Every Clime, Class and Colour

The Kurdish people are the fourth largest ethnic group in the middle east, numbering around 25-35 million. As such they are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state. Their origins are a matter of debate that will not be discussed here. However, their presence in the area likely predates their Turkish and Arab neighbours. During the 16^th century the Kurdish region fell under Ottoman and Persian rule. It functioned as a buffer zone between the two empires until the end of the First World War.

In the modern day the region is divided between four nations: Turkiye, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Despite being promised a state of their own during the First World War by the allies, the colonial powers later reneged on their agreement and carved up the dying Ottoman Empire for themselves. Kurdish Iraq fell under British influence, in Syria it was the French and in Turkey it was the new Turkish Republic. Iranian Kurdistan remained part of Iran as it had never been directly colonised, albeit the Iranian government later fell under western influence. In 2021 around 18% of Kurds lived in Turkey, 18% in Iraq, 10% in Iran and 9% in Syria. A further two million live in the Caucuses. They also have a sizable diaspora in Europe and North America.

The complexity of Kurdish history is also reflected within their culture. Divided by both manmade borders and geography, the Kurdish identity is not a monolith. Rather it varies greatly from region to region. Some Kurds still maintain somewhat tribal traditions, others have been urbanised for generations and no longer practice tribal customs. Most are Sunni Muslims but belong to the Shafi school, unlike their Turkish and Arab neighbours who generally belong to the Hanafi school. Other Kurds are Alevi, Yezidi or Shia. Some have no religion at all. A small amount are also Christian or Jewish.

In terms of Language, things are also complex. There are various Kurdish dialects within the Kurdish language. The two major ones are Kurmanji and Sorani. Both have many subdivisions resulting in several subdialects. Many of these languages are mutually unintelligible. Other Kurds speak no Kurdish at all due to forced assimilation but speak rather Turkish, Farsi or Arabic.

One reason for the cultural diversity within the Kurdish ethnicity can be attributed to the terrain. Much of the Kurdish region is mountainous, due to the Zagros Mountain range running through the area. This historically made travel between certain areas impossible, especially during winter. This remoteness may have allowed for limited cultural exchanges between some Kurdish communities resulting in a varied identity. However, it is important to note many Kurds live in large cities such as Diyarbakir, Mosul and Erbil. They have become quite urbanised in many areas and very few have maintained a nomadic lifestyle.

The political situation in the Kurdish region is complicated to say the least. In Iraq they enjoy autonomy under the KRG, or Kurdish Regional Government. They have been autonomise since the early 1990s, but this status only became official after the toppling of Saddam in 2003. Syrian Kurds have also had their own government since the outbreak of the civil war there in 2011. This government is known as Rojava. They are allies of the United States but do not hold the same recognition as the KRG. Their autonomy is not recognised (yet) by the new Syrian state. Their future remains uncertain, particularly as Turkey opposes another autonomous Kurdish state on their border.

In Turkey the Kurds have no autonomy but are represented in the Kurdish parliament through various political parties. The Turkish state has been fighting the PKK since 1978, a Kurdish Guerrilla group whose aim is autonomy or complete secession from Turkey. In Iran the Kurds also hold no autonomy but also have their own version of the PKK, PJAK. Iranian Kurds are also represented to a limit degree within the Iranian political system.

A united Kurdistan to which some nationalists dream of obtaining seems incredibly unlikely given their current circumstances. But Kurdish nationalism is not going anywhere, and their abusive treatment by various governments throughout the years has not changed this. In another post I will discuss each Kurdish region in greater detail, but for now here is an introduction.