KURDS in AZERBAIJAN (republic)

Kurds in Azerbaijan

Monday, September 18, 2006
KurdishMedia.com - By Shamil Askerov
Samîl Esker Kösesi, PhDBy Ph.D Shamil Askerov Translated from Turkish By Nizameddin Rzayev The settlement of Kurds in Azerbaijan dates back to ancient times, which is supported by numerous historical sources. Antique Greek historians provide us with valuable information about the Kurds living in modern-day Azerbaijan. The works published both in Azerbaijan and abroad are also valuable sources of knowledge about the Kurdish inhabitants of these lands. For example, the book titled “Sources on the History of Azerbaijan” (pages 68-69) talks about the heroic resistance of Balasican (Balasacan, Balasakan) Kurds against the invading Caliph Armies headed by Salman Ibn Rebiyye during the Islamic expansion (Sources on the History of Azerbaijan, Baku, 1989, page 72). The same book describes Balasican as a province located on the Mugan plains on the right-hand side shores of lower ends of Kura River. The same source also mentions Sabalan and Seturdan Kurds in Azerbaijan. The fact that Terter river (Terter river taking its source from Kelbajar mountains joins Kura River) was called the “Waters of Kurds” in the14th century (during the time of Hurufi leaders-Neimi-Nesimi in Azerbaijan) is another strong evidence of Kurds’ more ancient presence in modern day Azerbaijan than is generally thought (Isa Huseynov, “Meshher” novel, Baku, 1978, page 141) Sheddadi dynasty A Kurdish dynasty Sheddadis ruled large parts of modern day Azerbaijan and Armenia from Dvin (951-971) and Ganja (971-1174) for 223 years. During this period, 20 Kurdish Kings between the reigns of Muhammad Ibn Sheddad and Shehanshah ruled Azerbaijan. Sheddadis were well-known for their massive construction and engineering projects such as building roads, bridges, mosques etc. After the Ganja earthquake they rebuilt Ganja as an even more magnificent Sheddadi capital than before in a very short time. Several historians talk about their policy of construction and justice with great admiration. The 18 years’ rein of Kurdish King Abulesvar Shavur in Ganja, famous for his far-sightedness, justice and wisdom saw the completion of historic construction projects. One of the most famous monuments built during Shavur’s reign are the still surviving Ganja Doors conserved in the museums of Republic of Georgia. Another famous construction masterpiece by Sheddadis was the Xudaferin Bridge over Araks River which has also survived as a magnificent work of craftsmanship and engineering until today. Xudaferin Bridge was built during the reign of Sheddadi King Fezl (History of Azerbaijan, Baku, 1994, page 283). A classic Azerbaijani poet Getran Tebrizi in his hundreds of eulogies (gita and madhiyyas) dedicated to Sheddadi Kings commended their accomplishments and exalted them as the unrivaled leaders of the region. Tebrizi devoted more than 50 eulogies (medhiyye and gaside) to Shaddadi Kings Ebdulhasan Eli Leshkeri and Ebdulxelil Jefer. Altogether, He wrote more than 150 eulogies (gitas) about Sheddadi Kings. (Getran Tebrizi, Divan, Azerbaijan Science Academy Press, Baku, 1967) Deportation of 24 Kurdish tribes to Azerbaijan Sharafname by Sheref Xan Bitlisi (Sharafname, Moscow, 1967, page 370, in Russian) and other sources tell us that Shah Abbas I of Iran moved 16 or 24 Kurdish tribes to Azerbaijan to fortify the borders of Safavid Empire. In the 19th century sources we find the traces of these 24 Kurdish tribes in Dereleyez (Dereleyez being part of Azerbaijan at that time was later attached to Armenia and renamed as Azizbeyov). A book published in St. Petersburg provides the following information about them: After the rivalry between Kurdish bey Nebi bey and Karabakh xan, the Shah of Iran called Nebi bey and invested him with the duty to protect the borders of Eastern Dereleyez. The Kurds under the local rule of Nebi bey moved from Karabakh to Dereleyez in 1813. At that time there were 44 villages and 910 families in Dereleyez. Of these families 663 were Kurdish, 247 were Armenian families. The same source also deals with 9 Kurdish tribes of the famous 24s which were Haci Shamli, Shadimanli, Gechovchu, Kulikanli, Hesenanli, Bozlu, Ferixkanli, Pusyan and Milli (Statistics of Nakhchevan Region) Orientalists Shopen in his work “ The historic situation of Armenian province during its annexation to Russian Empire” published in 1852 identified and studied the following 22 Shiite Kurdish tribes deported to Karabakh by Shah Abbas I: Karachorlu, Hesenanli, Kulikanli, Shadimanli, Milli, Sheylanli, Tehmezli, Eliyanli, Bergushad, Babali, Kulluxchu, Gelovchu, Ferixkanli, Sisyanli, Terterli, Haci Samli, Sultanli, Gulukhanli, Bozlu, Elikyanli, Kolani, Pusyanli Also, a well-known Azerbaijani historian Alekberov did an extensive research on the mentioned Kurdish tribes.( A. Alekberov “Esseys on the study of Kurdish culture” in Russian, Baku 1936, page 40-62) All the mentioned tribes used to live in Kelbajar, Lachin, Gubadlu, Zengilan and Cebrayil until the occupation of Red Kurdistan by Armenian troops. Another source Memmedhesen Velili (Baharli), in his Russian-language book “Azerbaijan: geographical-natural, ethnographic and economic research” published in 1921 and later translated into Azeri in 1993, did a brief research on the Kurds of Azerbaijan. Baharli concluded that 20 thousand Kurds lived in Azerbaijan in 1917. The researcher has left us some very useful and detailed information about the Kurdish tribes in Azerbaijan. The author writes “One of the most influential chiefs of Shahseven tribe-Kurd bey had three sons who branched out into three generations. Poladbeyli generation, Demirbeyli generation, and Guzelbeyli generation. Presently, there exist Poladbeyli and Demirbeyli generations in Azerbaijan. Other brunches that sprang out from the tribe of Kurd bey are Xelifeli, Buduglu, Muradli, Zergerli, and Malli (page 44) Baharli claims that one of the most assimilated nations in Azerbaijan are the Kurds. According to him, Pusyan Kurds and Gorus Kurds migrated into Azerbaijan from Nothern Kurdistan and Hamadan, Iran while all the other Kurds are the indigenous inhabitants of Azerbaijan. Baharli notes that most of the mentioned Kurds have undergone linguistic assimilation and forgotten their native Kurdish. Only older members of these communities could speak Kurdish. He provides us the following information about some Kurdish villages of Nakhchevan: “The ancestors of the people in Kilit village of Nakhchevan were exiled by Nadir Shah after their rebellion. They spoke their native Kurdish until the end of the 19th century but they mostly speak Azerbaijani/Turkish now” The author establishes that the indigenous Kurdish communities are concentrated in the following provinces of Azerbaijan. Guba province: GaraKurdu and Garacali villages Javad province: Garalar(4 villages), Garacalilar, Bouyk Gorus, Jir Gorus villages Shamakhi province: Kurd, Garali, Gorushcheperli villages Goychay province: Jir Kurd, Kurd Shaban, Kurdkarabakhli, Kurdmashi, Kurd, Garachalli, Garaca, Gorusaga, Goruskend villages Lenkeran province: Bergushad, Kurabbasli, Kurdler, Boyukgarali, Kichikgarali villages Agdash province: Kurdler Zengezur province: Garalar, Garachalli, Sisyan, Kurdhaci, Gazikurdarli, Kurdeli, Kurdgala Gazakh province: Garalar Jebrayil province: Kurdmahmudlu, Kurd Mahrizli, Kurdchapik, Kurdefendiler Jevanshir province: Bergushad, Kurdbaragi, Gazi Kurdeli, Kurdler, Kurdbirdeamanyan; Gence province: Sefikurd Shusha province: Kurdgaradagli, Kurdler Sherur-Dereleyez province: : Pesyan (Pusyan) (page. 56-57) Despite its usefulness, Baharli’s research sufferers from serious shortcomings and does not report other well-known historical knowledge about the Kurds of Azerbaijan. For instance, in his book, the author has failed to give us any information about the 24 Kurdish tribes deported to Azerbaijan by Shah Abbas I in the 16th century, and made no mention of either their names or their settlement areas. The book also omits two sizable Kurdish villages -Bakhchakurd and Balakurd in Gence province (modern-day Goranboy district). 1926 Census The results of population census conducted in 1926 were published two years later in the book “The population of Caucasus” in Tiflis. At the time one of total 13 provinces present in Azerbaijan was called Red Kurdistan. According to the census, Kurds made up 72.3 percent of 51,426 people residing in 480 settlements of Red Kurdistan, the other 26.7 percent being Azeri Turks. The census established the size of Kurdish population in Azerbaijan altogether at 41,193 persons (21.280 men, 19.913 women), Besides 67 Kurdish residents of foreign origin were also entered in the census figures. Pyotr Lerx about Kurds A Russian ambassador to Iran and kurdologist P. Lerx in his research “Studies on the Kurds of Iran and their forefathers Haldeys” also talks about Kurds in Azerbaijan. The book is a very useful source of knowledge about Garachorlu, Hesenanli, Kulikanli, Shadimanli, Haci Samli, Tehmezli, Xanazekli, Cavadli, Ferixkanli, Sultanli, Milli, Bozlu, Bayandurlu and other Kurdish tribes (page 88) in Azerbaijan. Lerx alos notes that these tribes had undergone serious linguistic assimlation to the degree that only the members of old generation could speak their native Kurdish All of the above-mentioned Kurdish tribes cited by Lerx were living in Red Kurdistan until its fall to Armenian Armies (1991-1993). There were 22 Ferixkanli, 12 Hesenanli, 3 Haci Shamli, 3 Milli, and several Xanazekli villages in Kelbajar. M.A Skibitski about Kurds The map prepared by M.A Skibitski about Kurds of Azerbaijan is another important source of information relevant to concerned topic. (“Karabakh map at the end of 19th century”, “Azerbaijan newspaper”, Baku, May 5, 1990 N.1) According to M.A Skibitski, in the 19th century Kurds mostly lived in Karabakh; the plateaus and canyons of Jevanshir province (Geza) crossed by Terter and Tutgu rivers; the canyons and plateaus of Zengezur province (Geza) crossed by Bergushad and Hekeri (Hakkari) Rivers; and Jebrayil province; The author estimated that in only Karabakh there were 3,500 Kurdish families, 18,603 Kurds and 67 Kurdish villages in 1893. During the same time, there were 3408 Armenian families and 47 Armenian villages in Karabakh. As is evident, Kurds had 22 more villages and 102 more families than Armenians in Karabakh in 1893. Settlements outside the boundaries of Red Kurdistan bearing the names with the root “Kurd” Despite the policy of the communist regime to rename the settlements bearing the root “Kurd” in Azerbaijan over the 70 years, there are still the following villages and towns possessing this root in different districts of Azerbaijan Republic, all of them beyond the boundaries of Red Kurdistan excluding Lachin and Gubadly districts listed below. Agdam district: two villages named Kurdler (Kurds) Agjabedi district: Kurdler Berde district: Kurdborachi and Kurdler Gubadli district: Kurdmahluzlu and Kurdler Guba district: Kurdarkh Zakatala district: Kurdemir Goranboy district: Bakhchakurd, Balakurd, Sefikurd; Goychay district: Jir Kurd, Kurdshaban, Kurd, Kurdemir Imishli district: Kurdmahmudlu Ismayilli district: Kurdvan, Kurdmashi, Kurdeldarbeyli Lachin district: Kurdhaci Lerik district: Kurdeser Masalli district: Kurdebazli Oguz district: Kurd Fizuli district: Kurdler, Kurdmahmudlu Xankendi district: Kurdler Sherur district: Kurdkend, Kurdchullu Baku: Kurdexani (Kurdekhani) town Kurdemir district: Kurdemir town (Administrative-territorial divisions of Azerbaijan Republic, Baku, 1961) Source: KURDLER AZERBAYCANDA