Hassan Zirek (; 29 November 1921 – 26 June 1972) 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 ...

singer-songwriter, known for his recordings of classical

folk songs. He was famous for his classical and sensual lyrics, and it is believed that he composed over thousand songs in his lifetime.

Early life and family

Hassan Abdullah Rahman, known professionally as Hassan Zirak, was born into a Kurdish family. He had two brothers, Hussein and Kaka Mina, and one sister named Sarah. Following the early death of his father, Zirak's mother, Amina, remarried, and as a result of the family's changing circumstances, he began working at a young age, around 8–9. He didn't attend formal schooling and remained illiterate throughout his life. He later married Mediya Zandi, with whom he had two daughters, Arezu and Sakar.

The Shriek of Kurdistan

The Shriek of Kurdistan () is a Kurdish-language biography book written by Hassan Zirak, with assistance from his wife Mediya Zandi. It was published in 1966 by Çaprengîn publisher, in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Iran. Shortly after its publication, Zirak was banned from performing on Iranian state radio, as publishing books in Kurdish was prohibited under the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

. In the second edition of the book, Faraidoon Moradi provided the musical notation for 16 of Hassan Zirak's songs. The book is considered one of the first Kurdish publications of its kind in

Pahlavi Iran The Imperial State of Iran, officially known as the Imperial State of Persia until 1935, and commonly referred to as Pahlavi Iran, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. The Pahlavi dynasty was created in 1925 and lasted ...

. After the publication of the book, a warrant was issued for Hassan Zirak's arrest by

SAVAK The Bureau for Intelligence and Security of the State (), shortened to as SAVAK () or S.A.V.A.K. () was the secret police of the Imperial State of Iran. It was established in Tehran in 1957 by national security law. and continued to operate un ...

on charges of 'spying against the state'. Following this, Hassan Zirak fled to

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

and joined the Kurdish revolution.

Influence

Despite his death in 1972, Zirak's music continues to be widely appreciated, and his legacy is recognized in various ways, including the annual commemorations in Silêmanî. Zirak’s recordings are considered by some to be culturally significant in the preservation of Kurdish musical traditions.

References

Sources

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zirek, Hesen 1921 births 1972 deaths Iranian Kurdish people Kurdish musicians Kurdish-language singers of Azerbaijan People from Bukan 20th-century Iranian male singers Deaths from cancer in Iran