Kulliye

Kulliye refers to the regions Songhor سنقر and Koliai ( کلياي ). Kulliye is a mountainous county in Kermansah Province, which is in the west of Iran. According to 1996 census, Sonqor had a population of 112,214. It consists of two districts: the central district (Songhor and Koliai) and nine townships. The city of Sonqor, which serves as the governmental seat of Kulliye, is 85km northeast of Kermanshah. It is 1,700 meters above sea level and has a rather cold climate.

Historically, the people in the city of Sonqor are said to have descended from the "qizilbash", who were the Safavid's Imperial Royal Guard, tasked with the protection of the house of Kulliye's Beghwand/Bigvand family. The guards spoke the Turkic language of the Qizilbash Turkmen, which was the language of the Safavid's court ; while the surrounding townships and villages of Koliai (Kulliye) were speaking the Kurdish dialect of Gorani mixed with Kalhori (this dialect is locally known as "Koliai"). However, in recent years, the Kurdish population in Sonqor has increased considerably. [2]

The most prominent historical figures of this region are from Bigvand (Beghwand) dynasty of Koliai. Prominent "ashair" of Koliai, such as the Amiri-Bigvand, Amjadi-Bigvand, Farhang-Bigvand and Qubadi-Bigvand, played an important political and religious role from Safavid times [http://www.iranchamber.com/history/safavids/safavids.php] to the mid-20th century. The most famous among these are Hasan Pasha Khan, father of Housain Quli Khan Amir Amjad and Nadali Khan; Hasan Pasha Khan's brother Amir Toman, father of Sardar Ashraf Amiri-Bigvand (Beghvand); Salar Mansour Amjadi-Bigvand who were the brave rulers (Amir/Haakem/Begh/beygs) of this region in the early 20th century. They are allegedly descendants of the Safavid dynasty's Shah Abbas II (1642–1666). From his descendants come the noble dynasty of Bigvand Kulyai (Beghwand Külliye). They survived execution attempts during Shah Abbas, escaping from captivity to the region named after them, Kulliye.

References

# Sheikh/Shaikh Safi-ad-din Is'haq Ardabili (of Ardabil) (1252-1334 Persian: شیخ صفی‌الدین اردبیلی )
# Unlike many other dynasties founded by warlords and military chiefs, one of the unique aspects of the Safavids in the post-Islamic Iran was their origin in the Islamic Sufi order called the Safaviyeh. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid]
# It was Safavids who made Iran the spiritual bastion of Shi’ism against the onslaughts of orthodox Sunni Islam, and the repository of Persian cultural traditions and self-awareness of Iranianhood. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persianate_society]
# Mohammad Ali Soltani"Historical Geography &Comprehensive History Of Kermanshahan", 1993-Tehran
# Kuliai; [http://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuliai]
# Website of CHHTO of Kermanshah [http://www.kermanshahmiras.ir/la_site/preview.asp?categoryid=6&code=6749]