Portal:Kurdistan

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The Kurdistan Portal

Kurdistan (Kurdish: کوردستان, lit. 'land of the Kurds'; [ˌkʊɾdɪˈstɑːn] ^ⓘ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo-cultural region and stateless nation in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. Geographically, Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges.

Kurdistan generally comprised the following four regions: southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan), northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan), and northern Syria (Western Kurdistan). Some definitions also include parts of southern Transcaucasia. Certain Kurdish nationalist organizations seek to create an independent nation state consisting of some or all of these areas with a Kurdish majority, while others campaign for greater autonomy within the existing national boundaries. The delineation of the region remains disputed and varied, with some maps greatly exaggerating its boundaries.

Historically, the word "Kurdistan" is first attested in 11th century Seljuk chronicles. Many disparate Kurdish dynasties, emirates, principalities, and chiefdoms were established from the 8th to 19th centuries. Administratively, the 20th century saw the establishment of the short-lived areas of the Kurdish state (1918–1919), Kingdom of Kurdistan (1921–1924), Kurdistansky Uyezd i.e. "Red Kurdistan" (1923–1929), Republic of Ararat (1927–1930), and Republic of Mahabad (1946).

In Iraq, following the Aylūl Revolt, the government entered into an agreement with the rebellious Kurds, granting Kurds local self-rule. Soon after, however, the agreement collapsed. Later, during the Iraqi no-fly zones conflict, which followed the Gulf War, the Iraqi military withdrew from parts of northern Iraq, allowing the Kurds to fill the vacuum and regain lost control in those areas. After the invasion of Iraq, and since the creation of the new Iraqi federal state, the new constitution issued in 2005 recognises Kurdistan Region as a federal region; even though the constitution does not include the term "autonomy", it emphasises decentralisation and devolution, allowing regions and governorates to administer local affairs. In practice, however, only Kurdistan Region has exercised this authority granted by the constitution. In September 2017, Iraqi Kurds held a one-sided independence referendum, which eventually failed and was abandoned. The subsequent effort by the Iraqi government to punish Kurdistan Region has resulted in the latter losing authorities it had previously possessed, and the future of Kurdish autonomy in Iraq has been called into question. Iraqi Kurdish officials have also complained of efforts by the Iraqi government to return to the pre-2003 centralized government and dismantle Kurdistan Region altogether.

There is also a Kurdistan province in Iran, which is not self-ruled. Kurds fighting in the Syrian civil war, under the banner of the Syrian Democratic forces, established the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (commonly called Rojava), a self-governing administration which seeks to retain its autonomy in a proposed federalized Syria. (Full article...)

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Red star combined with the Soviet-style typography of Komala in Farsi script

The Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: كۆمه‌ڵه‌ی شۆڕشگێڕی زه‌حمه‌تكێشانی كوردستانی ئێران, romanized: Komełey Şorrişgêrrî Zehmetkêşanî Kurdistanî Êran, lit. 'Society of Revolutionary Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan'), commonly shortened to Komalah (Kurdish: Komełe; Persian: کومله), is a social-democratic ethnic party of Kurds in Iran. Formerly with Marxist-Leninist and communist ties, the Komalah is a well established party with a history of more than five decades. The Komala party's headquarters are presently in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. They have an armed wing that has a history of leading the Kurdish resistance. The Komalah has advocated for anti-imperialism and Kurdish self-determination.

The group is classified as a terrorist organization by Iran and Japan. Since 2018, it is a registered lobby group in the United States. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Kurdistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1In official and diplomatic ceremonies, the region uses both the Flag of Kurdistan and the Flag of Iraq. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 2Kingdom of Kurdistan in 1923. (from History of the Kurds)
Image 3Ensemble concert in Erbil, 2011. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 4Pro-independence referendum poster in Erbil, featuring the multilingual slogan "Yes for Independence" in Kurdish, Aramaic, Turkmen, and Arabic. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 5Peshmerga operate a tank in Erbil Governorate during the war against the Islamic State, 2016. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 6Kurdish villagers working in a field (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 7Governorates of Kurdistan Region (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 8Ancient artifacts being displayed at the Sulaymaniyah Museum in 2021. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 9The Atrush Field near Duhok, 2013. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 10Teachers of a Kurdish primary school in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, in 1924. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 11Chaldean Catholic Mar Yousif Cathedral in Ankawa, Erbil (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 12Students observe the raising of the Kurdistan flag at a school in Sulaymaniyah. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 13Traditional Kurdish food (from Kurdish culture)
Image 14Exterior of the Kurdistan Parliament, Erbil (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 15Mudhafaria Minaret in the Minare Park, Erbil (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 16Kurdish costumes, 1873. (from History of the Kurds)
Image 17The Kurdistan Region became politically divided with two administrations (the 50:50 system) with KDP controlling the Erbil and Duhok Governorates, while PUK took control of Sulaymaniyah Governorate to the east. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 18A Kurdish folk music group - Îsa Berwarî and Mihemed Arif Cizîrî (from Kurdish culture)
Image 19Yazidi temples in Lalish (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 20Fr. Madai Maamdi (Kurdish Orthodox priest) (from Kurdish culture)
Image 21Provisions of the Treaty of Sèvres for an independent Kurdistan (in 1920). (from History of the Kurds)
Image 22Hesen Zîrek - Composer and folk Singer (from Kurdish culture)
Image 23Saladin, painted 1568 (from History of the Kurds)
Image 24A valley in the north of the region, through which the Great Zab flows (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 25Entrance to the main building of the Kurdistan Judicial Council in Erbil. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 26Republic of Mahabad, 1945–1946. (from History of the Kurds)
Image 27Jewish ritualistic items displayed at the Kurd's Heritage Museum, Sulaymaniyah (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 28Front of the Mustafa Barzani Building at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in 2018. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 29Kurdish autonomous states in Khurasani Kurdish exclave circa 1835. (from History of the Kurds)
Image 30Animation of Motorway 150, inaugurated in 2021 as an additional ring road around Erbil. (from Kurdistan Region)
Image 31Remains of the Zoroastrian/Mithraic Qyzqapan tomb near Sulaymaniyah (from Kurdistan Region)

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Credit: James Gordon

Iraqi Kurdish smugglers near the Iraq-Iran border

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... that the cuisine of Jerusalem reflects a blend of Jewish culinary traditions, including Sephardic, Kurdish, Ashkenazi, as well as Palestinian Arab traditions?
... that the Labour Party of Turkey was banned by the Constitutional Court in 1980 due to its support for the use of the Kurdish language in schools?

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