Erbil Kurdish: ھەولێر Arabic: أربيل‎ Aramaic: ܐܪܒܝܠ
Hewlêr Park
Erbil Erbil in Iraq
Coordinates: 36°11′28″N 44°0′33″E / 36.19111°N 44.00917°E / 36.19111; 44.00917Coordinates: 36°11′28″N 44°0′33″E / 36.19111°N 44.00917°E / 36.19111; 44.00917
Country	Iraq
Autonomous region	Kurdistan[1]
Province	Erbil
Settled	9000 BC
Government
• Governor	Nawzad Hadi
Population (2009 est.)
• Total	1,293,839

Erbil (Hewlêr in Roman-alphabet Kurdish) (also written Arbil, or Irbil) (Akkadian: Arba-ilu; Arabic: اربيل‎ Arbīl; Kurdish: ھەولێر Hewlêr; Sumerian: Urbilum; Syriac-Aramaic: ܐܪܒܝܠ Arbaelo) is, with a population of approximately 1.3 million (2009), the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul.^[2] It is located 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Mosul, and is the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Urban life at Erbil can be dated back to at least 6000 BC,^[3][4] and it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.^[3][4] At the heart of the city is the ancient Citadel of Arbil. The Hurrians were the first to establish Urbilum and expand their rule to the rest of northern Mesopotamia. The city has since been under the rule of many regional powers, including the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Arabs, and the Ottomans. Erbil's archaeological museum houses a large collection of pre-Islamic artifacts, and is a center for archaeological projects in the area.^[5]

Etymology[link]

The name Erbil was mentioned in Sumerian holy writings (c. 2000 BC) as Urbilum, Urbelum or Urbillum,^[6] and it may be Sumerian in origin. It is thought to originate from Sumerian UR (city) + BELA (high) meaning the city located in the upper area. The initial ar element also appears in a number of Hurrian place names.

Later, Akkadians/Assyrians rendered the name to mean four gods (arba'ū ilū).^[7] The city was a centre for the worship of the goddess Ishtar. In classical times the city was known by its Aramaic name, Arbela. In Old Persian the city was called Arbairā.^[8] The modern Kurdish name of the city, Hawler, appears to be a corruption of the local Neo-Aramaic name Arbel by a series of metatheses of consonants.^[7]

History[link]

The ancient city wall still dominates the center of Erbil.

Old Minaret, Erbil

Siege of Erbil by the Ilkhanid Mongols in 1258-59 depicted in the depicted in the Jami' al-tawarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, Division Orientale.

Ancient history[link]

It has been claimed that Erbil is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in history.^[9] The Neo-Sumerian ruler of Ur, Amar-Sin sacked Urbilum in his second year, ca. 1975 BC)^[6]

Erbil was under the Assyrian Empire from around 2000 BC until 608 BC, and it remained part of the Assyrian province under Persian, Greek, Parthian, Roman and Sassanid rule.

Under the Median Empire, Cyaxares might have settled a number of people from the Ancient Iranian tribe of Sagarthians in Arbela and Kirkuk, probably as a reward for their help in the capture of Nineveh.^[10] The Persian emperor Cyrus the Great occupied Assyria in 547 BC, and established there an Achaemenid satrapy called in Old Persian Aθurā (Assyria), with Arbela as the capital.^[11]

The Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in 331 BC, took place approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Erbil. After the battle, Darius managed to flee to the city, and, somewhat inaccurately, the confrontation is sometimes known as the "Battle of Arbela".

Erbil became part of the region disputed between Rome and Persia under the Sasanids. The ancient Syriac kingdom of Adiabene (the Greek form of Ḥadyab) had its center at Erbil, and the town and kingdom are known in Jewish Middle Eastern history for the conversion of the royal family to Judaism.^[12] Its populace then converted during the first and second century to Christianity, with Pkidha becoming traditionally its first bishop around 104 AD.^[13][14] The metropolitanate of Ḥadyab in Arbela became a centre of eastern Syriac Christianity until late in the Middle Ages.^[15]

Medieval history[link]

Arbela was an early center of the Syriac Christianity. By 100 AD there was a bishop seated in the city. As many modern Assyrians use Biblical (including Jewish) names, most of the early bishops had Jewish/Biblical names, which does not suggest that many of the early Christians in this city were converts from Judaism.^[16] It served as the seat of a Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the East. From the city's Christian period come many church fathers and well-known authors in Syriac. The city's Aramaic-speaking Assyrian population remained significant in size until destruction of the city by the forces of Timur in 1397.^[17]

Great Mosque in Hewlêr (Erbil).

In the Middle Ages, Erbil was ruled successively by the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Buwayhids, the Seljuks and then by the Atabegs of Erbil (1131–1232), under whom it was a Turkmen state; they were in turn followed by the Ilkhanids, the Jalayirids, the Karakoyun and the Akkoyun. Erbil was the birthplace of the famous 13th century Muslim historian and writer Ibn Khallikan.

Modern history[link]

The modern town of Erbil stands on a tell topped by an Ottoman fort. During the Middle Ages, Erbil became a major trading centre on the route between Baghdad and Mosul, a role which it still plays today with important road links to the outside world.

The parliament of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region was established in Erbil in 1970 after negotiations between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Mustafa Barzani, but was effectively controlled by Saddam Hussein until the Kurdish uprising at the end of the 1991 Gulf War. The legislature ceased to function effectively in the mid-1990s when fighting broke out between the two main Kurdish factions, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The city was captured by the KDP in 1996 with the assistance of the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The PUK then established an alternative Kurdish government in Sulaimaniyah. KDP claimed that on March 1996 PUK asked for Iran's help to fight KDP. Considering this as a foreign attack on Iraq's soil, the KDP asked the Iraqi government for help.

US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (2nd from right) has dinner with the Commander of the Republic of Korea Division Maj. Gen. Hwang Ui-don in Irbil, Iraq, on October 10, 2004

The Kurdish Parliament in Erbil reconvened after a peace agreement was signed between the Kurdish parties in 1997, but had no real power. The Kurdish government in Erbil had control only in the western and northern parts of the autonomous region. During the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, a United States special forces task force was headquartered just outside of Erbil. The city was the scene of rapturous celebrations on April 10, 2003 after the fall of the Ba'ath regime.

During the US occupation of Iraq, sporadic terrorist attacks have hit Erbil. Parallel bomb attacks against Eid celebrations killed 109 people on February 1, 2004. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamist group Ansar al-Sunnah, and stated to be in solidarity with the Kurdish Islamist faction Ansar al-Islam.^{[citation needed]} Another bombing on May 4, 2005 killed 60 civilians.^{[citation needed]}

The Erbil International Airport opened in the city in 2005.

Main sights[link]

Citadel of Erbil[link]

The Citadel of Arbil is a tell or occupied mound, in the historical heart of Erbil, rising between 25 and 32 metres (82 and 105 ft) from the surrounding plain. The buildings on top of the tell stretch over a roughly oval area of 430 by 340 metres (1,410 × 1,120 ft) occupying 102,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft). It has been claimed that the site is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world.^[4] The earliest evidence for occupation of the citadel mound dates to the 5th millennium BC, and possibly earlier. It appears for the first time in historical sources during the Ur III period, and gained particular importance during the Neo-Assyrian period. West of the citadel at Ary Kon quarter, a chamber tomb dating to the Neo-Assyrian period has been excavated.^[5] During the Sassanian period and the Abbasid Caliphate, Erbil was an important centre for Christianity. After the Mongols captured the citadel in 1258, the importance of Erbil declined.

Erbil International Airport

During the 20th century, the urban structure was significantly modified, as a result of which a number of houses and public buildings were destroyed. In 2007, the High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization (HCECR) was established to oversee the restoration of the citadel. In the same year, all inhabitants, except one family, were evicted from the citadel as part of a large restoration project. Since then, archaeological research and restoration works have been carried out at and around the tell by various international teams and in cooperation with local specialists, and many areas remain off-limits to visitors due to the danger of unstable walls and infrastructure. The government plans to have 50 families live in the citadel once it is renovated.

The only religious structure that currently survives in the citadel is the Mulla Afandi Mosque. When it was fully occupied, the citadel was divided in three districts or mahallas: from east to west the Serai, the Takya and the Topkhana. The Serai was occupied by notable families; the Takya district was named after the homes of dervishes, which are called takyas; and the Topkhana district housed craftsmen and farmers. Other sights to visit in the citadel include the bathing rooms (hamam) built in 1775 located near the mosque and the Textile Museum.^[18]

Other sights[link]

• The covered Erbil Qaysari Bazaars, sometimes known as Kaisary market, lies below the main entrance to the citadel and stocks mainly household goods and tools.
• The 36 m high Mudhafaria Minaret, situated in Minaret Park several blocks from the citadel, dates back to the late 12th century AD and the reign of Erbil king Muzaffar Al-Din Abu Sa’eed Al-Kawkaboori. It has an octagonal base decorated with two tiers of niches, which is separated from the main shaft by a small balcony, also decorated. Another historical minaret with turquoise glazed tiles is nearby.
• Sami Rahman Park
• Franso Hariri Stadium
• The Mound of Qalich Agha lies within the grounds of the Museum of Civilization, 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the citadel. An excavation in 1996 found tools from the Halaf, Ubaid and Uruk periods.^[5]
• Kurdish Textile Museum

Culture[link]

Sports[link]

The local major football team is Arbil SC which plays its football matches at Franso Hariri Stadium which is based in the south part of central Erbil. Erbil SC were the first Kurdish team to make it to theAFC Champions league.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arbil

• Cities of the Ancient Near East

References[link]

External links[link]

• i Erbil – Portal for international visitors
• Livius.org: Arbela
• Hospitality in Hawler Directory of hotels in Arbil with contact information, photos and reviews.

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Nawshirwan Mustafa (Kurdish: Newşîrwan Mistefa) is the General Coordinator (رێکخەری گشتی / rêkxerî giştî) of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.^[1]

Early life[link]

Nawshirwan Mustafa was born in Silemani, Kurdistan Region 1944, the eldest of two sons of Mustafa Émin, Mustafa's grandfather Émin Khider was a financier of the Kingdom of Kurdistan and it's government according to the newspaper Pêşkewtin. Nawshirwan whose name means the immortal soul, was named by his father after the twentieth Sassanid Emperor Khusro I Anōšīravān (dadgar). Silemani has been the seat of the Mustafa family since the city was founded in 1784. Unlike Kurdistan's other prominent political leaders Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, Mustafa hails from a city not a village and is not a member of a tribe.

Mustafa attended the Royal King Faisal school at Silemani and was also taught foreign languages by private tutors at an early age, he went onto study at Baghdad University and then later at Vienna University.

Mustafa speaks in his native language Kurdish both Sorani and Kurmanji and is fluent in Arabic, Persian, English and German.

Posts Held[link]

• Secretary General Komalai Ranjdaran 1970-1992
• Commander in Chief of Peshmerga Forces 1976-1992
• Deputy Secretary General Patriotic Union of Kurdistan 1976-2006
• Leader of the Movement for Change 2009–present

Kurdistan Democratic Party[link]

Mustafa joined the KDP at the age of 17 while still at high school, he rapidly climbed the ranks and was appointed the head of the KDP youth branch, and was later offered the post of head of the KDP branch of Sulaymaniyah by its then party president Mustafa Barzani, however Nawshirwan flatly refused the offer and resigned from the KDP. Mustafa cites differences in opinion over the approach as to how Kurdish independence should be brought about as the reason for the fallout between himself and the KDP in his biography^{[citation needed]}. Before his resignation Mustafa had organised cells of sympathisers who would also leave the KDP along with himself, these cells would later go on to constitute some of the members of his future political party Komalai Ranjdaran.

Komalai Ranjdaran[link]

Mustafa founded the Komalai Ranjdaran party in 1970^{[citation needed]} and became its Secretary General in the same year. Komala began as a secret society holding meetings in safe houses and producing propaganda which was spread through there underground network across Kurdistan, the organisation was sometimes called "the brotherhood" by its members.

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan[link]

Mustafa was in his final year of studies at Vienna University when the Barzani rebellion collapsed. After talks with Jalal Talabani, they decided that a new Kurdish movement needed to be organized to fill the vacuum. He made his way to Damascus where a number of meetings between prominent Kurdish politicians about the future of the Kurdish resistance were taking place. The result of these meetings was the foundation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, an umbrella organization. At the meeting it was announced that Jalal Talabani would become the Secretary General and Nawshirwan the deputy Secretary General. In an understanding between the two leaders it was decided that Nawshirwan would lead and organize the movement in Kurdistan while Talabani would publicize and champion the cause^{[citation needed]}.

Following his return, Mustafa soon took over the leadership of the Komalai Ranjdaran party becoming its Secretary General, which he placed in the Patriotic Union. Jalal Talabani who led Shoresh Garan also placed his party in the Patriotic Union and a number of smaller parties followed suit. This move by them echoed the agreement which they had formulated in exile, thus leading to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. However, these party's would continue to act largely autonomously within the PUK and it was only in 1991 that they fully integrated into one single party, when Nawshirwan resigned from his post as Secretary General of Komala while still retaining the post of deputy secretary general of the PUK, and dissolved the Komalai Ranjdaran (which compiled over 100% of the PUK membership) to increase the unity within the PUK and allow for the transition of power from the Peshmerga (the military wing of the PUK) to the civilian population.

Between 1976 and 1992, Nawshirwan was the PUKs chief strategist as well as its Chief negotiator. Alongside his political role, Nawshirwan was the Commander in Chief of all Peshmerga forces under the control of the PUK, earning the respect of the Kurdish people for his years of servitude, courage and tactical prowess in battle against the Ba'thist forces of Saddam.^{[citation needed][2][3]}

But he is more notable for his role in the Kurdish Uprising of March 1991 Raparin which he and small number of his inner circle planned, organized and executed. This uprising led to the creation of the safe haven in Iraqi Kurdistan and its subsequent autonomy from the Iraqi government. Nawshirwan, because of his leadership of the Uprising, is accredited with being known in Kurdish circles as the “architect"^[4] of Raparin. This Uprising was also very important because it was the first time since the creation of Iraq that all of Southern Kurdistan including Kirkuk, Khanaqin and Kurdish areas around Mosul were liberated and under direct Kurdish rule. For this achievement alone Nawshirwan has taken his place in Kurdish history along side other organizers of great Kurdish uprisings Sheikh Mahmoud Barzinji (1919), Sheikh Said Piran (1925) and Sheikh Ubeydullah (1880s)^{[citation needed]}.

After the Kurdish elections in 1992 which resulted in a power sharing agreement, Nawshirwan argued that instead the PUK should go to parliament as the opposition party because power sharing may cause tensions between the PUK and KDP. Nawshirwan, after 1992, took a backseat role in Kurdish politics and returned to writing though he still wielded so much influence that he "could ignite Kirkuk with a single telephone call"^[5] according to The New Yorker.

After 1992, Nawshirwan limited his involvement in Kurdish politics to matters of national importance. He refrained from interfering in the day to day running of the region, which he considered solely the job of the Kurdistan Regional Government. However he was involved in the appointment of various prime ministers and cabinet ministers as well as their dismissals. Nawshirwan left Iraqi Kurdistan briefly and lived in London where he focused on writing about Kurdish political history, but soon returned after the PUK and KDP became entangled in a civil war, he attempted to reconcile Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani over meditations in Washington, Dublin, Ankara and Tehran. After the 1998 peace accord, Nawshirwan remained resident in Kurdistan and gradually began to return to public political life and resume full official duties of the deputy secretary general. However due to differences between Nawshirwan and Talabani over the management of the PUK he left public political life in 2006 to set up a media organisation.

Nawshirwan welcomed the US led coalition which toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, seeing it as an opportunity to redraw the role of Kurds in Iraq. As soon as the old regime had been removed, he ordered the establishment of a PUK office in Baghdad. He assumed the role of chief Kurdish negotiator on Transitional Administrative Law which was established under the governing council and the CPA. He designed Article 58 which addressed the issue of normalizing Arabised areas of Kurdistan and threatened that if this article was not included, Kurds would no longer be a part of Iraq. Although this demand was met, he returned to Kurdistan stating the Kurds had seceded on too many of their initial demands and had not been given their fair share.

Nawshirwan returned again as the Chief Kurdish negotiator during the drafting of the permanent constitution and to insure the inclusion of Article 140 which was an amended version of the TALs Article 58 and another Article which provided the Kurds with veto power. He again returned and stated that the Kurds had not received what they were entitled to. Nawshirwan in 2005 turned his attention to domestic politics of the Kurdistan Region and began to call for administrative reform, saying that bad governance was crippling the region and damaging Kurdish national interests. He launched a campaign of reform which was ultimately blocked by the leadership of both the PUK and KDP. This resulted in Nawshirwan's surprise resignation on 5 December 2006 as deputy Secretary General during a politburo meeting, where he stated “irreconcilable differences" in the areas of policy and methods of governance for his decision. Nawshirwan has backing from the strategically important Hamewand tribe, whose leaders, among others, have publicly announced their support for his reform movement. He is known for his strong stance on the implementation of the rule of law and his plans to modernize the Kurdish economy in a free market fashion.

Wusha Corporation[link]

Nawshirwan, in March 2007, established the Wusha Corporation in the Sulaimaniyah. In response to a question as to why he had established such as vast media outlet, Nawshirwan stated, "we have attempted to change Kurdish politics from the inside, now let us attempt it from the outside". Nawshirwan has had a long history of pushing for a free media in the region in an interview with the London based Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 31 May 2003, he stated Iraq and Kurdistan need to "enact news laws that live up to the spirit of the age and are in line with the principles of human rights and civil society."

Branches of the Wusha Corporation:

• Kurdish News Network, 24hr International News Channel
• Rozhnama, Weekly Newspaper
• Sbeiy, News Website
• Dangi Gorran, 24hr Radio Station

The company's newspaper, Rozhnama; heavily criticized Jalal Talabani for deciding in March 2008 to sack party members from the PUK for speaking out against politicians in the press.^[6]

Movement for Change[link]

Nawshirwan was the head of the main opposition list, Change List, in the Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election, 2009.^[7] The Change List is a broad coalition which consists of independents, members of the PUK and KDP, and elements from many established parties in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Change List won the support of more than 51% of the As Sulaymaniyah Governorate voters. The Change list participated in the Iraqi parliamentary election, 2010 and won 8 seats in both the As Sulaymaniyah and Arbil Governorates.

Jalal Talabani in November 2011 sent a delegation to see Nawshirwan on his behalf to "seek reconciliation" the delegation were told that “Talabani should reconcile with the People, not with Gorran” and that “we do not have any personal issue with Talabani”,^[8] the speedy attempt at reconciliation by Talabani was seen as a fearful response to Mustafa's one on one meeting with Barzani, in which Talabani was fearful that Barzani may seek Mustafa as his new political ally. Mustafa has flatly refused to meet Talabani despite his various requests,^[9] the relationship between the one time friends had reached an all time low after the two traded accusations about each other's actions during the Kurdish revolution in the media.^[10]

Quotes About Mustafa[link]

• Fouad Ajami, The foreigner's gift: the Americans, the Arabs, and the Iraqis in Iraq, Free Press, 2006: "Mustafa is a man who straddles the worlds of literature and politics, he is graceful and reserved"^[11]
• Cameron W. Barr, The Christian Science Monitor, March 27, 2003: "Mustafa, a gray-haired eminence in the Kurdish movement, was the architect of the Kurds' 1991 uprising against the regime of President Saddam Hussein"^[12]
• Chris Kutschera, The Middle East magazine, May 2008: "Mustafa is the enfant terrible of the Iraqi Kurdish national movement" and "he says loudly what many people dare not even whisper".^[13]
• Quil Lawrence, National Public Radio, May 5, 2009: "Mustafa is stern and often abrupt, but he's considered clean, even by a jaded and cynical Kurdish public".^[14]
• Jeffrey Goldberg, The New Yorker, April 14, 2003: "It has been said that Mustafa is a man who could ignite Kirkuk with a single telephone call" and that his "his spies and rebels had seized cities across Kurdistan within days of Saddam’s retreat from Kuwait"^[15]
• Lennox Samuels, Newsweek, Jun 23, 2009: "The fact is that Gorran's standard bearer, Nawshirwan Mustafa, is also one of the peshmerga's heroes, just like KDP boss Massoud Barzani and PUK leader Jalal Talabani"^[16]
• Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2007: "Mustafa the steely-eyed intellectual turned guerrilla commander helped secretly organize the 1991 uprising against Saddam Hussein that challenged Baghdad's rule in the north and led to the establishment of the Kurdish autonomous region"^[17]
• Barham Salih KRG Prime Minister in an interview with Nalia Radio and Television Channel, October 2011, "Kak Nawshirwan Mustafa is a notable leader of Kurdistan who also historically revived the Kurdish revolution in 1976, he was my superior for 30 years and is the intellectual giant of our Kurdish nation"^[18]
• Gareth R. Stansfield, Iraqi Kurdistan: Political development and emergent democracy, "Mustafa is recognised as being guru-style ideologue, he represents a curious mix of an institutional historical figure, and yet is aggressively non-conformist within the PUK"^[19]
• Hasan Kanbolat, Today's Zaman, "Mustafa has created a powerful opposition alternative unforeseen in politics in Kurdistan"^[20]
• The United States Department of State, Wikileaks, U.S state department refers to Mustafa as the "legendary Peshmerga commander"^[21]

Publications[link]

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1997). La kanārī Dānubawa bo khaṛī Nāwzang:political events in Iraqi Kurdistan from 1975 to 1978. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1997). Panjakan yaktari ashkenin: political events in Iraqi Kurdistan fro 1979 to 1983. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN 3-9806140-3-4. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1999). Khulāna la bāznadā: the inside story of events in Iraqi Kurdistan 1984-1988. Kurdistan: Meľbenî Awedanî Kurdistan. ISBN 3-9806140-3-4. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1992). Kurd u Ejam. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1993). Hukumati Kurdistan: Kurd le gemey Sovieti da. Kurdistan: K.I.B. ISBN 90-900635-6-0. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1998). Mīrāyatī Bābān lah nǐwān bardāshī R̮ǔm ū ʻAjamʹdā. Kurdistan: Melbendî Awedanî Kurdistan. ISBN 3-9806140-1-8. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (2000). Kurdistanî ʻÊraq: serdemî qełem u muraceʻat, 1928-1931. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (2002). Jian: Be tementirîn rōjnamey kurdî 1926 - 1938. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (2004). Jian: Çend lapereyek le mêjûy rojnamewaniy Kurdî, 1938-1958: rojnamewaniy nihênî. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1981). Karesati Hekari. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (1995). Kêşey Partî û Yekêtî. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (2009). Ême û Ewan. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 
• Mustafa, Nawshirwan (2012). Edeb û Tarikhi Kurdi. Kurdistan: Zargata. ISBN None. 

See also[link]

• Movement for Change
• Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
• Jalal Talabani
• Massoud Barzani
• Mustafa Barzani

Official party sites[link]

• Gorran
• Gorran

References[link]

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Diana Karazon (Arabic: ديانا كرزون‎) is a Jordanian/Palestinian singer (born October 30, 1983 in Kuwait) is an Arabic pop singer, television host and actress. She rose to fame after winning the Arabic version of Pop Idol called Superstar in 2003. Karazon is the most successful singer in Jordan since 2003 till present as she was awarded by King Abdulla and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Early life[link]

Born in Kuwait to a Jordanian family of Palestinian Decent, but raised in Amman, Jordan. She started her singing career as a child supported by her father who himself was a musician and a member of Jordanian artists association. She sang her first song in public when she was 6 year old which was dedicated to King Hussein. The song was "Ya ayyuha al meleko (Oh your highness the King)".

As a young girl she began to perform in many competitions in and out of Jordan. She won the contest at MBC Radio Station and soon went on to enter "Superstar" the Arab Idol singing competition. Diana Karazon was obese but she lost a lot of weight after she won the Superstar award.

Personal life[link]

Karazon has one old Brother and twins sisters, the twins are models. Karazon is a big fan of George Wassouf and Umm Kulthum as she was singing her songs since she was a child.

Karazon was surprised when she got a call from American embassy in Amman asking her if she has a free time to meet Condoleezza Rice in Queen Alia Airport, Rice said that she liked Karazon in World Idol and she voted for her.

Diana Karazon was briefly engaged to an Egyptian photographer Khaled Fidah but they broke off their engagement in 2008,during the relationship, Karazon dedicated her track Inta Omri (You are part of My Life) especially to him.^[1][2] According to the London daily Elaph, Diana made the announcement on the program “Jarasyat,” hosted by Shadi Khalif and aired on the satellite channel “Jaras.” She said the two were living a beautiful love story and that she wanted the engagement to be on August 8, believing that it is a special date.

Recently, Karazon had a problems with Muhammad al Majali of singing management and she made up her mind to stop working with him but the problems between Karazon and Muhammad al Majali been finished and Karazon is working without him.

Music career[link]

In 2003 then-20 year old Karazon auditioned for the first season of SuperStar. She eventually won the contest and went on to make a debut CD called Ensany Ma Binsak (Diana SuperStar of Arabs). Her style was based on traditional Arabic music and Arabic pop music. The CD was sung in many Arabic dialects. Karazon sang by her amazing Voice Jordanian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Khaliji, Libyan, Egyptian, English and many more

Karazon later was contractually obligated to represent "Pan-Arabia" in the international World Idol competition and was remembered for singing in Arabic when the other International contestants sang in English instead of their home languages. She ranked 9th among the 11 contestants and shared that rank with the German contestant, Alexander Klaws.

In 2005 she released a follow up album El Omr mashy (Life is going on). Karazon has stated her influences included Fairuz and Warda.

Karazon had a lot of singles hits after the two albums such as "Jarh", "Kalam Alain" (Libyan song) and "Ah bmazagi", which was the big smash hit in 2006. Karazon's hit kalam alin reached #1 in Libya in 2008, the hit featured the Libyan star ayman alhouni

Karazon had a problem with Egyptian singer Ehab Tawfiq for Egypt song Masr Gameela, Karazon said that she has the rights to sing it. Karazon recorded a song called "Mahabetnish" (you did not love me) but the song kept archived, but her fans on internet puplished the hit on pupular Sites and this song been called a big hit for karazon in 2007

Karazon had many Awards like best rise star, best single (lamma teb`a habibi and Ah bmazagi), star of the year (2003) and many more. Karazon had a single hit in 2009 it was "Momkin ansak" (you forget me forever), which showed Karazon attempting a new style even singing partly in English, most fans did not like the video at all, as it was done by unknown director.

She had her own show was on TV Ramadan 2009 Deut with Diana and she made a hit by singing the titanic song "My Heart Will Go On" in her show.

Karazon finished working on her new album Diana 2010 and the release date was 19-Jan-2010, new hits with new album such as a Lebanese song Inta el Gharam (you are my love), Egyptian funcky Wayak (with you) and many more, Karazon worked in her Third Album with the Jordanian Golden Couple Omar Sari and Khalid Mustafa. Diana included in her New album Lebanese, Egyptian, Jordanian, Khaliji and Iraqi songs. Photography of the Album and the Cover been done by the photographer Muhammad Yusef who also worked on her fourth album dedicated to Jordan. Three New video Clips from the new Album is playing on TV recently like the HIT Wesh el Tary (what's happened). The new album was produced by production company ‘Al Amal for Art Production,’ owned by Muhammad Al Majali. The album distributed throughout the Arab world by the company ‘Alam Al Fan Mazzika.’

And indicated that they wish to make a second part of the "duet" who introduced the first part of last year because of the fame the great achievements which, in addition to being known to the public of Egypt, stressing that there is an agreement to provide a new part but I do not know if it will show during Ramadan next or not.

It pointed out that the song made by the U.S. president, Barack Obama, came from a young Arab woman to deliver a message to him that she hoped to have a new president is former presidents, and that the Arabs want peace, pointing out that her meeting with Secretary of State earlier, Condoleezza Rice, came at the request of Rice herself during her visit to Jordan. <http://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2010/10/23/155817.html>

Because of her Problems before with her management Diana did not make it to be awarded as Best Jordanian singer - 2010 in Jordan Award, but after getting back to Jordan in October 2010 she has been awarded as best Jordanian singer for 2010 by the Jordanians' votes from Sawt Alghad Radio Station.

Karazon been awarded as the best Jordanian Singer for 2011 and best Video Clip for 2011 hit song Kazzeb Ally from Triangle Event in Amman, the Video Clip been directed by the young talent Jordanian Director Jakob Lambaz as he was awarded as the best Jordanian Director - 2011.

Diana Karazon and Majal's Problems[link]

Jordan accused the artist, Diana, the product and its former director, Mohammed Al-Majali, of trying to assault her and threatened with death, and burning fire with water if she refuses to respond to the demands.

And apologized Diana in the first emergence of media in the aftermath of a dispute with Al-Majali in the "ShowShara", which was broadcast on the channel "Nile Live" from all the journalists who tried to contact her during the last period and did not answer them, saying she was not willing to talk to media representatives because of its desire to know where she wants to reach with Majali to the conflict, including the judiciary.

She explained that the problems including the common problems between any artist and her manager, pointing out that it had contracted with him in charge of production has for three years, after that he considered her as one of his family, noting that it has been for 4 years without a production company until she heard this talk from him.

Offered her marriage[link]

She pointed out that the first 6 months of the contract period, including the very good, and the relationships with some excellent, that began to interfere in her life, her clothes, and her relationship to her colleagues and relatives, so much so that instead of telephone numbers, pointing out that he offered her a customary marriage but she refused, and then display by legal marriage, and also refused, and added that the customs and traditions prevent them from the link tags, not only because it is older than his eldest daughter with 4 years, but they ate and lived in the house of his wife, and lived with them for several days in their apartment in Cairo.

And confirmed that he threatened her because his family is too large, while in Jordan is from a family of modest pride of belonging to it, pointing out that he told her he will delete her from the face of the earth in spite of his knowledge as heads of households, consisting of 6 people through her singing.

Majali's Reply[link]

from his side, said the product, Mohammed Al-Majali, Jordan over the telephone that all the words which in the words of the artist, Diana, is not true, pointing out that he would discuss with your lawyer by the legal position to bring an action for insult and defamation, and slander the right, whether in Egypt or Jordan.

He pointed out that Diana changed the nature of her clothes after splitting with him, pointing out that it was intended to provide a Jordanian singer Jordan in an honorable way, but now has completely changed her clothes.

He emphasized that there are two lawsuits against it before the Jordanian judiciary, issues insults, extrusion, based on the statements in my newspaper, "the Constitution" and "evening" Tauber against him, pointing out that the case is the third on the road because of her remarks in the latest program.

He denied Majali to be made has been broken during their visit to Qatar, denounced the claim that things did not occur, and stressed that he had contacted the engineer, Osama el-Sheikh, President Federation of Radio and Television After viewing the promo episode, and stressed that the right of reply would be during the next episode, pointing out that If the stay outside Egypt will send documents and contracts denies what was said to be broadcast in the program.

He confirmed that Diana and her mother, they send short messages through mobile phone to her friends to pursue a program, pointing out that he did not want to be traded issue in this way in front of the Arab world as a whole, stressing that Diana is not banned from entering Jordan, but if entered into Jordan will be prohibited from traveling abroad.

And published news reports by Radio Episode stating that it was to prohibit the broadcasting episode, except that Diana had lied to the news, by sending a message to reporters, a copy of which said "watch me tonight on channel" Nile Live " Egypt within the program "ShowShara." <http://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2010/10/23/155817.html>

Acting career[link]

Karazon started her Acting Career with Egyptian Star Moustafa Amar in Montaha Aleshq she Played an Bedawi (Bedouin) girl, her life been changed when she made up her mind to run away from her family and the desert to live and work in the City. The TV show already aired in Ramadan 2010.

She said that to take place in the series "ultimate love" Montaha Aleshq with the artist Mostafa Amar asserts that it is the protagonist of work ahead of him, noting that she did not sing in the series because she appeared to Act, not for a video clip promo for her album, and indicated that it is satisfied with the series although it did not provide only 50 or 60% of the performance of analog because of the problems surrounding the filming work, and problems with al-Majali, and access to the worthless check of a product work,

Diana has denied knowledge of the speech of artist Mostafa Amar for it is not the series Star in front of him, pointing out that they do not know whether this speech was actually him or not, especially since the actors during filming were a family and one did not include any differences. <http://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2010/10/23/155817.html>

Singles[link]

• 2003 insani ma binsak
• 2003 elshar barra w baed
• 2004 omri lw lilah
• 2005 El Omr Mashi
• 2005 lamma teba habibi
• 2006 ah bemazagy
• 2007 w badat aiesh
• 2007 inta mashi bgad
• 2007 hibni dom
• 2007 Asemt alzaman
• 2007 mahabetnesh
• 2008 kalam alain
• 2008 Operate Live Show In Khartoum - SUDAN (Hansa3edhoum) (We Will Help Them, Our Children) Song Wrote By Mohamed Almohaned Hassan Dabora
• 2008 yalla olha
• 2009 resalat insan a message to Barack Obama
• 2009 Jarh
• 2009 momkin ansak
• 2009 shaif alai nafsak
• 2010 enta al gharam
• 2010 fe had eshtakalak
• 2010 wesh el tary
• 2010 Rasak Bel Aaly
• 2010 adet layaly
• 2010 Tartelat al Om Alhazena - Words from sad Mother.
• 2010 Hala Ya Ordonieh
• 2011 Kazzeb Alye - Lie To Me.
• 2012 elkaddab el kebeer
• 2012 awal shetwe b amman
• 2012 Mazzika hadya

Discography[link]

• 2003 Super Star El Arab
• 2005 El Omr Mashi
• 2008 14.10.2008 Cancer Children Assosation(99199) - Big Concert in Khartoum (Idea of Eng. Mohamed Almohaned Hassan Dabora as Creative Manager & he Also wrote The Song Of Hansa3edhom (We Will Help Our Children).
• 2010 Diana 2010
• 2010 Rasak Bel Aaly (Special National Patriotic album dedicated to Jordan)

Filmography[link]

• 2003 superstar
• 2004 Win with Diana
• 2009 Deut with Diana
• 2010 Aldef defak
• 2010 Montaha Aleshq Egyptian TV series
• 2010 attajroba real life experience
• 2011 Nouna alma`azona as her self

Superstar Performances[link]

Top 55: أكذب عليك (Akdib Aleyk) by Warda
Top 12:
Top 10:
Top 8: آه يا ليل (Ah Ya Leel) by Ragheb Alama
Top 7: إبعتلي جواب (Iba'atli Jawab) by Nour Mehana
Top 6: ألف ليلة وليلة (Alf Leela W Leela) by Umm Kulthum
Top 5: دنيا الوله (Dinya Min El Wala) by Abdallah Al Rowaished
Top 4: أنا في انتظارك (Ana Fi Entazarak) by Umm Kulthum
Top 4: مغرومة (Maghroume) by Najwa Karam
Top 3: أكذب عليك (Akdib Aleyk) by Warda
Top 3: البوسطه (El Posta) by Fairuz
Top 3:
Grand Final: لسا فاكر (Lissa Faker) by Umm Kulthum
Grand Final:
Grand Final: تعا ننسى (Ta'a Ninsa) by Melhem Barakat

References[link]

External links[link]

• Diana Karazon Official Website