005 Greek song (Bora Ise Tha Peraseis by Thanos Petrelis) for his Mashkook song. He is also the first Iranian musician to popularize the mandolin instrument in Persian music industry through his "Mashkook" and "Yekari Kon" songs from the mentioned album. He has recently released a new single track titled "Halam Avaz Misheh" (I Feel Better) after "Azadi" (Freedom) and "Adat" (Habit) singles. Shadmehr Aghili is the second Iranian -after Asadollah Malek- placed among the list of famous violinists.[10][11]
Discography[link]
Albums[link]
- "Bahare Man (My Spring) (Instrumental)" (1997)
- "Mosafer (The Traveler)" (1998)
- "fasle ashenai" (1998)
- "Dehati (The Villager / Countryman)" (1999)
- "mashghe sokot" (1999)
- "Naghmehaye Sharghi (Eastern Melodies / Tunes)" (1999)
- "fariba (fariba)" (2000)
- "Pare Parvaz (Wings to Fly) (Soundtracks of a movie of the same name)" (2001)
- "adam o hava (adam and hava)" (2001)
- "Khiali Nist (Never Mind) (After Migrating to Canada)" (2002)
- "Doori va Pashimani" (2003)
- "Adam Foroush (The Traitor)" (2004)
- "Popcorn" (2005)
- "Taghdir (Destiny)" (2009)
Singles[link]
- Tu Binahayate Shab (Through the Infinity of Night)
- Ghafas (Cage)
- Atr o Shabnam (Scent and Dew)
- Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night)
- Dadashi (Dear Brother)
- Khaneh Kharab (Cross-tie Walker / Tramp / Wanderer)
- Ghame Tanhayi (Sorrow of Loneliness)
- To Ro Injoori Mikham (I Want You This Way)
- Lahzaye Asheghane (Romantic Moment)
- Delshekasteh (Heartbroken)
- Bazicheh (Toy (Plaything))
- Hasrat (Regret)
- Shaame Ghariban (Traditional song in Iran)
- Zemestoon (Winter)
- Khanoom Khanooma (Respected Lady)
- Adat (Habit) (2009)
- Azadi (Freedom) (Liberty) (2010)
- Khial (Image / Vision New Version)
- Halam Avaz Misheh (I Feel Better) (2011)
- Ayandeh (Future)
Halam Avaz Misheh has been unofficially remixed multiple times by his fans. Ayandeh (Future) was released on April 28, 2012 and received huge negative critics by his fans. It is announced that Shadmehr will be releasing a new music video named Entekhab (Choice) soon.
Shadmehr Aghili and The Green Movement[link]
Shadmehr also recorded a short track in 2010 with him talking and a background music playing encouraging Iranian people to riot against their government and use the music as a tool to get to freedom and liberty during the green movement after the 1388 Presidential Election in Iran.
Translation of the track[link]
Hello. This is Shadmehr Aghili, who grew up with the revolution, war and all kinds of violences. Music was a remedy for me. Me, and everyone around me. [Deep breath] Music is a tool in all of people's protests for showing disagreement. Promising tool for days of peace in the future. Now, when is the best time to extend freedom, liberty and democracy formed by the good people of Iran in the streets of Iran, and for the huge crowd of people showing up on the streets, to praise the courage and feeling, music should be used as a weapon against violence. Concerts will be held for green and growing of Iran. Concerts will be held for green and growing of Iran. Not only in this concert, but in the next concerts this will be our motto: I am green and growing, I have a root. So that everyone knows even one day won't be stopped of this green presence.'
As an actor[link]
Shadmehr Aghili tested himself as an actor by portraying in two Iranian-language films: Pare Parvaaz (Wings to Fly) [2000] directed by Khosrow Masoomi costarring with Ziba Boroofe, Marjan Shirmohammadi, Davood Naghoor, Shahlaa Naazerian and in Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night) [2001] directed by Sayid Soheili and featuring Ali Ghorbanzadeh and Akram Mahmoodi.
Filmography[link]
- 2000: Pare Parvaaz (Wings to Fly)
- 2001: Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night)
References[link]
- ^ Shadmehr is seen playing the mandolin in his Mashkook music video
- ^ Trumpet was the first musical instrument he ever played according to one of his interviews with Persian Broadcasting Company (PBC Tapesh channel).
- ^ In the movie The Naked Night, Shadmehr plays the harmonica multiple times
- ^ Shadmehr uses the mentioned instruments in his music videos
- ^ In his Taghdir song a compose of the mentioned instruments is heard.
- ^ "Roll Over, Khomeini! Iran Cultivates A Local Rock Scene, Within Limits". The Washington Post. 23 August 2001. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/78405638.html?dids=78405638:78405638&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+23%2C+2001&author=John+Ward+Anderson&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Roll+Over%2C+Khomeini!+Iran+Cultivates+A+Local+Rock+Scene%2C+Within+Limits&pqatl=google. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ "Rock Rolls Once More in Iran As Hard-Liners Back Pop Revival". The Wall Street Journal. 2 June 2000. http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/pearl060200.htm. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ "مصاحبه اختصاصی با شادمهرعقیلی". BBC Persian. 2 September 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2005/09/050902_bs_shadmehr.shtml. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story/2005/09/050902_bs_shadmehr.shtml
- ^ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famous-violinists.html
- ^ http://www.jorgeberges.com/famous-violinists.html
External links[link]
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aghili, Shadmehr |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Musician, singer, composer |
| Date of birth | 27 January 1973 |
| Place of birth | Tehran, Iran |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Shadmehr_Aghili
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadmehr_Aghili
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
