Kurdish history
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- People
Around 30 to 40 million Kurds, one of the largest peoples in the Middle East.
- Homeland
Kurdistan: the Zagros and Taurus mountains, across today's Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
- Language
Kurdish is an Iranian language. Main dialects: Kurmanji, Sorani, Southern Kurdish, with Zazakî and Hewramî close by.
- Diaspora
Large communities in Germany, Sweden, the UK, France, Norway and many other countries.
Timeline
- 1171
Saladin (Selahedînê Eyûbî), of Kurdish origin, founds the Ayyubid dynasty.
- 1514
Battle of Chaldiran. Kurdistan is divided between the Ottoman and Safavid empires.
- 1597
Şerefxanê Bidlîsî completes the Şerefname, a history of the Kurds.
- 1690s
Ehmedê Xanî writes Mem û Zîn, the Kurdish national epic.
- 1920
The Treaty of Sèvres allows for Kurdish autonomy.
- 1923
The Treaty of Lausanne replaces Sèvres. Kurdistan is split between Turkey and the new mandates of Iraq and Syria.
- 1932
Celadet Alî Bedirxan publishes Hawar and the Latin Kurmanji alphabet.
- 1946
The Republic of Mahabad in Rojhilat, which lasts under a year.
- 1988
The chemical attack on Halabja and the Anfal campaign in Başûr.
- 1992
First elections to the Kurdistan Parliament in Başûr.
- 2005
Iraq's constitution recognises the Kurdistan Region.
Articles in the works
- Where the Kurds come from
- Saladin
- Mem û Zîn and Ehmedê Xanî
- The Bedirxan family and Hawar
- The Republic of Mahabad
- Halabja
- Kurdish dialects and how they formed
- Famous Kurds