Hüseyin VelioğluHüseyin Velioğlu (born Hüseyin Durmaz; January 1, 1952 – January 17, 2000) was the founder and leader of the Kurdish Hezbollah, a Kurdish separatist and Islamist group which was designated as a terrorist group by the Turkish government. He was killed by Turkish police during the raids in Istanbul in 2000. LifeVelioğlu was born in Bağözü, Gercüş on January 1, 1952, to a SunniKurdish family from the Habezbenî tribe.
Kurdistan Workers' PartyKurdish militant political organizationThe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is a Kurdishmilitant political organization and armed guerrilla group primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and north-eastern Syria. It was founded in Ziyaret, Lice, on 27 November 1978 and was involved in asymmetric warfare in the Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency (with several ceasefires between 1993 and 2013–2015).
Kurdish languageNorthwestern Iranian dialect continuum KurdishKurdî, کوردیNative toArmenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, TurkeyRegionKurdistan; Also Anatolia, Caucasus, Khorasan, Kurdish diasporaEthnicityKurdsNative speakers29 million (2017–2024)Language familyIndo-European Indo-IranianIranianWesternNorthwesternKurdishDialects Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) Central Kurdish (Sorani) Southern Kurdish (Xwarîn, Palewani) Laki Writing system Hawar alphabet (Latin script; used mostly in Turkey and Syria) Sorani alphabet (Perso-Arabic script; used mostly in Iraq and Iran) Cyrillic alphabet (former Soviet Union) Armenian alphabet (1921–29 in Soviet Armenia) Official statusOfficial language in Iraq Kurdistan Region Recognised minoritylanguage inArmenia SyriaLanguage codesISO 639-1kuISO 639-2kurISO 639-3kur – inclusive codeIndividual codes:kmr – Northern Kurdishckb – Central Kurdishsdh – Southern Kurdishlki – Laki KurdishGlottologkurd1259Linguasphere(North Kurdish incl.
Turkish languageTurkic languageTurkish (Türkçe, Türk dili, also known as Türkiye Türkçesi 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languages of Cyprus. Significant smaller groups of Turkish speakers also exist in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, other parts of Europe, the South Caucasus, and some parts of Central Asia, Iraq, and Syria.
TurkeyTurkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 86 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while Kurds are the largest ethnic minority.
Syria–Turkey borderThe border between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey (Arabic: الحدود السورية التركية, romanized: alhudud alsuwriat alturkia; Turkish: Suriye–Türkiye sınırı) is 909 kilometres (565 mi) long, and runs from the in the west to the tripoint with Iraq in the east. It runs across Upper Mesopotamia for some 400 kilometres (250 mi), crossing the Euphrates and reaching as far as the Tigris.
IslamismPolitico-religious ideologyIslamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism, liberal democracy, capitalism, and other alternatives in achieving a just, successful society.
KurdsIranic ethnic groupEthnic groupKurds (Kurdish: کورد, romanized: Kurd), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syria.
Romanization of KurdishThe romanization of Kurdish language is the practice of transcribing the Kurdish, traditionally written in both Arabic and Latin scripts, into a standardized Latin alphabet. The development of Kurdish romanization systems supports the need for digital communication, linguistic research, and accessibility for Kurdish speakers and Kurdish speakers in diaspora communities. These systems strive to maintain phonetic precision and consistency across the diverse Kurdish dialects.
Aegean regionThe Aegean region (Turkish: Ege Bölgesi) is one of the seven geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya. Located in western Turkey, it is bordered by the Aegean Sea to the west, the Marmara region to the north, the Central Anatolia Region to the east, and the to the south. Among the four coastal regions, the Aegean Region has the longest coastline.
Shia–Sunni relationsThe issue of succession following the death of Muhammad divided Muslims into two branches. One group held that the prophet designated Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, as successor, citing the events of Ghadir Khumm and regarding the leadership as belonging to the Prophet's family. Another group held that Muhammad did not appoint a successor, leaving the choice of leadership to the community.
Southeastern Anatolia regionThe Southeastern Anatolia region (Turkish: Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous city in the region is Gaziantep. Other big cities are Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Adıyaman. It is bordered by the to the west, the Eastern Anatolia region to the north, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.
Kurdistan Workers' PartyKurdish militant political organizationThe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is a Kurdishmilitant political organization and armed guerrilla group primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and north-eastern Syria. It was founded in Ziyaret, Lice, on 27 November 1978 and was involved in asymmetric warfare in the Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency (with several ceasefires between 1993 and 2013–2015).Kurdish languageNorthwestern Iranian dialect continuum KurdishKurdî, کوردیNative toArmenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, TurkeyRegionKurdistan; Also Anatolia, Caucasus, Khorasan, Kurdish diasporaEthnicityKurdsNative speakers29 million (2017–2024)Language familyIndo-European Indo-IranianIranianWesternNorthwesternKurdishDialects Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) Central Kurdish (Sorani) Southern Kurdish (Xwarîn, Palewani) Laki Writing system Hawar alphabet (Latin script; used mostly in Turkey and Syria) Sorani alphabet (Perso-Arabic script; used mostly in Iraq and Iran) Cyrillic alphabet (former Soviet Union) Armenian alphabet (1921–29 in Soviet Armenia) Official statusOfficial language in Iraq Kurdistan Region Recognised minoritylanguage inArmenia SyriaLanguage codesISO 639-1kuISO 639-2kurISO 639-3kur – inclusive codeIndividual codes:kmr – Northern Kurdishckb – Central Kurdishsdh – Southern Kurdishlki – Laki KurdishGlottologkurd1259Linguasphere(North Kurdish incl.Turkish languageTurkic languageTurkish (Türkçe, Türk dili, also known as Türkiye Türkçesi 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languages of Cyprus. Significant smaller groups of Turkish speakers also exist in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, other parts of Europe, the South Caucasus, and some parts of Central Asia, Iraq, and Syria.TurkeyTurkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 86 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while Kurds are the largest ethnic minority.Syria–Turkey borderThe border between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey (Arabic: الحدود السورية التركية, romanized: alhudud alsuwriat alturkia; Turkish: Suriye–Türkiye sınırı) is 909 kilometres (565 mi) long, and runs from the in the west to the tripoint with Iraq in the east. It runs across Upper Mesopotamia for some 400 kilometres (250 mi), crossing the Euphrates and reaching as far as the Tigris.IslamismPolitico-religious ideologyIslamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism, liberal democracy, capitalism, and other alternatives in achieving a just, successful society.KurdsIranic ethnic groupEthnic groupKurds (Kurdish: کورد, romanized: Kurd), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syria.Romanization of KurdishThe romanization of Kurdish language is the practice of transcribing the Kurdish, traditionally written in both Arabic and Latin scripts, into a standardized Latin alphabet. The development of Kurdish romanization systems supports the need for digital communication, linguistic research, and accessibility for Kurdish speakers and Kurdish speakers in diaspora communities. These systems strive to maintain phonetic precision and consistency across the diverse Kurdish dialects.Aegean regionThe Aegean region (Turkish: Ege Bölgesi) is one of the seven geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya. Located in western Turkey, it is bordered by the Aegean Sea to the west, the Marmara region to the north, the Central Anatolia Region to the east, and the to the south. Among the four coastal regions, the Aegean Region has the longest coastline.Shia–Sunni relationsThe issue of succession following the death of Muhammad divided Muslims into two branches. One group held that the prophet designated Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, as successor, citing the events of Ghadir Khumm and regarding the leadership as belonging to the Prophet's family. Another group held that Muhammad did not appoint a successor, leaving the choice of leadership to the community.Southeastern Anatolia regionThe Southeastern Anatolia region (Turkish: Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous city in the region is Gaziantep. Other big cities are Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Adıyaman. It is bordered by the to the west, the Eastern Anatolia region to the north, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.