72-462: Ancient Medieval Modern Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan ( Kurdish : Bakurê Kurdistanê ) is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form the predominant ethnic group . The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the southeast. Southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan) is considered to be one of
144-470: A Sarmatian tribal name of the Alans called * Yazig , from Proto-Iranian * Yaz , meaning 'those who sacrifice', perhaps referring to a tribe associated with ritual sacrifice, although the broader Sarmatians apparently called themselves "Ariitai" or "Aryan", preserved in modern Ossetic Irættæ . Since Ossetian speakers lacked any single inclusive name for themselves in their native language beyond
216-483: A dialect of Southern Kurdish or as a fourth language under Kurdish is a matter of debate, but the differences between Laki and other Southern Kurdish dialects are minimal. The literary output in Kurdish was mostly confined to poetry until the early 20th century, when more general literature became developed. Today, the two principal written Kurdish dialects are Kurmanji and Sorani. Sorani is, along with Arabic , one of
288-759: A great kingdom between the Don and Volga Rivers, according to Coon , The Races of Europe . Between 350 and 374 AD, the Huns destroyed the Alan kingdom and the Alan people were split in half. A few fled to the west, where they participated in the Barbarian Invasions of Rome, established short-lived kingdoms in Spain and North Africa and settled in many other places such as Orléans, France , Iași, Romania , Alenquer, Portugal and Jászberény, Hungary . The other Alans fled to
360-539: A major source of income in the Iraq-Turkey border area. Larger-scale agriculture and industrial activities dominate the economic life of the lower-lying region around Diyarbakır , the largest Kurdish-majority city in the region. Elsewhere, however, military activity and high unemployment has led to extensive migration from the region to other parts of Turkey and abroad. Part of the Fertile Crescent of
432-516: A new inclusive ethnic name. This, combined with the effects of the Georgian–Ossetian conflict , led to the popularization of Alania , the name of the medieval Sarmatian confederation, to which the Ossetians traced their origin and to the inclusion of this name into the official republican title of North Ossetia in 1994. The root os/as - probably stems from an earlier * ows / aws -. This
504-542: A part of Ottoman sanjaks . However, powerful and less accessible tribes, particularly those close to the frontier with Persia , enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. According to a kanunname (book of law) mentioned by Evliya Çelebi , there were two administrative units different from regular sanjaks: 1) Kurdish sanjaks ( Ekrad Beyliği ), characterized by the hereditary rule of the Kurdish aristocracy and 2) Kurdish governments ( hükümet ). The Kurdish sanjaks, like ordinary sanjaks, had military obligations and had to pay taxes. On
576-720: A region situated across the northern and southern sides of the Caucasus Mountains . They natively speak Ossetic , an Eastern Iranian language of the Indo-European language family , with most also being fluent in Russian as a second language. Currently, the Ossetian homeland of Ossetia is politically divided between North Ossetia–Alania in Russia , and the de facto country of South Ossetia (recognized by
648-728: A strong economy that benefited from the Silk Road . After the Mongol invasions of the 1200s, the Alans migrated further into Caucasus Mountains, where they would form three ethnographical groups; the Iron, the Digoron and the Kudar. The Jassic people are believed to be a potentially fourth group that migrated in the 13th century to Hungary . In more-recent history, the Ossetians participated in
720-510: A variety that was an important literary language since the 14th century, but it was replaced by Central Kurdish in the 20th century. European scholars have maintained that Gorani is separate from Kurdish and that Kurdish is synonymous with the Northern Kurdish group, whereas ethnic Kurds maintain that Kurdish encompasses any of the unique languages or dialects spoken by Kurds that are not spoken by neighbouring ethnic groups. Gorani
792-565: Is a Northwestern Iranian language or group of languages spoken by Kurds in the region of Kurdistan , namely in southeast Turkey , northern Iraq , northwest Iran , and northern Syria . It is also spoken in northeast Iran, as well as in certain areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan . Kurdish varieties constitute a dialect continuum , with some mutually unintelligible varieties, and collectively have 26 million native speakers. The main varieties of Kurdish are Kurmanji , Sorani , and Southern Kurdish ( Xwarîn ). The majority of
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#1732772348359864-610: Is an official language in Iraq. In Syria, on the other hand, publishing materials in Kurdish is forbidden, though this prohibition is not enforced any more due to the Syrian civil war . Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish, prohibiting the language in education and broadcast media. In March 2006, Turkey allowed private television channels to begin airing programming in Kurdish. However,
936-569: Is classified as part of the Zaza–Gorani branch of Indo-Iranian languages. The Zaza language , spoken mainly in Turkey, differs both grammatically and in vocabulary and is generally not understandable by Gorani speakers but it is considered related to Gorani. Almost all Zaza-speaking communities, as well as speakers of the closely related Shabaki dialect spoken in parts of Iraqi Kurdistan , identify themselves as ethnic Kurds. Geoffrey Haig and Ergin Öpengin in their recent study suggest grouping
1008-689: Is divided into two main dialect groups: Ironian ( os . – Ирон) in North and South Ossetia and Digorian ( os . – Дыгурон) in Western North Ossetia. In these two groups are some subdialects, such as Tualian, Alagirian and Ksanian. The Ironian dialect is the most widely spoken. Ossetian is among the remnants of the Scytho-Sarmatian dialect group, which was once spoken across the Pontic–Caspian Steppe. The Ossetian language
1080-458: Is not a unified language, its many dialects are interrelated and at the same time distinguishable from other Western Iranian languages . The same source classifies different Kurdish dialects as two main groups, northern and central. The average Kurmanji speaker does not find it easy to communicate with the inhabitants of Sulaymaniyah or Halabja . Some linguistic scholars assert that the term "Kurdish" has been applied extrinsically in describing
1152-433: Is not mutually intelligible with any other Iranian language. Prior to the 10th century, Ossetians were strictly pagan, though they were partially Christianized by Byzantine missionaries in the beginning of the 10th century. By the 13th century, most of the urban population of Ossetia gradually became Eastern Orthodox Christian as a result of Georgian missionary work. Islam was introduced shortly after, during
1224-459: Is not recognized in Turkey, and prior to 2013 the use of Kurdish names containing the letters X , W , and Q , which do not exist in the Turkish alphabet , was not allowed. In 2012, Kurdish-language lessons became an elective subject in public schools. Previously, Kurdish education had only been possible in private institutions. In Iran, though it is used in some local media and newspapers, it
1296-916: Is not used in public schools. In 2005, 80 Syrian and Iranian Kurds took part in an experiment and gained scholarships to study in Kurdistan Region , Iraq, in their native tongue. In Kyrgyzstan , 96.21% of the Kurdish population speak Kurdish as their native language. In Kazakhstan, the corresponding percentage is 88.7%. Ossetians The Ossetians ( / ɒ ˈ s iː ʃ ə n z / oss- EE -shənz or / ɒ ˈ s ɛ t i ən z / oss- ET -ee-ənz ; Ossetic : ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ , romanized: ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ ), also known as Ossetes ( / ˈ ɒ s iː t s / OSS -eets ), Ossets ( / ˈ ɒ s ɪ t s / OSS -its ), and Alans ( / ˈ æ l ə n z / AL -ənz ), are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia ,
1368-528: Is regarded as one of the earliest leaders who pursued modern nationalist ideas among Kurds. In a letter to a British Vice-Consul, he declared: the Kurdish nation is a people apart. . . we want our affairs to be in our hands'.' The breakup of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in the First World War led to its dismemberment and establishment of the present-day political boundaries, dividing
1440-585: Is suggested by the archaic Georgian root ovs - (cf. Ovsi , Ovseti ), documented in the Georgian Chronicles ; the long length of the initial vowel or the gemination of the consonant s in some forms ( NPers . Ās , Āṣ ; Lat . Aas , Assi ); and by the Armenian ethnic name * Awsowrk' ( Ōsur -), probably derived from a cognate preserved in the Jassic term *Jaszok , referring to the branch of
1512-461: Is translated to simply mean Kurdish. The Mokriani variety of Sorani is widely spoken in Mokrian. Piranshahr and Mahabad are two principal cities of the Mokrian area. Zaza–Gorani languages , which are spoken by communities in the wider area who identify as ethnic Kurds, are not linguistically classified as Kurdish. Zaza-Gorani is classified as adjunct to Kurdish, although authorities differ in
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#17327723483591584-855: The Ancient Near East , Northern Kurdistan was quickly affected by the Neolithic Revolution that saw the spread of agriculture. In the Bronze Age , it was ruled by the Arameans , followed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the Iron Age . Classical antiquity saw the arrival of first Greater Armenia , then the Roman Empire . The early Muslim conquests swept over the region with the spread of Islam . During
1656-627: The Middle Ages , the region came under the rule of local chieftains. In the 10th and 11th centuries, it was ruled by the Kurdish Marwanid dynasty. From the 14th century onwards, the region was mostly incorporated into the Ottoman Empire . A tax register (or defter ) dating back to 1527 mentions an area called Vilayet-i Kurdistan , which included seven major and 11 minor emirates (or principalities ). The document refers to
1728-625: The Ossetian–Ingush conflict (1991–1992) and Georgian–Ossetian conflicts ( 1918–1920 , early 1990s ) and in the 2008 South Ossetia war between Georgia and Russia. Key events: Ever since de facto independence, there have been proposals in South Ossetia of joining Russia and uniting with North Ossetia. The Ossetian language belongs to the Eastern Iranian ( Alanic ) branch of the Indo-European language family . Ossetian
1800-580: The Ottoman Empire , Constantinople decided not to settle these in Kurdistan due to the extreme poverty and lack of material resources for the refugees. Yet after some time, the Ottomans started seeing the refugees as a chance to diminish the Kurdish claim to the region and allowed the refugees to settle in the region. From early stage on, some Caucasians went through a voluntary process of Kurdification and thereby had Kurdish as their mother tongue. When
1872-810: The United Nations as Russian-occupied territory that is de jure part of Georgia ). Their closest historical and linguistic relatives, the Jász people , live in the Jászság region within the northwestern part of the Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County of Hungary . A third group descended from the medieval Alans are the Asud of Mongolia . Both the Jász and the Asud have long been assimilated; only
1944-709: The United States (primarily New York City , Florida and California ), Canada ( Toronto ), Australia ( Sydney ) and other countries all around the world. The vast majority of Ossetians live in Russia (according to the Russian Census (2002) ): The Ossetians are a unique ethnic group of the Caucasus, speaking an Indo-Iranian language surrounded mostly by Vainakh-Dagestani and Abkhazo-Circassian ethnolinguistic groups, as well as Turkic tribes such as
2016-731: The 1500s and 1600s, when the members of the Digor first encountered Circassians of the Kabarday tribe in Western Ossetia, who themselves had been introduced to the religion by Tatars during the 1400s. According to a 2013 estimate, up to 15% of North Ossetia’s population practice Islam. In 1774, Ossetia became part of the Russian Empire , which only went on to strengthen Orthodox Christianity considerably, by having sent Russian Orthodox missionaries there. However, most of
2088-753: The 1980s. Outside of South Ossetia , there are also a significant number of Ossetians living in Trialeti , in North-Central Georgia . A large Ossetian diaspora lives in Turkey and Syria . About 5,000–10,000 Ossetians emigrated to the Ottoman Empire, with their migration reaching peaks in 1860–61 and 1865. In Turkey, Ossetians settled in central Anatolia and set up clusters of villages around Sarıkamış and near Lake Van in eastern Anatolia. Ossetians have also settled in Belgium , France , Sweden ,
2160-560: The 1990s, forced immigration from the southeast has led millions of Kurds to settle in the cities Ankara , Izmir or Istanbul . There used to be 11 Jewish communities in the Turkish Kurdistan . Much of the region is fertile and has traditionally exported grain and livestock to the cities in the plains. The local economy is dominated by animal husbandry and small-scale agriculture , with cross-border smuggling to and from Iraqi Kurdistan (especially of petroleum ) providing
2232-608: The Iazyges Alanic tribe dwelling near modern Georgia by the time of Anania Shirakatsi (7th century AD). The native beliefs of the Ossetian people are rooted in their Sarmatian origin, which have been syncretized with a local variant of Folk Orthodoxy , in which some pagan gods have been converted into Christian saints. The Narts , the Daredzant, and the Tsartsiat, serve as the basic literature of folk mythology in
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2304-633: The Kurdish emirates as eyalet (state), an indication of the autonomy they enjoyed. In a Ferman (imperial decree) issued by Suleiman I , around 1533, he outlines the rules of inheritance and succession among Kurdistan beys i.e. the Kurdish aristocracy. Hereditary succession was granted to Kurdish emirates loyal to the Ottoman Empire , and Kurdish princes were granted autonomy within the Empire. The degree of autonomy of these emirates varied greatly and depended on their geopolitical significance. The weak Kurdish tribes were forced to join stronger ones or become
2376-537: The Kurdish languages into Northern Kurdish, Central Kurdish, Southern Kurdish, Zaza , and Gorani, and avoid the subgrouping Zaza–Gorani. The notable professor Zare Yusupova has carried out a lot of work and research into the Gorani dialect (as well as many other minority/ancient Kurdish dialects). During his stay in Damascus , historian Ibn Wahshiyya came across two books on agriculture written in Kurdish, one on
2448-625: The Kurdish question arose in Turkey, it also had an effect on their Caucasian neighbors. Even today, there is an aversion from joining the Kurds in their conflict against the Turkish state, but some individuals of Caucasian origin joined the Kurdistan Workers' Party . As part of their campaign, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) won elections in most Caucasian villages in Turkish Kurdistan. Kurdish language Ancient Medieval Modern Kurdish ( Kurdî , کوردی )
2520-436: The Kurdish states or hükümets as Cezire, Egil, Genç, Palu and Hazo. In the late 18th and early 19th century, with the decline of the Ottoman Empire , the Kurdish principalities became practically independent. The Ottoman government began to assert its authority in the region in the early 19th century. Concerned with independent-mindedness of Kurdish principalities, Ottomans sought to curb their influence and bring them under
2592-474: The Kurdish-inhabited regions between several newly created states. The establishment and enforcement of the new borders had profound effects for the Kurds, who had to abandon their traditional nomadism for village life and settled farming. There has been significant conflict in Turkey over the Kurdish populations' linguistic rights. At various points in its history Turkey has enacted laws prohibiting
2664-432: The Kurds of Amadiya . This work is very important in Kurdish history as it is the first acknowledgment of the widespread use of a distinctive Kurdish language. Garzoni was given the title Father of Kurdology by later scholars. The Kurdish language was banned in a large portion of Kurdistan for some time. After the 1980 Turkish coup d'état until 1991 the use of the Kurdish language was illegal in Turkey. Today, Sorani
2736-747: The Kurds speak Kurmanji, and most Kurdish texts are written in Kurmanji and Sorani. Kurmanji is written in the Hawar alphabet , a derivation of the Latin script , and Sorani is written in the Sorani alphabet , a derivation of the Arabic script . A separate group of non-Kurdish Northwestern Iranian languages, the Zaza–Gorani languages , are also spoken by several million ethnic Kurds. The classification of Laki as
2808-699: The Osi'. Osi ( ოსი , pl. Osebi , ოსები ) has been used in Georgian since the Middle Ages to refer to the sole Iranian -speaking population of the Central Caucasus and is probably based on the old Sarmatian self-designation As (pronounced Az ) or Iasi (pronounced Yazi ), cognate with Hungarian Jasz , both derived from the Latin Iazyges , which is a latinization of
2880-502: The Ossetian folk religion, is also widespread among Ossetians, with ritual traditions like animal sacrifices, holy shrines, annual festivities, etc. There are temples, known as kuvandon, in most villages. According to the research service Sreda , North Ossetia is the primary center of Ossetian Folk religion and 29% of the population reported practicing the Folk religion in a 2012 survey. Assianism has been steadily rising in popularity since
2952-590: The Ossetians have preserved a form of the Alanic language and Alanian identity. The majority of Ossetians are Eastern Orthodox Christians , with sizable minorities professing the Ossetian ethnic religion of Uatsdin as well as Islam . The Ossetians and Ossetia received their name from the Russians, who adopted the Georgian designation Oseti ( ოსეთი – note the personal pronoun), which means 'the land of
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3024-428: The Turkish government said that they must avoid showing children's cartoons , or educational programs that teach Kurdish, and could broadcast only for 45 minutes a day or four hours a week. The state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) started its 24-hour Kurdish television station on 1 January 2009 with the motto "we live under the same sky". The Turkish prime minister sent a video message in Kurdish to
3096-453: The approximate borders of the areas where the main ethnic core of the speakers of the contemporary Kurdish dialects was formed. The most argued hypothesis on the localisation of the ethnic territory of the Kurds remains D.N. Mackenzie 's theory, proposed in the early 1960s (Mackenzie 1961). Developing the ideas of P. Tedesco (1921: 255) and regarding the common phonetic isoglosses shared by Kurdish, Persian, and Baluchi , Mackenzie concluded that
3168-465: The arc of the Taurus Mountains . It has an extreme continental climate —hot in the summer, bitterly cold in the winter. In the first census of Turkey in 1927, Kurdish was the largest first language in the provinces of Ağrı ( 58%), Bitlis ( 75%), Diyarbakır ( 69%), Elazığ ( 53%), Hakkâri ( 89%), Mardin ( 61%), Siirt ( 74%, includes present-day Batman) and Van ( 77%). Moreover, Kurdish was
3240-525: The control of the central government in Constantinople. However, removal from power of these hereditary principalities led to more instability in the region from the 1840s onwards. In their place, sufi sheiks and religious orders rose to prominence and spread their influence throughout the region. One of the prominent Sufi leaders was Sheikh Ubeydalla Nahri , who began a revolt in the region between Lakes Van and Urmia . The area under his control covered both Ottoman and Qajar territories. Shaikh Ubaidalla
3312-405: The culture of the vine and the palm tree, and the other on water and the means of finding it out in unknown ground. He translated both from Kurdish into Arabic in the early 9th century AD. Among the earliest Kurdish religious texts is the Yazidi Black Book , the sacred book of Yazidi faith. It is considered to have been authored sometime in the 13th century AD by Hassan bin Adi (b. 1195 AD),
3384-486: The details. groups Kurdish with Zaza Gorani within a "Northwestern I" group, while Glottolog based on Encyclopædia Iranica prefers an areal grouping of "Central dialects" (or "Kermanic") within Northwest Iranic, with Kurdish but not Zaza-Gorani grouped with "Kermanic". Gorani is distinct from Northern and Central Kurdish, yet shares vocabulary with both of them and there are some grammatical similarities with Central Kurdish. The Hawrami dialects of Gorani includes
3456-564: The fact that this usage reflects the sense of ethnic identity and unity among the Kurds. From a linguistic or at least a grammatical point of view, however, Kurmanji and Sorani differ as much from each other as English and German, and it would seem appropriate to refer to them as languages. For example, Sorani has neither gender nor case-endings, whereas Kurmanji has both.... Differences in vocabulary and pronunciation are not as great as between German and English, but they are still considerable. According to Encyclopaedia of Islam , although Kurdish
3528-443: The fifteenth century. From the 15th to 17th centuries, classical Kurdish poets and writers developed a literary language. The most notable classical Kurdish poets from this period were Ali Hariri , Ahmad Khani , Malaye Jaziri and Faqi Tayran . The Italian priest Maurizio Garzoni published the first Kurdish grammar titled Grammatica e Vocabolario della Lingua Kurda in Rome in 1787 after eighteen years of missionary work among
3600-444: The four parts of Kurdistan , which also includes parts of northern Syria ( Western Kurdistan ), northern Iraq ( Southern Kurdistan ) and northwestern Iran ( Eastern Kurdistan ). The term Turkish Kurdistan is often used in the context of Kurdish nationalism , which makes it a controversial term among proponents of Turkish nationalism . The term has different meaning depending on context. The Encyclopaedia of Islam delineates
3672-420: The geography of Turkish Kurdistan as following: According to Trotter (1878), the limit of their extent to the north was the line Divriği — Erzurum — Kars . In the region of Erzurum they are found especially to the east and the south-east. The Kurds also occupy the western slopes of Ararat, the districts of Kağızman and Tuzluca . On the west they extend in a wide belt beyond the course of the Euphrates, and, in
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#17327723483593744-415: The great-grandnephew of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (d. 1162), the founder of the faith. It contains the Yazidi account of the creation of the world, the origin of man, the story of Adam and Eve and the major prohibitions of the faith. According to The Cambridge History of the Kurds , "the first proper 'text'" written in Kurdish is a short Christian prayer. It was written in Armenian characters, and dates from
3816-437: The language the Kurds speak, whereas some ethnic Kurds have used the word term to simply describe their ethnicity and refer to their language as Kurmanji , Sorani , Hewrami , Kermanshahi , Kalhori or whatever other dialect or language they speak. Some historians have noted that it is only recently that the Kurds who speak the Sorani dialect have begun referring to their language as Kurdî , in addition to their identity, which
3888-636: The largest first language with a plurality in Şanlıurfa with 42%. 69% of the population in Muş Province had Kurdish as their first language in the census of 1935, the first census conducted there after the province was split from Bitlis earlier. Bingöl Province was separated from Muş in 1935, while Tunceli Province was separated from Elazığ in 1936 and Kurdish was also the first language in these newly-established provinces in their first census in 1945 with 56% and 53%, respectively. Moreover, other ethnic groups also exist in Turkish Kurdistan including Arabs , Assyrians , Circassians , Ossetians and Turks . Since
3960-423: The missionaries chosen were churchmen from Eastern Orthodox communities living in Georgia, including Armenians and Greeks , as well as ethnic Georgians . Russian missionaries themselves were not sent, as this would have been regarded by the Ossetians as too intrusive. Today, the majority of Ossetians from both North and South Ossetia follow Eastern Orthodoxy . Assianism ( Uatsdin or Aesdin in Ossetian),
4032-581: The north-west Iranian group". Ludwig Paul concludes that Kurdish seems to be a Northwestern Iranian language in origin, but acknowledges that it shares many traits with Southwestern Iranian languages like Persian , apparently due to longstanding and intense historical contacts. Windfuhr identified Kurdish dialects as Parthian , albeit with a Median substratum. Windfuhr and Frye assume an eastern origin for Kurdish and consider it as related to eastern and central Iranian dialects. The present state of knowledge about Kurdish allows, at least roughly, drawing
4104-665: The opening ceremony, which was attended by Minister of Culture and other state officials. The channel uses the X , W , and Q letters during broadcasting. However, most of these restrictions on private Kurdish television channels were relaxed in September 2009. In 2010, Kurdish municipalities in the southeast began printing marriage certificates , water bills, construction and road signs , as well as emergency, social and cultural notices in Kurdish alongside Turkish. Also Imams began to deliver Friday sermons in Kurdish and Esnaf price tags in Kurdish. Many mayors were tried for issuing public documents in Kurdish language. The Kurdish alphabet
4176-536: The other hand, the Kurdish hükümet neither paid taxes nor provided troops for the Ottoman Army , and the Ottomans preferred not to interfere in their succession and internal affairs. According to Çelebi, by the mid-17th century the autonomy of the Kurdish emirates had diminished. At this time, out of 19 sanjaks of the Diyarbekir Eyalet , 12 were regular Ottoman sanjaks, and the remaining were referred to as Kurdish sanjaks. The Kurdish sanjaks were Sagman, Kulp, Mihraniye, Tercil, Atak, Pertek, Çapakçur and Çermik. Çelebi lists
4248-441: The other languages spoken by Kurds in the region including the Gorani language in parts of Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan. Philip G. Kreyenbroek , an expert writing in 1992, says: Since 1932 most Kurds have used the Roman script to write Kurmanji.... Sorani is normally written in an adapted form of the Arabic script.... Reasons for describing Kurmanji and Sorani as 'dialects' of one language are their common origin and
4320-452: The police have been closing down these private schools. There has been a long-running separatist conflict in Turkey which has cost 30,000 lives, on both sides. The region saw several major Kurdish rebellions during the 1920s and 1930s. These were forcefully put down by the Turkish authorities and the region was declared a closed military area from which foreigners were banned between 1925 and 1965. Kurdish place names were changed and turkified,
4392-499: The region of Sivas, in the districts of Kangal and Divriği. Equally, the whole region includes areas to the east and south-east of these limits... Turkish Kurdistān numbers at least 17 of them almost totally: in the north-east, the provinces of Erzincan , Erzurum and Kars ; in the centre, going from west to east and from north to south, the provinces of Malatya , Tunceli , Elazığ , Bingöl , Muş , Karaköse ( Ağrı ), then Adıyaman , Diyarbakır , Siirt , Bitlis and Van ; Finally,
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#17327723483594464-429: The region. Ossetian folk songs are divided into 10 unique genres : Ossetians use the following Instruments in their music: The Ossetians descend from the Iazyges tribe of the Sarmatians , an Alanic sub-tribe, which in turn split off from the broader Scythians itself. The Sarmatians were the only branch of the Alans to keep their culture in the face of a Gothic invasion (c. 200 AD) and those who remained built
4536-460: The rest of the 1980s and into the 1990s. By 1993, the total number of security forces involved in the struggle in southeastern Turkey was about 200,000, and the conflict had become the largest counter-insurgency in the Middle East , in which much of the countryside was evacuated, thousands of Kurdish-populated villages were destroyed, and numerous extra judicial summary executions were carried out by both sides. More than 37,000 people were killed in
4608-418: The south and settled in the Caucasus, where they established their medieval kingdom of Alania. In the 8th century, a consolidated Alan kingdom, referred to in sources of the period as Alania , emerged in the northern Caucasus Mountains, roughly in the location of the latter-day Circassia and the modern North Ossetia–Alania. At its height, Alania was a centralized monarchy with a strong military force and had
4680-418: The southern provinces of Şanlıurfa (Urfa), Mardin and Çölamerik ( Hakkarî ). Nonetheless, it is emphasized that "the imprecise limits of the frontiers of Kurdistan hardly allow an exact appreciation of the area." The region forms the south-eastern edge of Anatolia , in Upper Mesopotamia . It is dominated by high peaks rising to over 3,700 m (12,000 ft) and arid mountain plateaux , forming part of
4752-407: The speakers of these three languages may once have been in closer contact. Kurdish varieties are divided into three or four groups, with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility. In historical evolution terms, Kurmanji is less modified than Sorani and Pehlewani in both phonetic and morphological structure. The Sorani group has been influenced by among other things its closer cultural proximity to
4824-404: The traditional Iron – Digoron subdivision, these terms came to be accepted by the Ossetians as an endonym even before their integration into the Russian Empire . This practice was put into question by the new Ossetian nationalism in the early 1990s, when the dispute between the Ossetian subgroups of Digoron and Iron over the status of the Digor dialect made Ossetian intellectuals search for
4896-470: The two official languages of Iraq and is in political documents simply referred to as "Kurdish". The Kurdish varieties belong to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family . They are generally classified as Northwestern Iranian languages, or by some scholars as intermediate between Northwestern and Southwestern Iranian. Martin van Bruinessen notes that "Kurdish has a strong South-Western Iranian element", whereas "Zaza and Gurani [...] do belong to
4968-442: The use of Kurdish in schools. To counter the Dersim rebellion , a turkification process was started by the Turkish government and the Elazığ Girls' Institute ( Turkish : Elazığ Kız Enstitüsü, EGI ) was opened in 1937. The institute was a boarding school for Kurdish girls and young women who had to learn to speak Turkish with their children which before they were not able to as most of them didn't know Turkish. The girls' school
5040-461: The use of Kurdish language was outlawed, the words Kurds and Kurdistan were erased from dictionaries and history books, and the Kurds were only referred to as Mountain Turks . Politicians were often prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms for speaking Kurdish. In 1983, a number of provinces were placed under martial law in response to the activities of the militant separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A guerrilla war took place through
5112-462: The violence and hundreds of thousands more were forced to leave their homes. The situation in the region has since eased following the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1999 and the introduction of a greater degree of official tolerance for Kurdish cultural activities, encouraged by the European Union . However, some political violence is still ongoing and the Turkish–Iraqi border region remains tense. When refugees from Caucasus reached
5184-609: Was open until 1959. In 2014, several Kurdish NGOs and two Kurdish political parties supported a boycott of schools in Northern Kurdistan to promote the right to education in the Kurdish language in all subjects. While Kurdish identity has become more acceptable in Turkish society, the Turkish government has only allowed the Kurdish language to be offered as an elective in schools. The government has refused to honor other demands. In several southeastern cities, Kurds have established private schools to teach classes in Kurdish but
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