T h e Ku r d s This page intentionally left blank THE KURDS: A CONCISE HANDBOOK Mehrdad R. Izady Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Harvard University ~~ ~~o~;~~n~~~up LONDON AND NEW YORK First published 1992 by Taylor &Francis Published 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business THE KURDS: A Concise Handbook Copyright © 1992 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Interior design by Designers Workshop. Cover design by Michelle Fleitz. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Ubrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data lzady, Mehrdad The Kurds : a concise handbook I Mehrdad Izady Includes bibliographical references. 1. Kurds-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Middle East-Ethnic relations. I. Title. DS59.K86193 1992 956'.0049159-dc20 92-8174 CIP ISBN 13: 978-0-844-81729-3 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-844-81727-9 (pbk) Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent. CONTENTS List of Maps..................................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ..............................................................................................................................xi List of Figures.................................................................................................................................xii Preface............................................................................................................................................xiii Notes on Sources, Spellingand Other Observations...................................................................xv Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................ xvii Chapter 1: GEOGRAPHY Boundaries 8c Political Geography..................................................................................... 1 Plotting the Geographical Distribution of Kurds...................................................3 Internal Subdivisions......................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: LAND & ENVIRONMENT Terrain..............................................................................................................................13 Geology.............................................................................................................................14 Climate 8c Rainfall........................................................................................................... 16 Environment 8c Ecology...................................................................................................18 Flora 8c Fauna...................................................................................................................20 Chapter 3: HISTORY Prehistory 8c Early Technological Development: 10,000-3000 BC.................................. 23 Agricultural Technology and the Spread of the Indo-European Language.............27 Historical Periods Ancient: 3000-400 BC............................................................................................28 Classical: 5th Century BC to 6th Century AD...................................................... 34 Medieval: 6th to 16th Century A D .................................................................... 41 Early Modern: 1497-1918.......................................................................................49 vi Contents Modern: 1919-1959.....................................................................................................59 Recent: 1960-Present...................................................................................................67 Chapter 4: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY Physical Anthropology...........................................................................................................73 T ribes.......................................................................................................................................74 Historical Migrations..............................................................................................................86 Emigrations 8c Diaspora.........................................................................................................99 Deportations 8c Forced Resettlements................................................................................ 101 Integration 8c Assimilation...................................................................................................108 Demography.......................................................................................................................... I ll Future Trends............................................................................................................. 118 Urbanization 8c Urban Centers........................................................................................... 120 Ethnic Minorities in Kurdistan........................................................................................... 126 Chapter 5: RELIGION Overview ............................................................................................................................. 131 Islam.......................................................................................................................................133 Cult of Angels Yarsanism...................................................................................................................145 Alevism....................................................................................................................... 150 Yezidism.....................................................................................................................153 Sufi Mystic Orders...............................................................................................................158 Judaism...................................................................................................................................162 Christianity............................................................................................................................ 163 Babism 8c Baha’ism...............................................................................................................165 Chapter 6: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, & PRESS Language KurmanJi....................................................................................................................172 Pahlawani...................................................................................................................173 Laki............................................................................................................................. 174 Literature............................................................................................................................... 175 Education...............................................................................................................................179 Press 8c Electronic Mass Media........................................................................................... 181 Contents vii Chapter 7: SOCIETY National Identity................................................................................................................... 183 National Character...............................................................................................................186 The Pahlawan.............................................................................................................187 The M ountains..........................................................................................................188 The Jash......................................................................................................................188 Social Organization...............................................................................................................191 Status of Women 8c Family Life.......................................................................................... 193 Chapter 8: POLITICAL AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Nation-States and Kurdish Nationalism............................................................................ 197 Geopolitics............................................................................................................................ 201 Political Culture 8c Leadership............................................................................................ 204 Current Political Elite............................................................................................... 205 Regionalism................................................................................................................207 Political Parties.....................................................................................................................209 Iran............................................................................................................................. 209