Kingdom of Kurdistan

Infobox Former Country
native_name = كوردستان ‎که‌یانیی‎‎
"Keyaniya Kurdistanê"
conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Kurdistan
common_name = Kurdistan
continent = moved from Category:Asia to the Middle East
region = the Middle East
country = Iraq
era = Interwar Period
status = Unrecognized State
government_type = Monarchy
year_start = 1921
year_end = 1924
event_start = Proclaimed
date_start = October 10, 1921
event_end = Disestablished
date_end = July, 1924
event1 = Treaty of Lausanne
date_event1 = July 24, 1923
event_pre = Treaty of Sèvres
date_pre = August 10, 1920
event_post = British Mandate of Mesopotamia
date_post = October 3, 1932
p1 = British Empire
flag_p1 = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
p2 = Ottoman Empire
flag_p2 = Flag of Turkey.svg
s1 = British Mandate of Mesopotamia
flag_s1 = Flag of Iraq 1924.svg

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flag_type = Flag


symbol =
symbol_type =


image_map_caption =
capital = Sulaymaniyah
latd=35|latm=33|latNS=N|longd=45|longm=25|longEW=E
common_languages = Kurdish
religion = Islam
currency =
leader1 = Mahmud Barzanji
title_leader1 = King
deputy1 = Qadir Hafeed
title_deputy = Prime Minister

stat_year1 =
stat_area1 =
stat_pop1 =
footnotes =

The Kingdom of Kurdistan can refer to two kingdoms formed in the 1920s in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan.

outhern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq)

During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kurds in Iraq attempted to establish a semi-independent state. On at least one occasion they succeeded and formed the Kingdom of Kurdistan, which lasted from September 1922 - July 1924. [Prince, J. (1993), "A Kurdish State in Iraq" in "Current History", January.]

The Shaykh of the Qadiriyyah order of Sufis, the most influential personality in Southern Kurdistan, [Eskander, S. (2000) "Britain's policy in Southern Kurdistan: The Formation and the Termination of the First Kurdish Government, 1918-1919" in "British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies" Vol. 27, No. 2. pp. 139-163.] was appointed Governor of the former "sanjak" of Sulaymaniya, but rallied against the British and declared an independent Kurdistan in May, 1919. He was defeated in June.

On the 10 October 1921, a statement was issued in Sulaymaniya, the capital of Kurdistan, to establish a Kurdish government. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji declared himself as the King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. [Fatah, R. (2005) "Mustafa Pasha Yamolki: his life and role in the Kurdish nationalist movement" KurdishMedia.com]

After the Treaty of Sèvres, which settled some territories, Sulaymaniya still remained under the direct control of the British High Commissioner. After the subsequent penetration of the Turkish army into the area, an attempt was made by the British to counter this by appointing Shaykh Mahmud Governor again, in September 1922. The Shaykh revolted again, and in November declared himself King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. Members of his cabinet included:. [Fatah, R. (2006) "The Kurdish resistance to Southern Kurdistan annexing with Iraq KurdishMedia.com]

Barzanji's cabinet

* Shaikh Qadir Hafeed, a brother of Shaykh Mahmud - Prime Minister
* Abdulkarim Alaka, a Christian Kurd - Finance Minister
* Ahmed Bagy Fatah Bag - Customs Minister
* Hajy Mala Saeed Karkukli - Justice Minister
* Hema Abdullah Agha - Labour Minister
* Zaky Sahibqran - Defence Minister of the Kurdish National Army
* Mustafa Pasha Yamolki - Education Minister
* Shekh Mohammed Gharib - Interior Minister

The army of the Kingdom of Kurdistan was called the Kurdish National Army. Barzanji was defeated by the British in July, 1924, and in January 1926 the League of Nations gave the mandate over the territory to Iraq, with the provision for special rights for Kurds. In 1930-1931, Shaykh Makhmud Barzanji made his last unsuccessful attempt.

The British Royal Air Force's Iraq Command acting on behalf of the Iraqi government in Baghdad played a part in bringing the Kingdom of Kurdistan to an end.

Chemical attacks

Noam Chomsky in his book, "Deterring Democracy", describes the British role in the first chemical attack against Kurds as follows:

:"Churchill was in favour of using air power and poison gas against ’uncivilized tribes’ and ’recalcitrant Arabs’ i.e. Kurds and Afghans."

Northern Kurdistan (Southeastern Turkey)

The second Kingdom of Kurdistan was attempted in southeastern Turkey in 1925 and only lasted 3 months before being put down by the Turkish army. The rebellion was initiated by Sheikh Said of Piran who was reported to have been assisted by tribal elements from Syria. [Elphinston, W. G. (1946) "The Kurdish Question" in "International Affairs" (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), Vol. 22, No. 1. (Jan., 1946), pp. 91-103.]

ee also

* Republic of Ararat
* Republic of Kurdistan - (Mahabad)
* Kurdistan Regional Government

References

Footnotes

General

# McDowell, D. (1996) "A Modern History of the Kurds", pp. 155-163, 194-196
# Chomsky, N. (1999), "The New Military Humanism - Lessons from Kosovo". London: Pluto Press. p. 62

External links

* [http://www.buckyogi.com/footnotes/natkl.htm Footnotes to History (Kurdistan, Kingdom of)]
* [http://www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp?id=10256 Mustafa Pasha Yamolki: his life and role in the Kurdish nationalist movement] , By Dr. Rebwar Fatah.
* [http://www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp?id=11980 The Kurdish resistance to Southern Kurdistan annexing with Iraq] , By Dr. Rebwar Fatah.
* [http://www.kurdistanweb.org/kw/picture_of_month/photo2002/oct2002.html Sheik Mahmmud Barzanji]