Feylis

Feyli Kurds (Kurdish: فه یلی /Feylî/Pehlî, ) are a group of people of Iranian stock living in Baghdad and the Diyala Province of Iraq around Khanaqin and Mandali.

Feyli speak Feyli, a dialect of the Pahlawani. The roots of the Feyli go back to the Aryan immigrants of the first millennium BC, and more specifically, the Parthian/Pahlawi/Pahlawanid settlements of the 2nd century BD. They embraced Islam in the early stages of the Islamic conquest and colonisation of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Iran, though archaeological evidence from the Ilam Province in Iran indicates that a significant proportion of Feyli were Nestorian Christians until the 18th Century. When the Safavid dynasty (1507-1721) held sway over Persia, Feyli Kurds switched to the Shiite Gafarean doctrine under Persian influence.

In modern times the Feylis have been subject to state persecutions. [Khesrau Goran "Kurdistan through your eyes: Volume I" (Stockholm 1992) P 152: 161.] [The Amnesty International Report, pp.220, 1976, see p.34] They are considered as a stateless people, with both Iran and Iraq claiming they are citizens of the other country ["Fear, Flight and Forcible Exile: Refugees in the Middle East", Amnesty International, 1997. (see p.13)] . In the mid 1970s, Iraq expelled around 40,000 Shia Feyli Kurds who had lived for generations near Baghdad and Khanaqin, alleging that they were Iranian nationals [Robert Owen Freedman, "The Middle East Enters the Twenty-first Century", 416 pp., 2002, ISBN 0813031109, p.33] .

Etymology of the name

The origins and linguistic history of the Feyli have been investigated by several notable western scholars, such as Sir John Malcolm, Brown, Laurie, Hassle and Henry Field. Several imaginative, if apocryphal, etymologies for the word "Feyli" have been espoused. In the 13th century, Yaqout al-Hamawi mentions in his book "The lexicon of countries" (Ar. معجم البلدان "Mujam al-Buldan") that the Feylis are those who reside the mountains separating Iran and Iraq. He attributes their name to their size, claiming that they are as huge as "elephants"; the word "fil" (فيل) means "elephant" in Arabic. Others have claimed that the name goes back to an ancient ruler of the territory.

However, more likely is the explanation given by M.R. Izady. [M.R. Izady: "The Kurds: A Concise Handbook" (London, 1992)] He claims that the Arabic "Feyli" is a corruption of "Pahla", meaning Parthia, a kingdom based in modern day Iran, contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. The change occurred because Arabic lacks a "p" (this sound change can also be seen in Palestine/Philistin فلسطين and Persian/Farsi فارسي). Early Arabic texts recorded the name as "Fahla" or "Bahla", the former of which became the more common, corrupting eventually to "Faila", of which the adjective is "Faili" or "Feyli".

Feyli' homeland

Since ancient times, the Feylis have lived in the border area between Iraq and Iran, which consists of the Zagros Mountains and cliffs. They live on the two sides of this mountain in Iran and Iraq and they call it Kabir Kuh, "The great mountain".

The areas on the Iraqi side from north to south are the following: Khanaqin, Shahraban (now called Al - Meqdadia), Mandali, Badrah, Zorbateyah, Jassan, Al – Kut and Al-Azizyah. They also reside in a number of cities in the area of Shaikh Sa’ad, Ali Sharqi, Ali Gharbi and Al – Kofah, which is 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Baghdad.

However, as early as the first decade of the 20th century, many Feylis moved to Baghdad and lived in its center. Consequently, there are some areas which are named after them, such as the Kurdish quarter, the Kurdish alley, and the Kurdish Street.

On the Iranian side, the Feyli Kurds live in the following areas, from north to south: Qasre Shirin, Kermanshah, Karand, Islam Abad e Gharb (former Shah Abad), Sarpoli Zohab, Gilan e Gharb, Ilam, Saleh Abad, Moseyan, Badrah, Dehloran and Andimeshk.

The basic activities of the people of the border area are agriculture and sheep herding. They plant corn, barley, wheat, and summer vegetables as well as fruits on the mountains or on the flats. There are also some natural resources in the area such as oil (petroleum) at Naft Khanah (Iraq), Naft-Shahr, Dehluran (Ilam province,Iran)and natural gas at Tange Bidjar (Ilam province,Iran).

In the northern area, people use the Alvand River, which flows out of the Harunabad & Gelan regions (Iran) towards Khanaqin before joining the Diyala River, which pours into the Tigris River. There are also a few channels, wells and springs that help with irrigation and domestic water use.

As for the weather, it is dry in summer but the mountains are usually covered with lays of snow, which melts in summer to irrigate the lands. In summer, many people move with their sheep to the tops of the mountains because there are wide areas of grass; when the winter comes, they go back to their villages. Some Kurds work in trade and goods exchange and other free works (urban professions).

The Kurdish people have proved to be so persistent and civilized as they studied hard to join the universities of the main cities and got good jobs. In his book "Ameroir of Baghdad" issued by Al-Rais publishing house, Cyprus 1993 the ex minister Mosa Al-Shabandar describes the life of the Feyli Kurds. It is very difficult to give an accurate estimate of the Faili Kurds' population, as many of them in Iraq have been deported and ethnically cleansed, however some estimate that about 2.5 millions lived in Iraq, and 3 million in Iran. The Iraqi Minorities Council and Minority Rights Group International estimate that prior to the current war there were 1,000,000 Failis in Iraq [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6293230.stm#graph BBC NEWS | Middle East | Crushing Iraq's human mosaic ] ]

Tribes and clans

Feyli Kurds consist of many tribes and clans. Their names are sometimes based on the name of their tribal leader or where they live but sometimes they take vocational names. Here we list some of them:
Ali Sherwan ( who was from kurdish tribe of sanjabi and established Beyrey tribe ) tribe and his four sons Cheragh , Safar , Heydar or Hiar, Dara (each one of these four established a tribe in his name like:cheragh wandi,safar wandi,Hiar wandi and dara wandi) Malek Shahi tribe, Jamal Wandi tribe, Jaberi tribe, Ansari tribe, , kalhur tribe, Zouri or Zhohairi clan, Qaitoli clan, Khezell or Khaza`al clan, Shuhan clan, Mousi clan and many more.

The Feyli Kurds in the Iraqi society

The existence of the Feyli Kurds in Iraq has never been marginal. On contrary, they have participated in all political, social, cultural, and economical activities.

Political role

The Feyli Kurds suffered severe oppression under Saddam Hussein and his Baathist government. They joined others in opposing dictatorial governments in Iraq and fighting alongside other Iraqis, also joining national Iraqi parties such as the Iraqi Communist Party, the Kurdish Democratic Party KDP,Patriotic union of Kurdistan PUK and the National Kurdish Association.

Many Feyli Kurds became active cadres in organizations like the Al- Da’awa Islamic Party, Islamic Action Org., and other Islamic and secular parties. Others were involved in the ruling Baath party, though most of these were subsequently removed by Saddam Hussein.

Social role

The Feyli Kurds have had a very effective role in social life as they have established social centers, clubs, youth and women associations. This has been made possible due to the presence of many famous Feyli Kurds in different fields. They have also taken part in the establishment of many religious institutions and in the spread of religious awareness. Feyli Kurds have also shown great interest in studying religion and science.

Economic role

The Feyli Kurds have had considerable economic and commercial influence, especially in Baghdad. This pushed Saddam to confiscate their property and expel them to Iran , claiming that they were Iranians, not genuine Iraqis.

References