Hazim Beg Shemdîn Agha: A Kurdish Personality

Hazim Beg Shemdîn Agha: A Kurdish Personality

Hazar Shemdin

Book Award Winner

Was a man of peace and justice who strongly believed in education as the foundation of liberty and social justice. He was a progressive man ahead of his time who used his power and wealth in the service and education of his people. Hazim Beg, though from a completely different culture and different region of the world, was a contemporary and an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi of India. He adhered to the same principles and philosophy. They both had the same vision: that is, to improve the lot of fellow human beings through peace and justice. Hazim Beg died at the age of fifty-three and became a legend to his people. Named "father of the poor," he was a man endowed with wealth, wisdom, charisma, and compassion. He lived with his beautiful and dignified wife, Saniya Khan, for twenty-nine years, and together they raised thirteen children, nine boys and four girls, in their ancestral home in Zakho. This book is an account of an era told through the author's personal reflections on a universe that operated in the shadow of her father and through the stories told about him with tangible and intangible elements, the latter being of a monumental scale.

Hazar Shemdin was born in Zakho, Iraq, and graduated in Baghdad from Al-Hikma University (an affiliate of Boston College, Massachusetts, USA). She had an active career as an accounting manager in Chicago, and became a real estate broker in California. She is a member of North California Publishers & Authors (NCPA), a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and a member of Toastmasters, where she has earned the advanced Gold Certificate. Hazar speaks Kurdish, Arabic, and English, and lives with her husband in Sacramento, California.

Contents

Photographs and Illustrations / xiii
Acknowledgments / xxi

Part 1: The Agha Era

1 The Road to Milpitas, California, USA, 1993 / 3
The Party / 6
Out of Milpitas / 14

2 Memories of Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan, 1949 / 17
The Qasr (Mansion] / 17
Hazim Beg's Arrival / 32

3 The Shemdin Agha Family History / 37
Contemporary Family Leaders / 37
Contemporary History of Zakho / 44

Part 2: The Pasha Era
4 Yousif Pasha's Marriages, 1889 / 59
5 Qadir Agha and Hajji Halima, Late 19th Century / 77
6 Muhammed Agha Shemdin Agha, 1878-1924 / 83
The Year of Firman, 1915-1917 / 86

7 Hazim Beg, Son of Yousif Pasha Shemdin Agha, 1901-1954 / 97
8 The Marriage of Abdul-Karim Agha and Sabriya Khan, 1920 / 103

9 Saniya Fattah Suleiman's Background, 1800s / 113
Mosul / 113
Family Background / 114
Travel and Inheritance / 117

10 Saniya Fattah Suleiman's Background, 1900s / 123
The Zakho Connection / 123
World War I Refugees in Mosul / 124
Home Life and Bath Day 127 Public Baths / 129

11 Saniya Fattah Suleiman: Growing Up in Mosul, 1920,
and Marriage to Hazim Beg, 1925 / 133
Hospitality 133 Saniya Gets Engaged / 137
Saniya Gets Married / 140

Part 3: The Beg Era

12 Saniya Khan in Zakho, 1925-1926 / 145
A New Life / 145

13 The Mansion's Household and Staff, 1880-1950S / 159

14 The Burdens of the Chief, 1926-1929 / 181
Events After World War 1181 Protecting Relatives from Turkey / 183

15 Saniya Khan in Zakho, 1930 / 189
The Private Wing / 189
More Children in the Mansion / 193
Dr. Krikor Astarjian 196 Visitors from Rawanduz / 196
Visitors from Baghdad and Basra / 199
Saniya Khan and the Gun / 201

16 Sabriya Khan's Spirituality 1929-1938 / 205

17 The Shemdin Agha Family in Parliament, 1930 / 213
Kurdish Rights / 213
A Kurdish Vision / 219
Meeting Barzani1943 / 220
Rights of Others / 221
The Shammer Tribe / 224
Aziz Agha Yacu / 225
Bishar Agha Salih Agha / 226

18 Community Life in Zakho, 1938 / 227
The River / 227
The Town / 232
The Reformer / 234
The Leader / 240

19 Social Life in Zakho, 1939 / 245
The Teahouse / 246
The Dewan / 248
The Bricks in the Stable / 253
The Spread of Communism / 254
Payday / 255
Evening Hospitality / 256
Out-of-Town Visitor / 260
Help from the Spirits / 261
Winters Alone / 263
A Musical Instrument / 264

20 Daily Life in the Mansion, 1940-1950 / 267
The Kitchen / 268
Food Preparation / 272
The Formal Summer Dining Room / 276
Drinking Water / 278
Electricity in the Qasr (Mansion) / 280

21 Eid Time in Zakho, 1925-1954 / 283
Baking for the Eid 286 Eid Day / 288
22 Harvest Celebration, 1930s / 299
The Valley of Plenty / 299
Village Ownership Rules / 304
The Farmer / 306
Office Headquarters / 309
Golden Fields of Wheat / 316
Golden Fields Dotted with White Cotton Buds / 317
The Compassionate / 321

23 Alms After Harvest / 323
Modesty / 326

24 Irrigation Canals, 1933-1945 / 327
Building the Canal / 330
Karez-a Spee (The White Spring) / 333
Aloka Trench / 342
Archeological Finds / 343

25 Children's Fun Time, 1949-1953 / 345
The Storks in the Mansion / 345
Winter School Breaks / 348
Springtime and Flowers / 351
Summer Vacation in Zakho / 353
Hunting and Horseback Riding / 355
Bicycle Riding / 356
The Smell of Fresh-Baked Bread / 359
Swimming Time in Zakho / 360
Naps in the Basement / 360
Playing House / 361
Sa'da and Her Buffaloes / 362
Mehu Madu's Confectionary Store and the Haircuts Day / 364
The Palm Tree / 365
The Round Red Target / 366
The Rowboat / 367
Ramo and Ice Cream Day / 367
Nijyar's Cow / 369
Wedding Spirit / 370
Hazar and Adel, the Ironing Man / 371
The Fisherman at Mosul / 372
Winter in Baghdad / 373
The Emotional Price of Education / 377

26 The Annual Picnic, 1900, 1930, 1950 / 379

27 The Winter of 1950 / 387

28 Goulnaz / 395

29 Hazim Beg and the School Field Trip / 405

30 Education and Scholarships / 411

Part 4: End of an Era

31 The Heart Attack, 1952-1954 / 425
The Burial / 431

32 The Will / 437
The Safe / 441
Reading the Will / 442
Saniya Khan's Faith / 442
The 40th Day Remembrance / 444
Kurdish Mourning Traditions / 445
The Newspapers / 446

33 The Cemetery, 1954 / 447

34 The Legend / 453
The Everlasting Good Deeds / 454
The Revolution of 1958 / 456
The Golden Age / 457
Remembered All Over the World / 459

Glossary / 461

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my sister Gouhar for her assistance
in making this book possible; my editor, Sandra K. Williams, for her professionalism in editing this book; Northern Cali-fornia Publishers & Authors (NCPA, for honoring me with an award for this book; my brothers Nijyar, Yashar, and Nazar for contributing some detailed information; my sister Azhar for her inspirational spirit, my brother Ghandi for restoring photographs,- Lucas Michel for the architectural drawings,- my relatives for donating pictures,- my husband, Tahir Bazirgan, for giving me the time, space, and support to write this book; and last but not least, my son, Omar Bazirgan, and his family for providing me with the motivation to think of our future generations.

Part 1

The Agha Era

Chapter 1

The Road to Milpitas, California,
USA, 1993

One sunny day in the summer of 1993, Hazar, age fortyeight, and her younger brother Ghandi took a train from Sacramento to Milpitas, California, to attend a Kurdish party. After being away from Kurdistan and isolated from other Kurds for over three decades, they became aware of how much they missed their cultural heritage and their people. They were anxious to recover memories of their past, and were curious to find out if others like them still existed on this planet.

They loved the train ride, a train ride to somewhere, to anywhere. The trip reminded Hazar of her pleasant childhood when she, her mother, her brother Ghandi, and her sister Azhar traveled overnight on the British-built Iraqi Railway trains from Mosul to Baghdad, the last extension of the Orient Express, made famous by author Agatha Christie in her book, Murder on the Orient Express. The inspector, locally nicknamed "Titi" or "Jabi," checked tickets. The first-class cabin accommodated four persons. The cabin had two lower bunk beds and two upper bunks. At bedtime the train attendant would unhook the upper beds and set up the wide, long beds. At six years of age, Hazar loved to climb to the upper …

Hazar Shemdin

Hazim Beg Shemdîn Agha: A Kurdish Personality

Book Award Winner

Book Award Winner
Hazim Beg Shemdîn Agha: A Kurdish Personality
A Social History of His Life & Times 1901-1954
Hazar Shemdin

A Kurdish Personality
A Social History of His Life    Times, 1901-1954.
publishers authors
Book Award Winner
Hazar Shemdin
Assisted by Gouhar Shemdin

Copyright © 2015 by Hazar Shemdin.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner without written permission
of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations in
critical articles or reviews.

Published by Hazim Beg Book, LLC
E-mail hazimbegbook@gmail.com

This memoir is based on the author's recollection of events and
conversations. Events and dialogue have been recreated, combined,
or condensed. Some names, photos, and personal details have been
changed to protect the privacy of individuals. In rare instances imaginary
episodes have been included. While some omissions and errors may have occurred, 
the intent of this book is to be a factual representation.
Architectural drawings by Lucas Michel
Photograph restoration by Ghandi Shemdin
Book design by Williams Writing, Editing &. Design

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-5169-8953-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015913573

ISBN 9781516989539