Kurdistan: The green Pearl
Saed M. Aznaveh
Gooya Art House
The researches, end archeological excavations carried out in the province of kurdistan suggest that the region is of paramount significance. Ihe recent excavations carried out in the karafto cave and Kani Mikhail cave in the township of Divandarreh prove the residence of early man. Particularly in ttie excavations conducted in the Kani Michael cave located in zoo meters away from karafto cave, tlie idea is proven, the seasonal residence in the caves, the excavations of pliases one and two in the karaltu cave, the discovery of potteries and stone blades and Neolithic findings have been determined and the notable point is ...
PREHISTORI KURDISTAN
The researches, end archeological excavations carried out in the province of kurdistan suggest that the region is of paramount significance. Ihe recent excavations carried out in the karafto cave and Kani Mikhail cave in the township of Divandarreh prove the residence of early man. Particularly in ttie excavations conducted in the Kani Michael cave located in zoo meters away from karafto cave, tlie idea is proven, the seasonal residence in the caves, the excavations of pliases one and two in the karaltu cave, the discovery of potteries and stone blades and Neolithic findings have been determined and the notable point is the existence of prehistoric findings datable to 7 or 8 millennia BC, suggesting that the seasonal residence, fireplace, and stone tools discovered in the Kani Michael cave determine the cultural link between the Shanidar cave and other prehistoric sites in kurdistan of Iraq, kermanshah and western Azerbaijan. After all the ancient relics found in ttie Jubreh Riztiyaneh and kaleti kan cave point to the prehistoric situation of kurdistan.
Kurdistan In History
Kurdistan is part of the land whicli was under the Median government. the historlcal lands of the Medes are determined by Urartu on the north, Assyria on the west. Elam on the west and Sumer (Babylon and Akad) on the soutti and southwest. Given the climate in kurdistan and by virtue of historical evidence and archaeological excavations, many researchers believe ttiat the first residence of Aryan peoples was traced in the eastern and western regions of the lake Urumiyeh. A group of people settled in the eastern part in a land called Amadai and another group in the western part of the lake Urumiyeh in a land called Parsua (Parsuma). The former set up the Median government and the latter establislied the powerful Acliaemenid Empire.
The Median land was divided into small satrapies which were selfruled and Independent. Ihese nations include Manane in the southern part of the lake Urumiyeh near Saqqez that had a sublime culture and perfect government even before the arrival of nomadic Aryans.
It Is worth mentioning that Zamua was a land which stretched from the lake Urumiyeh to the upper parts of ttie Diyaleh River including Miyando’ab, Baneh, Sulavmaniyyah and Sanandaj and Zahab. The parts in the present triangle of townships of Sulaymaniyyah. Sanandaj and Zahab were called Parsue until the ninth century BC and the upper part of the karcheh river (near Kermanshah) was called Alpi to be later known as lli Maida. People resided in the Gambaden region in western kermanshah and Gotium which was the land of the Gotis ineluding the present day kurdistan, southern Azerbaijan and Kermanshah. On the basis of Cyrus inscription in Persepolis and Bisotun. the kingdom and governments of the Medians were located in the realm of Achaemenid government in 550 BC. And the land of the Medes was one of the lands of Iran wilieh was also called Mah including two parts namely the lower Mah and the upper Mah or Mahe Damavand. Ardashir (Artaxerxes) killed Prince of the two lands in a war with Ardavan and the Achaemenid kings of the regions.
Before Islam, the Median land was called kuhestan. In Pahlaxf text of Bund-i-Heshn, there is mention of kuhestan stretching from Chichest in Azerbaijan and Fars. This mountain known as Espiruzh or Espiruch was so famous in ancient Persia that the only mention of the word kuhestan was enough to suggest the idea. Of course, Ferdowsi mentions kuhestan in the Shahnameh, the name of kuhestan was used until the twelfth century which referred to a land stretching from the north to Deylaman and Azerbaijan, from the west and south to Savad (Iraq) and khuzestan, from the south to Pas and kerman and from the east to the deserts of khorasan and Tus. From the ninth century onwards, the Arabic word al-Jebal for kuhestan found way into geographical texts, the jebal land consisted of several regions including Mah kufeh, Mah Basreh, Hamadan. Ifazin. Qom. Masbazan, Mehr Janqadaq. Ihe land of kuhestan was part of a larger land called Belad Pahlu or Pahlavian. Bilad Pahlavian consisted of Ray', Ispahan, Hamadan. Dinur, Nahavand. Mehr Janqadaq, Masbazan. Qazvin, Zanjan, Taleshan, and Deylam.
The Median state was located in part of the Pahleh land in tire mountainous region of Qahestan or Jeval and consisted of two regions, tire Mahe Nahavand which consisted of two alcoves in the eleventh century namely Nahavand and Burujerd and Mah Dinur and kureh Dinur are to be considered two main cities in the century. The city of Dinur was the center of upper regions, Kermanshah was the center of lower parts, these two regions were called Mahein or Mahat. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, tire land of Sisar was bounded on the north by Dinur province, on the northeastern by Azerbaijan and Sisar. According to the Seljuk divisions, particularly-under lugrel Beig, the Jebal kuliestan was called Iranian Iraq because the Abbasid caliph Alqayem Billah called it land of the two Iraqs.
In the Surat al-Arz, lb Hoqal introduced the boundaries of Jebal region as tabestangah and Zemestangah. During the time of Sultan Sanjar, mention was made of Kurdistan and Ata Malik Juwyni mentions Ekrad in describing the battle of Hulegu against the Ismailites in Qazvin and the siege of Maymun Castle. It seems tliat in this period kurdistan was separated from the non-Arab Iraq. During the fourteenth century when Suleiman Shah, the son of Parcham Ayvai from the Iveh Turkmen stock, gained rule over it, the name of kurdistan began to be seen in their writings and books.
In describing kurdistan, llamdollah Mostowfi writes there were sixteen villages there. In the division of the Safavid period, kurdistan was a city separated from the kermanshah city which consisted of four alcoves, khurkhureh, Javanrud, Uraman and Baneh. In this period, the villages of Garus, Zarrinkamar, ta'amin and kalhor were among the provincial cities of the non-Arab Iraq. In view of historical studies, a new division was probably prevalent from the end of the period of Aq Koyunlu and the early Safavid period. From this viewpoint Kurdistan was divided into three alcoves or regions:
A) Ardalan Village with the capital of Sanelt (Sanandaj)
B) Mokri region witlt the center of Savejbolagh (Mahabad)
C) Baban region W'ith the center of Sulaymanah the Kurdistan of Ardalan was known as this name simply because of the ruling household of Ardalan. And it stretched from Bukan Mukri to GarmsirZatiab. During the rule of the Qajar Nasser ad-Din Shall, Kurdistan was divided into four cities and eight villages. On the basis of the ruling metltod, the realm of eaclt one of them was divided into smaller sections led by many representatives. Iran was divided into six provinces according to the first division dated November 29, 1937, the western provence consisting of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Garus, Bavandpur, Kalltor, Pushtkuh, Luristan, Burujerd, Hamadan. Malyaer, Kltorramshahr, Abadan, Khuzestan and kohkilyyeh. Several months later, the law to tlte division of the country was amended according to which Iran was divided into 10 provinces and 46 cities, the present-day Kurdistan was the fifth province including the cities of Hamadan, Kermanshah. Sanandaj. Mahabad, Bijar, Malayer etc. in 1958, according the approval of the board of ministers, the province of Kurdistan became an Independent province. The cities of the province included Sanandaj, Garus, Saqqez and Qorveh.
The Appellation of Kurdistan
The word Kurdistan is a combination of Kurd and 'estait' meaning the land of the Kurds, the word Kurdistan came in vogue during the Seljuk period. And it was officially registered with different offices and the boundaries of Kurdistan were determined. Hamdollah, Mostowfi describes the boundaries of Kurdistan as the realm of the Arab Iraq. Khuzestan. non-Arab Iraq. Azerbaijan and Bekr including sixteen cities.
Race
The Kurds are one of the main indisputable branches of Aryan race, the Kurd is one of the ancient brandies of the Aryans who immigrated two thousand years before Christ to the northwestern and northeastern part of the lake Urumiyeh. According to Minorsky, the tribes of the Kurds immigrated from the eastern Iran to the west (Kurdistan) where they settled down. Some researchers believe that the early natives were called Kardaka near the Van River and in the vicinity of Su tribes. Some others call them kurdvain and in some books they are called Kordu. Ihe Kurds are Iranians who have their own language, culture and traditions. In Sumerian and Assyrian documents, there is mention of the tribes of Korti or Gurdi and Korti and Kord in the eastern mountainous Assyrian land, the north and northeastern Mesopotamia and Sumer.
Kurdish language
Kurdish is one of the ancient Iranian languages. Diyakanov, the Russian Orientalist, believes that Kurdish is one of the Median languages the roots of which are still retained in the dialects of tali, taleshi, Azeri. Giani, tabari, Semnani and Uramani. Kurdish is spoken in Iran, Iraq, turkey, Caucasus and Syria. The western Iranian dialects are divided into northern and southern groups. Modern Persian and Sassanian Pahlavi (middle Persian) belong to the southern group while Arsacid Pahlavi and Kurdish belong to the northern group. Southern dialects are called Surani which is spoken in Mahabad, Naqadeh, Ushnavieh, Saqqez, Baneh, Sardash, Bukan, Sanandaj and Sulaymaniyyah, Khaneqein, Halabja, Kuy Sanjaq, Ardebil and Qaleh Dareli, Ararat, northern Syria, norttrern Kurdistan of Iraq, and the Kurdish, regions of Turkey and Armenia.
Climate
The climate of the province is influenced by two factors, namely by dry summers and cold winters. A large part of the province is exposed to cold mountainous, Mediterranean climate with venal rainfalls. High altitude and topography are influential in the formation of the climate of every region and can help decrease or increase the current of the wind, and the formation of cold weather, the precipitation decreases from the west to the east due to the existence of mountains, which prevent the influx of the currents from the west into the plateau. Mountains a and Rivers.
Geographically, the province of Kurdistan enjoys a diverse variety: 1. mountains: there are charming pastures and forests in the mountains. 2. Plains and rivers: the main rivers of the country originate from hills province. 3. hills: about 19% of the province is covered by hills. This part of the province used to be steppe and oak forest and constituted the most important pastures of the province. 4. plateaus: about 21 % of the province is located in the plateaus, these lands used to serve as pastures for the nomads and the herders. Presently a large part of these lands is allotted to the dry farming and only a small portion to irrigated agriculture. 5. Plains: the mountains in this province lack vast plains. There are small plains in the province, particularly in the central and the western parts and there are remarkably vast plains in the Qorveh-Garus, kamyaran. Marivan, and Divan Darreh. In general, 4.5% of the province is covered by plains and fields. 6. Rivers: the mountains of Kurdistan have long been considered by geographers as the origins of the large rivers, the large rivers of the province include Qezel Ozon, Zarrineh Rud, Khur kttureh, Sirvan and Cheshm Shur.
Forests and Vegetation
The province of Kurdistan enjoys a charming nature including beautiful forests which scatter around the cities of Baneh and Marivan. They are of secondary importance as compared with the forests in northern Iran. Presently, the province is scattered with scrambled bushes and shrubs, the most important trees include oak, sage apple, pear, ash tree, wild apples, wild pistachio, hawthorns, sour cherry, bitter almond, medlar, hackberry. redwood, maple and trees like wild willows scatter beside the river.
Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei
Saeed M. Aznaveh
Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei
Kurdistan: The green Pearl
Gooya Art House
Gooya Art House
Kurdistan: The green Pearl
Saed M. Aznaveh
Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei
Photo by: Saeed M. Aznaveh
Text: Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei
Translation: Ismael Salami
Art Director & Design : Afshid Fateml Nazar
text: Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei
Translation : Esmail Salami
Calligraphy: Esrafil Shirchi
Color Seperation: M. Rasaee, H. tajik
Lithogeraphy: Honar Chap va Geraphic
Printing: Honar Chap va Geraphic
Binding: Gohar
Prints Run 4000
First FAII 2006
ISBN: 964-8741-11-5
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