Land & Ecology Kurdish homeland of about 230,000 square miles is about the areas of - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Land & Ecology

Kurdish homeland of about 230,000 square miles is about the areas of Germany and Britain combined, or roughly equal to

France.

“Kurds

home ends where the mountains

end”

Mt.

Alvand

starts from Iran with the highest point 11,745

Mt.

A

rarat at 16,946 feet in Turkey

More arable land than most middle eastern

River valleys

Invention of agriculture-12,000 years ago

Indo-

Europian

- Medes

Slide2

Population

Northern Kurdistan-Southeast Turkey

15 to 20 million

Eastern Kurdistan-Northwest Iran

6-7 million

Southern Kurdistan-Northern Iraq

5-6 million

West or

Rojava

-Northern Syria

3.5-4 million

Slide3

History

Being the native inhabitants of their land there are no "beginnings" for Kurdish history and people. Kurds and their history are the end products of thousands of years of continuous internal evolution and assimilation of new peoples and ideas introduced sporadically into their land

.

Genetically, Kurds are the descendants of all who ever came to settle in Kurdistan, and not any one of them

.

By about 2,600 years ago, the Medes had already set up an empire that included all Kurdistan and vast territories far beyond. 

The Treaty of Sevres (signed August 10, 1921) anticipated an independent Kurdish state to cover large portions of the former Ottoman Kurdistan. Unimpressed by the Kurds' many bloody uprisings for independence, France and Britain divided up Ottoman Kurdistan between Turkey, Syria and Iraq. The Treaty of Lausanne (signed June 24, 1923) formalized this division. Kurds

in Iran

,

were

kept where they were by Teheran

.

Slide4

Geopolitics

Since the end of World War I, Kurdistan has been administered by five sovereign states, with the largest portions of the land being respectively in Turkey (43%) , Iran (31%), Iraq (18%), Syria (6%) and the former Soviet Union (2%).

The Kurds part of Iran

have lived under that state's jurisdiction since

1514

The

other three quarters of the Kurds lived in the Ottoman Empire from that date until its break-up following WWI. The French Mandate Syria received a piece, and the British incorporated central Kurdistan or the

into Mandate

of Iraq.

Northern

and western Kurdistan were to be given choice of independence by the Treaty of Sevres(August 10, 1920

)

but instead they were awarded to the newly established Republic of Turkey under the term of the Treaty of Lausanne (June 24, 1923).

The

Russian/Soviet Kurds had passed into their sphere in the course of the 19th century when territories were ceded by Persia/Iran.

Slide5

Language

Modern kurdish

Kurmanji

group

¾ or 15-20 million

Sorani

- 6-7 million

Gurani-Zaza

dialects

10-12 million

Slide6

Religion

Muslims-Sunni

Muslims-

Shiete

3/5

th

1/2 million

Alawies

(Turkey)-distinct

from

islam20 %Yazidies -Islam-judaism-christianity 2 %Yarasan-Ahle Haq13 %Bahaie and Christian1 %

Sufiesm (Islamic Mystic)Chant and dance to worship Allah

Slide7

Culture & Life

Family oriented

Marriage between cousins is common

Tribal leadership is inherited

Kurdish women freely associate with men

Rich in culture

Oral tradition:

E

pic poems: adventure of love and battle

Literature appeared in 7

th

centuryDance and music

Slide8

Dance

Slide9

Music

Slide10

Celebrations and major holidays

New Year-March 21

st

Folktale-

Kawe

the

Blacksmith

Islamic Holidays

Ramazan

The birth of Profit

Mohammad

Slide11

Newroz-New Year

Slide12

Slide13

Wedding-Rojava

Slide14

Northern – South East Turkey

Slide15

Rojava

Women Fashion Show

Newroz

Festival

Slide16

Southern – Northern Iraq

Slide17

Eastern Kurdistan

Slide18

Rojava-Popular Meals

Slide19

Kelane

Dolme

Slide20

Village Life

Slide21

Life in villiage

Slide22

Village in Eastern Kurdistan

Slide23

Peshmarge & Freedom Fighters

Slide24

Global rally for peace and freedom in Kubane

Slide25

A way of life for the Kurds

Slide26

What will be the future for them?

Slide27

Thank You