Jalal TalabaniJalal Talabani (Kurdish: جەلال تاڵەبانی, romanized: Celal Talebanî, Arabic: جلال طالباني, romanized: Jalāl Ṭālabānī; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the 6th president of Iraq from 2005 to 2014, as well as the president of the Governing Council of Iraq. Talabani was the founder and secretary-general of one of the main Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
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.
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.
IraqCountry in West AsiaIraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, historically known in the west as Mesopotamia, is a country in West Asia. Located within the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west.
Government of the Kurdistan RegionThe Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdishpolity. The president is directly elected by the electorate of the region and is the head of the cabinet and chief of state who delegates executive powers to the cabinet.
IranIran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population.
ArabizationProcess of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populationsCaliph Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705) established Arabic as the sole official language of the Umayyad Caliphate in 686 CE.Arabization or Arabicization (Arabic: تعريب, romanized: taʻrīb) is a sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arab, meaning it either directly adopts, is forced to accept, or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic language, culture, literature, art, music, and ethnic identity as well as other socio-cultural factors.
Gorani languageGorani (Hawrami) is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in DangerGorani or Gurani (Kurdish: گۆرانی, romanized: Goranî, lit.'song'), also known by the name of its main dialect, Hawrami (ھەورامی, romanized:Hewramî), is a Northwestern Iranian language or a group of similar Northwestern Iranian dialects spoken in small pockets in northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran.
Central KurdishVariety of Kurdish spoken in Iran and Iraq A Sorani Kurdish speaker, recorded in Norway. Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish language variety spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the Iranian provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan. Central Kurdish is one of the two official languages of Iraq, along with Arabic, and is in administrative documents simply referred to as "Kurdish".
Feyli KurdsFeyli Kurds (Kurdish: فهیلی/فەێلی, romanized: Feylî) are a collection of Kurdish tribes in the borderlands between Iraq and Iran. Historically, the lands of the Feyli Kurds were ruled by the Vali dynasty. Feyli Kurds are distinct from Feyli Lurs, and they speak the Feyli dialect of Southern Kurdish, which is also known as "Ilami" and is distinct from the Feyli dialect of northern Luri. They are mostly Shia Muslims.
Treaty of SèvresThe Treaty of Sèvres (French: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between some of the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire, but not ratified. The treaty would have required the cession of large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Italy, as well as creating large occupation zones within the Ottoman Empire.
KurmanjiNorthern Kurdish dialect KurmanjiNorthern Kurdishکورمانجی, kurmancîKurmanji Kurdish written in both scriptsNative toArmenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, TurkeyRegionAutochthonous to Kurdistan, Kurdish diasporaEthnicityKurdsNative speakers17 million (2017–2024)Language familyIndo-European Indo-IranianIranianWesternNorthwesternKurdishKurmanjiWriting 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 statusRecognised minoritylanguage in Armenia SyriaLanguage codesISO 639-1kuISO 639-3kmrGlottolognort2641Linguasphere58-AAA-aGeographic distribution of the Kurdish languages spoken by Kurds Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) Sorani (Central Kurdish) Zaza language Southern Kurdish (Gorani is included) mixed language areas A man speaking Kurmanji.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.