Hesen Zîrek

Hesen Abdullah Rahman, known professionally as Hesen Zîrek, was born into a Kurdish family.^[6] He had two brothers, Hussein and Kaka Mina, and one sister named Sarah. Following the early death of his father, Zîrek's mother, Amina, remarried, and as a result of the family's changing circumstances, he began working at a young age, around 8–9.^[7] He didn't attend formal schooling and remained illiterate throughout his life.^[8] He later married Mediya Zandi, with whom he had two daughters, Arezu and Sakar.^[2]

The Shriek of Kurdistan (Kurdish: چریکەی کوردستان, romanized: Çirîkey Kurdistan) is a Kurdish-language biography book written by Hesen Zîrek,^[6] with assistance from his wife Mediya Zandi.^[2][9] It was published in 1966 by Sāzmān-i Intishārāt-i Burekeyî, in Tehran, Iran. Shortly after its publication, Zîrek was banned from performing on Iranian state radio, as publishing books in Kurdish was prohibited under the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.^[10][11] In the second edition of the book, Faraidoon Moradi provided the musical notation for 16 of Hesen Zîrek's songs.^[12]

The book is considered one of the first Kurdish publications of its kind in Pahlavi Iran.^[13][14] After the publication of the book, a warrant was issued for Hesen Zîrek's arrest by SAVAK on charges of 'spying against the state'.^[15] Following this, Hesen Zîrek fled to Iraqi Kurdistan and joined the Kurdish revolution.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}

Despite his death in 1972, Zîrek's music continues to be widely appreciated, and his legacy is recognized in various ways, including the annual commemorations in Silêmanî.^[22] Zîrek's recordings are considered by some to be culturally significant in the preservation of Kurdish musical traditions.^[23]