Ekrem Cemilpaşa or Ekrem Cemil Paşa (Burc) or Ekrem Cemilpaşazade (22 February 1891,

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...

– 31 December 1973,

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

) was a Kurdish politician and officer.

Early life and education

He was born in 1891 to Kasım Bey, a member of the Cemilpaşazade family, one of the important Kurdish families in Diyarbakır. He attended the military school in Diyarbakir and he followed up on his education in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. He was able to study mathematics in Switzerland from 1913 on, to where he was sent to by his father. As returned from Europe to Istanbul, he founded ''Hevî'', an association for Kurdish students.

Diplomatic career

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

began, Ekrem Cemilpaşa was called to defend the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. After the end of the war, he returned to Diyarbakır, where he was one of the founders of the

Society for the Rise of Kurdistan Society for the Rise of Kurdistan ( ku, Cemîyeta Tealîya Kurdistanê) also known as the Society for the Advancement of Kurdistan (SAK), was secretly established in Istanbul, Constantinople on 6 November 1917 and officially announced organizat ...

, and was in charge of the publication of the Jîn magazine. He attempted to gain the support of the British diplomats for the creation of an independent Kurdistan, but his approach was not awarded. Following the suppression of the Sheikh Said Rebellion, he was amongst the 500 Kurdish notables who were deported from Diyarbakır. Later he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In prison in

Kastamonu Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. (Population of the urban center in 2010 is 91,012.) The ...

, he taught other Kurdish prisoners French, but as he wanted to teach also Kurdish, it was forbidden.Üngör, Umut (2009), p. 253 He was released from prison in 1929 and left

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

for

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

with his cousins Kadri, Mehmed and Bedri Cemilpaşa. In Syria he joined the

Xoybûn Xoybûn or Khoyboun ( ku, ,Xoybûn خۆیبوون) was a Kurdish nationalist political party, that is known for leading the Ararat rebellion, commanded by Ihsan Nuri. Many Armenians joined the movement as well, the party was active in all parts ...

, and was elected its secretary general between 1939 and 1944. He stayed in Syria until his death in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cemilpasa, Ekrem Kurdish politicians 1891 births 1973 deaths People from Diyarbakır Kurdish people from the Ottoman Empire Syrian Kurdish people 19th-century Kurdish people 20th-century Kurdish people Kurdish independence activists