History of the Kurds
From ArticleWorld
History of the Kurds began in ancient times. Kurds are a distinct, ethnic group, with a population estimated at 20 millions living in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Armenia. They speak Kurdish, a language related to Persian.
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Early history
Modern research traces the origin of the Kurds beyond the period of the Greeks. In the Kurds history, the 5000 years old Hurrian period is mentioned, which is the earliest documented period. The Hurrians spoke a language, related to modern Chechen. They dominated other territories outside their Zagros-Taurus mountain base.
By about 4,000 years ago, the earlier Indo-European speaking people settled in the Kurdish mountains. Later, the Hurrian Kurdistan was fast becoming Indo-European Kurdistan. However, the Hurrian legacy remains the single most important element of the Kurdish culture until today. Many cultures settled and ruled the Kurdish territories such as the Gutti, Medes, Parthians, and Sassanids.
In the 1st century BC, the Kurdish country was converted to Judaism. Then in 66 BC, the Kurdish Kingdom of Corduene became part of the Roman Empire, until 384 AD.
Kurds under the Arabs
Following the decline of the Sasanian and Byzantine power by the Muslim caliphate, the Kurdish principalities were set as independent states. The most flourishing period of Kurdish power was during the 12th century, when the Kurdish leader Salah el-Deen el-Ayoubi, founded the Ayyubite dynasty (1171-1250).
The Ayyubids dynasty ruled Egypt, northern Iraq, and Syria. As the custodians of Islam's holy cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, the Ayyubids defeated the Crusaders and conquered Jerusalem in 1187.
Ottoman and Safavid period
The Ottoman Turks seized Kurdistan in 1514. During that time, Kurdistan was divided into districts, with local Kurds as governors.
During the 16th to 18th centuries, large numbers of Kurds were deported and big part of Kurdistan was devastated by the Safavid and Ottoman empires. The death and destruction unified the Kurds to revolt. They called for a unified Kurdish state, and the Kurdish nationalism was born. There is a well documented historical account of a long battle in 1609 between the Kurds and Safavid Empire, known as the Battle of DimDim. In the Kurdish culture, this war is seen as a struggle of the Kurdish people against foreign domination.
Modern history
The Treaty of Serves of 1920 could have offered Kurdistan its autonomy. However, the Turkish resurrection under Kemal Ataturk prevented Kurdish national independence.
In 1945, Kurds set up a short-lived Kurdish republic at Mahabad in Iran. It was occupied by the Iranian army in the next year.
By early 1970s, the Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed an autonomous status in part of Kurdistan. However, after the Bai'th regime came into power, the Kurds were seen as a threat to the Iraqi State. Saddam Hussein adopted a strategy of eliminating the Kurds. In 1988, the Iraqi army bombed Kurdish villages and the Kurds were massacred and poisoned with mustard gas. It was estimated that 500 Kurdish villages were destroyed by the Iraqi army.
During the early 1990s, the Armenian Republic wiped out the entire Kurdish community of the former Red Kurdistan, and included it in its territory.
Massive uprisings in Turkey during 1995 have driven the country into civil war. The Kurdish population in Turkey now, is demanding absolute equality with the Turkish people.