Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...

in Iran ( ku, کورد لە ئێران, translit=Kurdên Îranê, fa, کردها در ایران) constitute a large minority in the country with a population of around 9 and 10 million people.

Geography

Iranian Kurds demonstration in support of Kobanî people 04

Iranian Kurdistan or Eastern Kurdistan ( Kurdish: '), refers to the parts of western

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

inhabited by

which borders

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

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

.''Kurdish Awakening: Nation Building in a Fragmented Homeland'', (2014), by Ofra Bengio, University of Texas Press It includes the Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, West Azerbaijan Province, Ilam Province, and Lorestan Province.

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

Feyli Kurds inhabit Kermanshah Province, except for those parts where people are Jaff, and Ilam Province; as well as some parts of

Kurdistan Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languag ...

and Hamadan provinces. The Kurds of Khorasan, in the North Khorasan Province of northeastern Iran, are Shi'ite Muslims. The Lak tribe populate parts of Ilam Province and Lorestan Province, while Chegini Kurds reside in central Lorestan.

Religion

The two major religions among Kurds in Iran are

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

and Yarsanism, while fewer Kurds adhere to

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

and

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

. There is disagreement on which is the largest denomination among Kurds; experts such as Richard N. Frye and Martin van Bruinessen argue that

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disag ...

(the

Shafi'i The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...

branch) is the majority religion, while researcher Anu Leinonen believes it is the

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

branch of Shia Islam. Pockets of Sunni Kurds belong to the

Qadiriyya The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ...

tariqa A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

(around Marivan and

Sanandaj Sanandaj ( Persian: سنندج, ; ku, سنە, Sine, often romanized as Senneh, is the capital of Kurdistan Province in Iran. With a population of 414,069, Sanandaj is the twenty third largest city in Iran and the second largest Kurdish city. Sa ...

). These orders have experienced repression from the state, including the destruction of their places of worship. Yarsanis are also targeted by the central government.

Political history

Emergence of Kurdish nationalism

While Ottoman Kurdistan has been identified as the source of Kurdish national inspiration, Iranian Kurdistan has been identified as the ideological cradle for the emergence of Kurdish nationalism. In Iran, Kurdish intellectual writings and poetry from the 16th and 17th century indicate that the Kurdish population in the country was aware of the necessity of Kurdish unity and the need to form political and administrative entities for Kurds. However, these calls for Kurdish unity did not reach the broader Kurdish population until the 20th century when it awakened and diffused as a response to the implementation of nation-state policies (

Persianization Persianization () or Persification (; fa, پارسی‌سازی), is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Persian society becomes " Persianate", meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Persian ...

) by changing Iranian rulers. These policies not only alienated Kurds but also excluded them from equal access to citizenship. An example was the

Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a Maj ...

of 1905–1911, which elevated Persian above Kurdish by asserting it as official language, language of administration and language of education.

Cross-border interaction (1918–1979)

Kurds have a strong cross-border ethnic linkage and few historical Kurdish rebellions were limited to the borders of a single country. For example, the rebellion of Sheikh Ubeydullah in

Turkish Kurdistan Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan () refers to 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 th ...

around 1880 inspired Simko Shikak to rebel in 1918, while the various Barzani rebellions in Iraqi Kurdistan became a source of support for the

Republic of Mahabad The Republic of Mahabad or the Republic of Kurdistan ( ku, کۆماری کوردستان / Komara Kurdistanê; fa, جمهوری مهاباد) was a short-lived Kurdish self-governing unrecognized state in present-day Iran, from 22 January to ...

. Other examples of cross-border interaction include the subjugation of the Simko Shikak revolt forcing Simko to flee to

Rawandiz Rawandiz ( ar, رواندز; ku, ڕەواندز, Rewandiz) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, located in the Erbil Governorate, close to the borders with Iran and Turkey, it is located 10 km to the east from Bekhal Waterfall. The ...

in Iraqi Kurdistan – where he sought the support of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji. Following the fall of the

in 1946, some of its leaders also fled to Iraqi Kurdistan where they were sheltered by the son of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji. Mustafa Barzani had also supported the Republic of Mahabad by sending 2,100 soldiers which in turn also increased Kurdish self-confidence. Many teachers and military officers from Iraqi Kurdistan moreover crossed the border to support the republic. In 1944, the Society for the Revival of the Kurds/Kurdistan (JK) considered the first Kurdish nationalist movement met with a Turkish Kurdish delegation and an

Iraqi Kurdish Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also inc ...

delegation at the border area near Mount Dalanpar where they signed the ''Pact of Three Borders'' which demonstrated the existence of a strong Kurdish sense of cross-border solidarity and sentiment. Cross-border interaction became difficult to sustain in the 1950s due to repression from

SAVAK SAVAK ( fa, ساواک, abbreviation for ''Sâzemân-e Ettelâ'ât va Amniat-e Kešvar'', ) was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prim ...

on the Iranian side. However, Kurds were able to reinforce the cross-border political activity, when the First Iraqi–Kurdish War commenced in 1961, as the

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI; ku, حیزبی دێموکراتی کوردستانی ئێران, Hîzbî Dêmukratî Kurdistanî Êran, HDKA; fa, حزب دموکرات کردستان ایران, Ḥezb-e Demokrāt-e Kordest� ...

(KDPI) gave financial support and loyalty to their counterpart in Iraq, the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party ( ku, Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê; پارتی دیموکراتی کوردستان), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the largest party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional G ...

(KDP), while KDPI themselves accessed spatial resources. Relations between KDP and KDPI would later deteriorate greatly as KDP became a close ally of SAVAK against Iraq. CIA documents from 1963 show that the KDP rebuffed support from KDPI due to the desire to maintain close relations with Iran. In the 1970s, KDPI with

Komalah Komala may refer to: * Komala (Pokémon), a Gen VII Normal-type ''Pokémon'' species introduced in ''Pokémon Sun and Moon'' * Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, a Kurdish political party led by Abdullah Mohtadi * Komalah (CPI), a Kurdish political ...

and the

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ku, یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان, translit=Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK descri ...

(PUK) fought around Piranshahr, Sardasht,

Baneh Baneh ( fa, بانه, Bāneh, ku, بانە, translit=Bane) is a city and capital of Baneh County, Kurdistan Province, in Iran's western border. Baneh is bordered by Saqqez to the east, Marivan to the south, Sardasht to the west, and is approx ...

in the northern parts of Iranian Kurdistan against Iranian forces who received support from KDP.

Cross-border interaction after 1979

After the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

in 1979, political infighting among Kurds increased and KDPI and Komala fought over political and spatial influence in Iranian Kurdistan as they were fighting Iran together. In the 1980s, the two political and military groups had become powerful and cross-border interaction was therefore less important.

Separatism

Kurdish separatism in Iran or the Kurdish–Iranian conflict is an ongoing,University of Arkansas. Political Science department. Iran/Kurds (1943-present). Retrieved 9 September 2012

/ref> long running, separatist dispute between the Kurdish opposition in Western

and the governments of Iran, lasting since the emergence of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1918. During the

, Kurdish nationalist political parties were unsuccessful in attracting support, who at that time had no interest in autonomy. However, since the 1990s, Kurdish nationalism in the region has grown, partly due to outrage at the government's violent suppression of Kurdish activism.

Tribes

}
fa, ئایل علیشروان, , Ilam Province, , Southern Kurdish–speaking , - , Amar, , ku, عمار
fa, عمارلو, , Gilan Province,

Greater Khorasan Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plat ...

and Qazvin Province, , Kurmanji–speaking , - , Arkawâzi, , ku, ئه‌رکه‌وازی
fa, ارکوازی, , Ilam Province, , Southern Kurdish–speaking , - , Badreh, , ku, بەدرە
fa, بدره‌ای, , Ilam Province, , , - , Balavand, , fa, بالاوند, , Ilam Province, , , - , Beiranvand, , ku, Bîranwend ,بیرانوەند
fa, بیرانوند, , Between

Aleshtar Aleshtar ( fa, الشتر, also Romanized as Alashtar and Alishtār; also known as Qal‘eh ‘Alishtār and Qal‘eh Moz̧affari) is a city in and capital of Selseleh County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 77,306 ...

and Khorramabad;

Bayranshahr Bayranshahr also known as Chaghalvandi ( fa, چغلوندي, also Romanized as Chaghalvandī, Chaqalwandi, and Chaqalvandī; also known as Chagharvand and Chaqharvand) is a city in and capital of Bayravand District, in Khorramabad County, Lorest ...

. , , Laki–speaking. , - , Chahardoli, , fa, چاردولی, , Hamadan Province and West Azerbaijan Province, , Laki–speaking , - , Chalabianlu, , fa, چلبیانلو, ,

East Azerbaijan Province East Azerbaijan Province ( fa, استان آذربایجان شرقی ''Āzarbāijān-e Sharqi''; az-Arab, شرقی آذربایجان اوستانی) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in Iranian Azerbaijan, bordering Armeni ...

, , , - , Chegini, , ku, Çengînî ,چەگینی
fa, چگنی, , Between Khorramabad and the Kashgan river., , ''Chegini dialect'' (Mixture of Laki and Luri) , - , Dehbalai, , fa, بالایی, , Ilam Province, , , - , Delikan, , fa, دلیکانلو, , Ardabil Province, ,

Turkophone Turkish ( , ), also referred to as Turkish of Turkey (''Türkiye Türkçesi''), is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Significant smal ...

, - , Dilfan, , ku, Dilfan ,دیلفان
fa, دلفان, , Around Delfan County. Present in Ilam and Mazandaran provinces as well., , Laki–speaking , - , Donboli, , ku, Dimilî ,دونبەلی
fa, دنبلی, ,

Khoy Khoy (Persian and az, خوی; ; ; also Romanized as Khoi), is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 200,985. Khoy is located north of the province's capital and largest ci ...

and Salmas area., ,

, - , Falak al-Din, , fa, فلک ئالدین, , Hamadan Province, , Laki–speaking , - , Eyvan, , ku, ئه‌یوان
fa, ايوان, , Ilam Province, , , - , Feyli, , ku, Feylî ,فه‌یلی
fa, فیلی, , Ilam Province ( Ilam, Chardoval, Mehran, Malekshahi, Abdanan, Dehloran)., , Southern Kurdish–speaking. , - , Ghiasvand, , fa, قیاسوند, , Hamadan Province, , Laki–speaking , - , Guran, , ku, Goran ,گۆران
fa, گوران, , Hawraman region, , Gorani–speaking. , - , Hasanvand, , ku, حەسەنوەند
fa, حسنوند, , Around

Aligudarz Aligudarz ( fa, اليگودرز), also known as ‘Ali Gudār, is a city and capital of Aligudarz County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 78,690, in 18,115 families. Aligudarz is located 420 km from Tehran and ...

, Khorramabad and Borujerd., , Laki–speaking. , - ,

Herki Herki, also spelled Harki () is a large tribe in Kurdistan. The largest part of this tribe live in Iraqi Kurdistan and a significant number live in Iranian Kurdistan. They are also found in Northern Kurdistan. Sub-tribes The Herkis are divided ...

, , ku, Herkî ,ھەرکی
fa, هرکی, , Western countryside of

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an al ...

in the Targavar and

Margavar Margavar Rural District ( fa, دهستان مرگور, ku, Mirgewer) is a rural district (''dehestan'') in Silvaneh District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 34,862, in 6,012 families. The r ...

valleys., , Kurmanji–speaking. , - , Jaff, , ku, Caf ,جاف
fa, جاف, , From

to Kermanshah with Javanrud as area of origin., , Sorani–speaking. , - , Jalali, , ku, Celalî ,جەلالیان
fa, جلالی, , Around Maku., , Kurmanji–speaking. , - , Jalilavand, , ku, Celalwend ,جەلیلوەند
fa, جلیلوند, , Around Dinavar and in Lorestan Province., , Laki–speaking. , - , Kakavand, , ku, Kakewend ,کاکەوەن
fa, کاکاوند, , Kermanshah,

Harsin Harsin ( ku, هەرسين, fa, هرسين; also Romanized as Harsīn) is a city and capital of Harsin County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 51,562, in 12,001 families. Harsin is situated 44 km east of ...

area, and

Kakavand District Kakavand District ( ku, نامچەی کاکاوەن fa, بخش کاکاوند) is a district (bakhsh) in Delfan County, Lorestan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country l ...

Delfan Delfan County ( fa, شهرستان دلفان, ku, شارسان دڵفان) is located in Lorestan province, Iran. The capital of the county is Nurabad. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 137,385, in 29,257 households. Retrieved ...

., , Laki–speaking. , - , Kalhori, , ku, Kelhûr ,کەڵھوڕ
fa, کلهر, , Around

Eslamabad-e Gharb Eslamabad-e Gharb ( fa, اسلام‌آباد غرب; also Romanized as Eslāmābād-e Gharb; also known as Eslāmābād, Shāhābād, and Shāhābād-e Gharb), is a city and capital of Eslamabad-e Gharb County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. At the ...

Qasr-e Shirin Qasr-e Shirin ( fa, قصرشيرين; also Romanized as Qaşr-e Shīrīn and Qasr-ī-Shīrīn; also known as Ghasr-ī-shīrīn and Ghasr-shīrīn, Kurdish: قەسری شیرین) is a city and capital of Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah Provinc ...

and

Gilan-e Gharb Gilan-e Gharb ( Kurdish: Gyellan گیەڵان) ( fa, گيلانغرب; also Romanized as Gīlān-e Gharb; also known as Gharb) is the capital city of Gilan-e Gharb County, Kermanshah Province, Iran. Demographics The city is populated by Kurds ...

.
Ilam Province ( Chardoval and

Eyvan Eyvan ( fa, ايوان, ku, Eywan, also Romanized as Eywān and Aīvān; also known as Eyvān-e Gharb and Jūy Zar; formerly, Bāgh-e Shāh and Bāgh-ī-Shāh) is a city in and capital of Eyvan County, Ilam Province, Iran. At the 2006 census ...

), , Southern Kurdish–speaking. , - , Khezel, , ku, خه‌زه‌ل
fa, خزل, , Ilam Province, , Southern Kurdish–speaking , - , Kolivand, , fa, كليوند, , Ilam Province, , , - ,

Kordshuli The Kordshuli tribe () is a nomadic and pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of ...

, , ku, Kurdşûlî
fa, کردشولی, , Fars Province, , Laki–speaking , - ,

Kuruni Kuruni (also: Curuni and Coeroeni) is a village in the Coeroeni resort in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village is inhabited by indigenous people of the Tiriyó tribe. The inhabitants are of the subgroup Aramayana or the Bee people. O ...

, , ku, Kûranî
fa, کورونی, , Fars Province, , , - , Malekshahi, , ku, Melekşahî
fa, ملکشاهی, , Ilam Province, , Southern Kurdish–speaking , - , Mamash, , ku, Mamaş ,مامش
fa, مامش, , Southern parts of West Azerbaijan., , Sorani–speaking. , - , Mangur, , ku, Mangûr ,مەنگوڕ
fa, منگور, , Around Piranshahr, Mahabad, Sardasht and Bukan in West Azerbaijan., , Sorani–speaking. , - ,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, , ku, Mîlan ,میلان
fa, میلان, , North of Zurabad in northern West Azerbaijan, , Kurmanji–speaking. , - , Mukri, , ku, Mukrî ,موکری
fa, مکری, , Around

, Mahabad, Piranshahr and Saqqez., , Sorani–speaking. , - , Musavand, , fa, موسی وند, , Hamadan Province, , Laki–speaking , - , Qolugjan, , , , Ardabil Province, , , - , Reşwan, , ku, Reşwan ,ڕەشوان
fa, رشوند, , Gilan Province,

and Qazvin Province, , Kurmanji–speaking , - , Rizehvand, , fa, ریزه وند, , Ilam Province, , , - , Sanjâbi, , ku, Sencabî ,سنجاوی
fa, سنجابی, , Western parts of Kermanshah Province., , Southern Kurdish-speaking. , - , Shaqaqi, , ku, Şeqaqî ,شەقاقی
fa, شقاقی, ,

, , , - , Shatran, , fa, شاترانلو, , Ardabil Province, , , - , Shekak, , ku, Şikak ,شکاک
fa, شکاک, , Western countryside of

., , Kurmanji–speaking. , - , Shuhan, , fa, شوهان, , Ilam Province, , Southern Kurdish–speaking , - , Torkashvand, , fa, ترکاشوند, , Hamadan Province, , Laki–speaking , - , Uriad, , fa, اوریاد, , Fars Province, , , - , Zangana, , ku, Zengine ,زەنگەنە
fa, زنگنه, , South of Kermanshah., , Southern Kurdish–speaking. , - , Zola, , ku, زۆلا
fa, زوله, , Hamadan Province, , Laki–speaking

Geography

Religion

Political history

Emergence of Kurdish nationalism

Cross-border interaction (1918–1979)

Cross-border interaction after 1979

Separatism

Tribes

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading