A HISTORY OF THE KURDS OF KURDISTAN KURDSKurd is the ethnic name of a number of tribal groups inhabiting the mountainous border regions of southeast Turkey, northwest Iran, north Iraq, northeast Syria, and Soviet Azerbaijan. These tribes speak various dialects of Kurdish, an Indo-Iranian language. They call their rugged homeland Kurdistan. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi rite; various heretical and mystical sects also exist locally. Physically, they resemble neighboring southwest Asian populations except that the Kurds tend to show a somewhat higher incidence of fair coloring. Although reliable statistics are lacking, their total population is estimated at 10 to 12 million, of which the greatest number are in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Most Kurds are agricultural-village dwellers, cultivating wheat, barley, cotton, and fruit. Some live in nomadic communities that emphasize pastoralism, but such groups have dwindled since the closing of national frontiers and the Kurdish political struggles of the last several decades. The traditional Kurdish tribal system generally resembles that of the Arabic BEDOUIN in its emphasis on patrilineal genealogy and endogamous marriage, but it is marked by greater status differentiation of leaders. Although the Kurds have never been united politically, Kurdish autonomy has had a long history. Kurd as a collective name was first applied to the tribal groups in the 7th century AD when the Arabs converted them to Islam. Three short-lived Kurdish dynasties with more than local power existed in the 10th to 12th centuries; the 12th century Kurdish warrior SALADIN, a prominent foe of the Christian Crusaders, founded another dynasty that lasted into the 13th century. During succeeding centuries numerous Kurdish principalities vied for local power, showing little interest in achieving unity. Only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries did a nationalist movement emerge. With the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, Turkey agreed to the establishment of an independent Kurdistan under the Treaty of Sevres (1920). This part of the treaty was never ratified, however, and the autonomy clause was completely eliminated from the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) through Turkish efforts under Kemal Ataturk. Sporadic uprisings by Kurds occurred in Iraq (1922-24) and Turkey (1924). Since 1946 most nationalist activity has been in Iraq, where Kurds waged continuous guerrilla warfare (1961-70) and open rebellion (1974-75) against the Iraqi government. This movement collapsed after unofficial Iranian support was withdrawn after a 1975 Iran-Iraq border accord. In Iran, Kurds began pushing for cultural and political autonomy after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Iraqi Kurdish separatists later backed Iran in the GULF WAR. The Iraqi government forcibly removed many Kurds from areas bordering Iran, and in 1988 it was accused of using chemical weapons against the Kurdish population. KURDISTAN {kur'-dis-tahn} Kurdistan, which means "land of the Kurds," is a large, mountainous plateau region encompassing parts of eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and areas of Syria and Soviet Azerbaijan. The area measures about 720 km (450 mi) from north to south and 600 km (375 mi) from east to west at the broadest part. The region is bounded by the ZAGROS MOUNTAINS in Iran and Iraq and by the TAURUS MOUNTAINS in eastern Turkey. The TIGRIS and EUPHRATES rivers rise in eastern Kurdistan, as do many other smaller rivers and streams. The average elevation is about 2,500 m (8,300 ft), but some peaks reach over 4,000 m (13,100 ft). The climate is extreme, with bitterly cold, harsh winters and hot, dry summers. Kurds have lived in Kurdistan since about 2400 BC. Traditionally, the Kurds were nomads. In recent times, however, most of them have settled down because the separate governments have introduced sedentary agriculture and have forced Kurds to move their goat herds within national boundaries. Barley, wheat, cotton, corn, and fruits are grown in the lowlands. Kurdistan (Kordestan) is also the name of a province in western Iran, with an area of 24,998 sq km (9,652 sq mi), which lies mainly in the Zagros Mountains. The capital is Sanandaj. Most of the inhabitants of the province are Kurds. |