Book about the Yezidi Kurds tribes and clans of south Caucasus

>> The Yezidi Kurds' tribes & clans of south Caucasus.<<
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"Yezidi Kurds have been in the southern Caucasus under Russia for some 150 years now. The majority fled Ottoman oppression and discrimination in 1916-1918 to settle in Armenia and Georgia."

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"Yezidi communities in Armenia and Georgia are divided into many tribes and clans: the tribes of Zuquriyan, Sipkan, Xaltan, Mehemdan, Rojkan-Rojkani, Hesiniyan and the clan of Axleran."

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"In this book, as far as we know, we bring to public view the names of tribes and clans and the villages from which they originate. Over time the uninformed among us are forgetting their ancestral homeland in Kurdistan and feelings of patriotism are abating as well. There have been many frustrations and difficulties over the course of collecting and documenting the names of tribes and clans."

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150 years ago in the Axbaran area of Armenia there were already 11 Kurdish villages and all are still there. The Yezidis living in Georgia and Armenia before the collapse of the Soviet Union numbered about 250,000. But official statistics, for political reasons, always tried to minimize their true number. Currently, their number is much smaller because of migration to Russia. The Yezidis are moving away from Armenia and Georgia to all four corners of the former Soviet Union from Siberia and Kaliningrad to the Baltic countries of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova as well as to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and elsewhere."

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The Yezidi Kurds in Georgia and Armenia can be divided into two main groups: The Zuquri Yezidis from the province of Wan and the Yezidis from the province of Qers and Axbaran. Among the Yezidi communities of Armenia and Georgia there are big tribes and unions of tribes such as the "el" of the Zuquriyan, of Sipkan, of Mehemdan, of Rojkan and of Hesiniyan."

"Infidel quarter"

Mıgırdiç Margosyan is a Armenian author from Amêd, northern Kurdistan (Diyarbakir).
He's most famous book “Gâvur Mahallesi” (Infidel Quarter) is a book about the Armenians in Amêd. His book Gavur Mahallesi was translated into Kurdish and published in 1999 with the title Li ba me, Li wan deran by Avesta Publishing in Istanbul.

Margosyan was born in 1938 in the Hançepek district of Diyarbakır (Amêd).
He received his primary education at the Suleyman Nazif İlkokulu and Ziya Gökalp Ortaokulu in Diyarbakır, and continued his secondary education at the Armenian community schools in Istanbul, attending Bezciyan Ortaokulu and Getronagan Lisesi. Margosyan received his college degree from the Philosophy Department of the Faculty of Letters at the Istanbul University.Between 1966-1972, Margosyan worked as the school director of the Surp Haç Tıbrevank Armenian High School and also taught philosophy, psychology, Armenian language and literature. Later he left teaching and started commercial activities.


Here is what the journalist Müjgan Arpat said about the Armenian quarter of Amêd (
Diyarbakir ) [SOURCE]:

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“The Gavur neighborhood still carries the traces of the Armenian culture, despite all past plundering and destruction,” said Arpat. Explaining what the title refers to, she said, “In mansions and churches reflecting the thousands of years old Armenian culture, there live today many Kurdish families who migrated to Diyarbakır from other southeastern provinces.”

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She said the novels of Mıgırdiç Margosyan, a Turkish writer of Armenian descent who was born in the Gavur neighborhood, inspired her and prompted her to conduct research in the historic Armenian neighborhood of Diyarbakır. In Giaor neighborhood, many of the historic buildings that belonged to the Armenians are called “gavur buildings,” and have been damaged for that reason, she said. “All cultures existing in this country are assets for us. We have to protect these cultures,” she added.

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“This building is where Armenians used to have commercial transactions with Assyrians and Arabs a century ago. You can grasp the architectural value of it only by looking its façade, but when you enter the inner yard, you encounter almost an outdoor museum despite all damage to the structure so far,” she said.

Armenian church in Amêd, Kurdistan

"The trip to Armenia"

The book was found in the Kurdish Library, Sweden.
(Worlds first Kurdish library)

"Resan till Armenien" - Osip Mandelstam

An exercise in disinformation: linking PKK to NKR

Photo: Onnik Krikorian. Armenian fighter in Karabakh.

Kurdish figthers in northern Kurdistan

Read the article here!

This is a news analysis by Yelena Osipova and Emil Sanamyan about Turkish conspiracies about the Kurdish involvement in Karabakh and Armenian involvement in the PKK to justify a Turkish involvement in the Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Diyabakır Mayor acquitted of publishing invitation cards in Kurdish

The mayor of the southeastern city of Diyarbakır was acquitted yesterday of charges of publishing the 6th Culture and Art Festival's invitation cards in Kurdish, Zaza, English and Armenian in addition to Turkish, the Anatolia news agency reported.

“Municipalities invite people to that kind of festival in languages other than Turkish,” said Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir's lawyer, Muharrem Erbey, in his defense. Many municipalities in Turkey organize that kind of festival, Erbey said and demanded Baydemir's acquittal, saying Baydemir's behavior illustrates his respect for Anatolian civilization.

Osman Baydemir

Baydemir was tried for three-and-a-half years imprisonment on charges of “violating the prohibitions specified within the law on the Turkish alphabet and its applications,” according to article 222 of the Turkish penal code, and “misconduct in office” because he financed the cards from the municipality's budget. The court found Baydemir innocent on both counts and acquitted him.

Armenians in Kurdistan

Kurdish National Congress of North America , congratulates the Armenian National Committee

October 13, 2007

To:
ANCA and Armenian Communities
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036

On Wednesday, October 10th, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a resolution describing the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as an act of genocide in a 27-21 voting. The United States House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the resolution the following day. The KNC-NA regards this as an important event in eliminating denial and recognizing the truth of the crimes committed against humanity.

We, the Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC-NA), would like to congratulate the Armenian National Committee of America and other Armenian Communities for their success in spreading awareness and achieving their goal of convincing the US representatives to recognize the genocide.

The members of the KNC-NA believe in the rights of all nations and peoples and the continued strive for liberties and peace. We hope that this recent event will lead to pressures on the Turkish Republic to recognize all past and present atrocities against Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds and other groups and will change its direction to eventually find and implement peace and democracy. Although the recent resolution has no binding effect on the U.S. foreign policy, we hope that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide will not only serve as justice for the
Armenian peoples, but also as a step towards promoting a truer American aim of supporting democracy in the Middle East.

The KNC-NA is in full solidarity with the Armenian people in their quest for justice. We condemn all acts of war crime and genocide. We hope these milestones will only serve as steps toward everlasting peace in our world.

Sincerely,

Kamal Artin, Chair of Public Relations Committee
Kurdish National Congress of North America

Armenian Union Ezids about Gül's visit to Armenia

Aziz Tamoyan

The leader of the World and Armenian Union Ezids Aziz Tamoyan sharply
commented on Gul's visit to Armenia. He said that as a citizen he
welcomes establishment of contacts with Turkey buy he is sure this
process should not take place at the expense of breaking of the
national interests of Armenia and the rights of national minorities.

'Turkey implemented genocide not only against Armenians but also
Ezids, Greeks and assyrians. For this reason it should say sorry to all
of us', - Aziz Tamoyan said.

Kurdish legend Sivan Perwer is part Armenian

Sivan announced to his fans after a concert in Stockholm, Sweden, that it is true that he is part Armenian. He has an Armenian grandmother and has Armenian friends in Sweden and Lebanon.
He is from Riha (Urfa), northern Kurdistan (east Turkey).

In this song, Sivan sings about a Syriac (suryoyo) girl.

Sivan Perwer - Sare

Lyrics:

Sarê rabe êvar e, delalîkê rabe êvar e
Sîyê girtî zinare
Sî ket ber dîware
Min bi heyrana gerdenê
Wan biskê te yî li dar e

Sarê keça Sûrya ye, delalîka dayik û bava ye
Min go Sarê were vir
Sûryoyî xeber daye
Dinê me ji hev cuda ye, lê dilê me di hev de maye
Em gelek ji hev hezdikin
Ferqa dîn qet nemaye
Sarê tu Sara min î, rindikê tu yara min î
Ez bi heyrana gerdenê, wan biskên te yên şekirî
Zar û ziman ne zor e, ger tu dixwazî fêr bibî
De were te fêr bikim, da bi Kurdî xeber bidî

Kurdish Feleknas Uca about the Kurdish situation in Armenia

Kurdish Feleknas Uca about the Kurdish situation in Armenia.

Feleknas Uca is a member of the European Parliament for the The Left. She was at one time the world's only Yazidi parliamentarian until the Iraqi legislature was elected in 2005.

Kurds and Armenians for Obama'08

Kurdish blogger about the Armenian genocide

Author: Zinarê Xemo

Read the article posted by a Kurdish blogger about the Armenian genocide and the Turkish state in his blogg in kurmancî here!

Zare (1927) from Armenia

Zare is a movie about the a kurdish nomad boy and his girlfriend struggle for their right to a happy love. It talked about the life of Kurdish Yazidi nomads on the Soviet Union borders (Turkish Kurdistan at 1915).

Typical nomad enviroment in northern Kurdistan

The movie is a silent, 72-minute, black-and-white film. The movie was produced and recorded in Soviet Armenia (1927) , directed/written by Amo Bek-Nazaryan and produced by Armenkino.

Amo out as a professional athlete, but became one of the major stars of Russian cinema, having begun starring in films in 1914. In 1918 he graduated from the Moscow Commercial Institute. In 1921 he became the head of the film section of Narkompros of Georgia and later a director of Goskinprom of Georgia. He is the founder of Armenian cinema.

Cast:
M. Tadevosian ... Zare (as Tenazi)
Hrachia Nersisyan ... Saydo
Avet Avetisyan ... Slo
Olga Gulazyan ... Lyatif khanum
Manvel Manvelyan ... Msto
Nina Manucharyan ... Nano
Hambartsum Khachanyan ... Khdo
M. Garagash ... Temur-bek
Aram Amirbekyan ... Clerk
Sh. Guramashvili ... Police-officer
Amasi Martirosyan ... Zurba
M. Aghamalov ... Sheikh
N. Barres ... Head of Uezd
N. Aghambekyan ... Zare's girlfriend
S. Gevorgyan ... Zurba's wife

Kurdish literature in the former Soviet Union Republic of Armenia

This article was published in the Kurdish Globe by Ferhad Pirbal.
Read the article here !

Ferhad Pirbal

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The relationship between Kurds and Armenians involved not only a shared neighborhood in the Soviet Armenian Republic, but also a social and cultural relationship between them dating back to old times, similar to the relationship in parts of Turkish and Iranian Kurdistan.

From the mid 19th century onward, prose style and translation in Kurdish literature began in earnest with assistance from the Armenians.

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...The first Kurdish-Armenian dictionary (was published in Armenia) . The dictionary contains more than 300 Kurdish-Armenian words.

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The 1917 Russian October Revolution represented the rise in the life of Kurds in Soviet Armenia, which resulted in strengthening ties between both peace-loving nations. The Armenians gained the freedom to write in the Republic of Armenia. Meanwhile, under the decree of Lenin, Kurds were allowed to read and write in Kurdish and also have their educational curriculum and publications in the Kurdish language. In brief, since that October Revolution, Armenians took great care in developing Kurdish literature and language in the Republic of Armenia.

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And in 1932-33, there were 40 Kurdish schools with 71 Kurdish teachers and 1,936 pupils. An institution for teachers was opened, and in 1932, a branch for Kurdish authors was founded within the Armenian Authors Union. Their first published work was the novel Shvane Kurd by Arabi Shamo. After that, they published a 664-page book about Kurdish folklore. It is a fact that 1932-38 were the golden-age years in developing Kurdish culture in Soviet Armenia. In 1934, a conference was held for Kurdish authors about writing in Kurdish and Kurdish literature. In 1937, a radio program in Kurdish was broadcast. Several other films were produced in Kurdish.

Read the article here !

Genocides of Armenians and Kurds

( Comparative Essay)
Compare the 1915 genocide of Armenians (a Christian minority within the Ottoman /Muslim Empire) with the massacres of the Kurds under Iraqi leadership.

by Rit Nosotro

What if, instead of slavery, the United States had murdered all of the African Americans? What if, instead of relocating some Native American tribes, they were completely wiped out? This annihilation is essentially what happened with the Armenians in the early 1900's and the Kurds in the 1980's.

The histories of both the Armenians and the Kurds have similarities. Both the Armenians and the Kurds have lived in their homelands for a long time. By the 12th century AD, the land of current Iraq was known as Kurdistan. The Armenians are identified by the 6th century BC. Both groups have been a struggling minority, but the Kurds have always rebelled, while the Armenians have been more passive. The Armenians have been dominated and suppressed from Persians, Muslims in the 7th century, to Seljuk Turks and Turcomens in the 13th and 14th century. This ruined the land and destroyed the state of Armenia. In the 16th century, the Armenians came under the control of the Ottoman Empire Turks. The Kurds in Iraq have also been dominated by the Persian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and neither of these groups would take in the Kurds.

Another similarity between the two groups is the constant subjugation and terrors they underwent before their specific genocide. Besides being lesser people, not allowed to have weapons for any purpose, the Armenians were forced to leave their homes, so that Armenia could be a more Turkish state. Persians, Kurds, and other peoples moved into the Armenian lands. This mass migration, and re-population of Armenian lands by other people (Persians, Kurds, etc.) before what is considered the genocide corresponds to a similar eradication of Kurds from their homes in 1975. The Kurds had been promised an autonomous state at the Treaty of Sevres, after the Ottoman Empire collapsed. But, Britain wanted the oil in Kurdish lands, so those areas were left out of their promised land. After Saddam Hussein came to power, he promised the Kurds an autonomous state, but once again, the oil fields which were rightful Kurdish lands, were left out of the deal. The main Kurdish revolters, Bzarni and his followers, claimed their land. Iraq, in return, changed the boundaries of countries to give Arabs a majority. This futher supported Saddam and undermine the Kurds. Bazarni and his men, the peshmerga, would not accept these terms.

In 1983, Iraq went to war with Iran. Iraq had claimed a river bank on Iranian soil which led to a decade of fighting and millions killed. The USA reluctantly supported Iraq's secular leader rather than Iran's Islamic extreamist government but they were sympathetic to the plight of the Kurds. The Kurdish Democratic Party along with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, fought with Iran, against their own country during the Iran/Iraq war. Iran provided the Kurds with weapons, funds, and medical help, in exchange for the PUK's help in destroying the Ba'ath party and Suddam Hussein. Although the PUK had at first been against the KDP and it's siding with Iran, the destruction of their land during the war by the Ba'ath party, forced the PUK to join arms with Iran to protect themselves, and keep the hope and fight of the Kurds alive. The Kurds accrued the help of the United States and Iran to aid in their own revolt against Iraq. When Iraq finally promised Iran partial control of the waterway to end the war, Iran withdrew aid to the peshmerga. The USA, not wanting war with Iraq, also ended its covert assitance of the Kurdish rebellion. Because of Kurdish 'treason' to the country by crawling to foreign powers for help, Saddam gassed the Kurds and forced the survivors to leave their homes. To make Iraq have a more Arab population, the Kurds were sent to houses far away from one another, in the middle of the desert, with no way to provide for themselves. Their old homes were destroyed, and different people were moved into their lands.

Another similarity between these two groups is that they tried to get help from foreign powers. The Armenians took advantage of the fact that European powers were beginning to trade with the Middle East, and they tapped into the trade. This gave them money, rejuvenated them as a people, and sponsored education. Because the Armenians had contacts in Europe, they appealed to fellow Christians for help against the Muslim Turks who were endangering their lives. The Turks blamed their shrinking empire on European powers who had bypassed the dying Ottoman Empire in their global trade. The Turks took their rage out on the Armenians, who were friendly with the Europeans. Like Hilter, who blamed the Jews for Germany's ills, the Muslim Turks blamed the Christian Armenians for their own self imposed destruction. This is why the Turks committed such an appaling genocide.

The largest genocide against the Armenians took place in 1915. It had many similarities with the main genocide against the Kurds in 1987-89, a campaign known as Anfal. One similarity is that both the parties responsible for the genocides, killed off the men. The Turks summoned all the Armenians who were in the army, and had them killed, blaming them for their war troubles. Next, they rounded up the important men in society, the clergy, newspaper editors, and other tradesmen, and had them executed. In Iraq, the men gathered from the prohibited areas the government set up, and those captured after a village was destroyed, were killed if they were between 15 and 70 years old. The main way of annihilation in the Armenian genocide was the Turks forcing the Armenians to leave their homes. The Turks used deportation to do the killing. They forced the Armenians to march for a long way, and allowed Turks and Kurds to rape, abduct, kill, and steal from the many Armenians marching through the countryside. Many died of starvation, murder, and exposure. Those who finally made it to the forced destination, the desert, were put in camps and died or were killed.

The Anfal campaign against the Kurds used deportation as well, but in a different way. Anfal considered everyone who was living in the 'prohibited areas' to be peshmerga, whether or not, they were actually in a guerilla rebellion group. The Ba'ath party usually attacked a city first with chemical bombs, then sent in militia to destroy everything and round up the inhabitants of the villages for removal to camps for processing. The men and teenage boys were separated, and most of the men were killed in mass shootings. The women and children were sent to different camps and prisons.

The survivors of both genocides continue to suffer. The Armenian population decreased by over a million, while the Kurdish population had lost 50-100 thousand at least. The Armenian generation and their children were left in poverty. The many Kurds that were exposed to chemical gases, are suffering from many diseases and cancers. The Kurdish population has a huge decrease in its' male population. Widows and children are left alone, and many women can no longer have children because of effects of the chemical attacks. In both cases, the world has largely sat by and watched. Americans sent food, medical, and educational assistance to the Armenians. They also pressured Turkey, her long time ally during the cold war, into reversing the policies toward the Armenians. The world has also done little to help the Kurds. In fact, the when the United States aided Iraq in the war against Iran, it indirectly helped Iraq in it's campaign against the Kurds. When Saddam invaded Kuwait, the Bush administration supported another uprising by the Kurds against Saddam, and did enforce a no-fly zone in northern Iraq as they fought Desert Storm to remove Iraq from Kuwait. The sanctions against Iraq following the US led victory granted the Kurds a protected land. The no-fly zone was only partially effective against Saddam's renewed retailiation against the Kurds. It was not until Saddam's capture that a lawful return of the Kurds was attempted by US coallition forces in spite of Arab opposition.

So, unwanted minorities are murdered. The Kurds and the Armenians genocide are alike in several ways. They were both persecuted long before their genocides, the genocides included the killing off of the male population and deporting the people away from their homes, and the horrors continue to plague the Armenians and Kurds. What must be done to prevent these types of atrocities from being committed? If everyone followed God's commandments, it would be fairly simple: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:39).