A Brief Overview of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The “Country” of Kurdistan

Pre-1919 Kurdistan

• Earliest known culture: 6000-5400 BC

• Kingdom of Gutium: 2400 BC

• First records of the word Kurd: 1000 BC

• Classical – Medieval periods: Roman rule, Muslim Caliphate, Salahdin, Mongols, etc.

• Marco Polo mentions Kurdistan: 14th cent.

• Battle of Chaldiran: Iran/Ottoman split

Greater Kurdistan after 1919

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-maps.htm

Distribution of Kurds

Population Distribution

Kurdish Diaspora – FSU

Kurdish Diaspora – Rest of WorldGermany 700,000 - 800,000

France 120,000 - 150,000

United Kingdom 80,000 - 100,000

Sweden 80,000 - 100,000

Netherlands 70,000 - 80,000

Switzerland 60,000 - 70,000

Austria 50,000 - 60,000

Greece 20,000 - 25,000

Belgium 10,000 - 15,000

Denmark 8,000 - 10,000

Norway 4,000 - 5,000

Italy 3,000 - 4,000

Finland 2,000 - 3,000

United States 40,000

Canada 6,000

Afghanistan 200,000

Lebanon 80,000

Israel 100,000

Kurdistan Region in IraqAKA “The Other Iraq”

or “The Taiwan of the Middle East”

Iraqi Kurds

Kurdistan Region Symbols

Kurdistan Region National AnthemEy Reqîb

Hey Enemy (or Guard)

Hey enemy, the Kurdish nation is alive with its language It cannot be defeated by the weapons of any time Let no one say the Kurds are dead The Kurds are alive The Kurds are alive and their flag will never fall

We the youth are the red of the revolution See the blood that we shed on the way Let no one say the Kurds are dead The Kurds are alive The Kurds are alive and our flag will never fall

We are the children of the Medes and Keykhosrow Our homeland is our faith and our religionThe Kurds and Kurdistan are our faith and religion Let no one say the Kurds are dead The Kurds are alive The Kurds are alive and our flag will never fall

The Kurdish youth has risen like lions To adorn the crown of life with blood Let no one say the Kurds are dead The Kurds are alive The Kurds are alive and our flag will never fall

The Kurdish youth are ever present And always ready to sacrifice their livesSacrifice every life they have, every life they have. By the poet Dildar (pen name; also known as Yonis Reuf, 1917-1948) Translated by Brusk Chiwir Reshvan

Kurdish Language

• Indo-Iranian language distinct from Semitic Arabic or Altaic Turkish• Kurmanji dialects

– Bahdinani (North Kurmanji) – Turkey (and Dohuk in Iraq), Syria, and FSU (15 million)

– Sorani (Central Kurmanji) – Iraq (Erbil and Suleimaniyah) and Iran (6-12 million)

• Pahlawani dialects– Dimli (or Zaza or Hawrami) – Turkey (3 million)– Gorani (or Kermanshahi or South Kurmanji) – Iraq and Iran (3 million)

• Latin (Kurmanji) vs. Arabic (Sorani) vs. Cyrillic scripts• Arabic is also an official language and is widely spoken or

understood in the Kurdistan Region. • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and Turkmeni are

also spoken by their respective communities.

Linguistic Composition of Kurdistan

Religion in the Kurdistan Region

• Majority of population are Sunni Muslims, mainly of the Shafi’i school.

• Some Muslims belong to Sufi orders.• About 15% are Shi’a.• Some Christians denominations:

– Christian Kurds, – Syrian Catholic, – Syrian Orthodox, – Assyrian Church of the East, – Armenian, and – Catholic Chaldean.

Indigenous Kurdish Religions

• Yezidism (“Cult of Angels”) is a religion practiced only in Kurdistan is with about 140,000 followers in Iraq, most living in the Mosul region.

• The Ahl-e Haqq in Iraq are called Kaka'i and in Iran Yaresan. The total number of members is estimated at around 1,000,000, primarily found in western Iran and Iraq.

Kurdish Politicians & Activists

• Jalal Talabani – President of Iraq since 2005/Head of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

• Massoud Barzani – President of KRG/Head of Kurdistan Democratic Party

• Leyla Zana (Turkey) - first Kurdish woman to win a seat in the Turkish parliament in 1991, currently in prison in Turkey

• Roya Toloui (Iran) – Iranian Kurdish journalist & human rights activist, in U.S. since 2006

Business & Investment

• Mainly in construction, oil & gas, and infrastructure projects– American Village & Dream

City – Korek Tower– Tarin Hills– Kurdistan Gas City

• Over 105 projects worth over USD 16 billion

• 16% by foreign investors• 25% by foreign & local

investors• 59% by Iraqi investors

Tourism

• Erbil Int’l Airport• New hotels like Hotel

Khanzad (80 rooms)• Erbil Citadel• Kurdish Textile

Museum

Higher EducationInstitute Internet Domain

Est. Date

Students

Salahaddin University (SU) www.salahaddin-ac.com 1968 7,048 (2007)

University of Sulaimania (US)

www.univsul.com 1968 (3067) (2006)

University of Dohuk www.uod.ac 1992 1,689 (2007)

University of Koya (KU) www.koyauniversity.org 2003 (?) (2006)

University of Kurdistan – Hawler

www.ukh.ac 2006 400 (2006) (closed for 2008/09)

American University of Iraq - Suleimaniyah

www.auis.org 2007 50 (2007)

Hawler Medical University (HMU)

www.hawlermu.org 2006 (?) (2006)

Business & Management University (BMU)

www.bmu-me.net 2007 (?) (2007)

Kurdish Culture• Bahman Ghobadi – Kurdish-

Iranian film director– Time for Drunken Horses (2000)– Marooned in Iraq (2002)– Turtles Can Fly (2004)– Half Moon (2006)

• Hiner Saleem – Kurdish-French film director– Vodka Lemon (2003)

• Jay Jonroy – Kurdish-US-UK film director– David & Layla (2005)

• Zakaria Abdulla – Popular Kurdish-Swedish

musician– Involved in construction of Naz

City in Erbil, a joint venture with Nechirvan Barzani

Half Moon/Kurdish Hip Hop

References• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Kurdish_people• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_nationalism• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Kurdistan• http://kurdistanica.com/• http://www.krg.org/• http://www.institutkurde.org/en/• http://www.instituteforkurds.org/index.htm• http://www.askurds.org/• http://mediastorm.org/0011.htm• http://www.theotheriraq.com/• http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-maps.htm• http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan.htm• http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iraq.htm• http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/kurdish/htdocs/facts/• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2267/is_1_70/ai_102140955/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0601/feature1/• http://www.kurdmedia.com/default.aspx• http://www.tourismkurdistan.com/index.asp• http://www.bartleby.com/65/ku/Kurds.html