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, it is ...

– 31 December 1973,

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

) was a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

politician and officer.

Early life and education

Ekrem Cemilpaşa was born in 1891 to Kasım Bey, a member of the Cemilpaşazade family, one of the important Kurdish families in

. Ekrem Cemilpaşa attended the military school in Diyarbakir and followed up on his education in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

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

Diplomatic career

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

began, Ekrem Cemilpaşa was called to defend the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. 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 () also known as the Society for the Advancement of Kurdistan (SAK), was secretly established in Istanbul, Constantinople on 6 November 1917 and officially announced organization formed on the 17 December 1918. ...

, 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 Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

, 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, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District.

, he taught other Kurdish prisoners French, but as he wanted to teach also

, it was forbidden.Üngör, Umut (2009), p. 253 He was released from prison in 1929 and left

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

for

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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

Xoybûn Xoybûn or Khoybun () 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 of Kurdistan until it was d ...

, 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 20th-century Kurdish people Kurdish independence activists