Kurdish culture (Kurdish: çand û toreya kurdî) is a group of distinctive cultural traits practiced by Kurdish people. The Kurdish culture is a legacy from the various ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society, but primarily of two layers of indigenous (Hurrian),and of the ancient Iranic (Medes). The Kurdish language is a language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... Languages Kurdish Religions Predominantly Sunni Muslim also some Shia, Yazidism, Yarsan, Judaism, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Iranian peoples (Talysh Baluch Gilak Bakhtiari Persians) The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The Kurdish culture is close to that of other Iranian peoples; for example all of them celebrate Newroz as the new year day, which is celebrated on March 21. Kurds have always been among the more moderate Muslims and as a result Kurdish women have faced less restrictions in wearing hijab or holding jobs outside home than other muslim women. ^[1] Norouz (Newroz in Kurdish) (also spelled Noe-Rooz, Norouz, Norooz, Noruz, Novruz, Noh Ruz, Nauroz, Nav-roze, Navroz, Náw-Rúz or Nowrouz and in Persian نوروز) is the traditional Iranian festival of spring which starts at the exact moment of the vernal equinox, commencing the start of the spring. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Illustration of an Islamic headscarf “Higab” redirects here. ...

Music

Main article: Kurdish music

Şivan Perwer, giving concert in Sweden, 2005

Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers (çîrokbêj), minstrels (stranbêj) and bards (dengbêj). There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs and are epic in nature, such as the popular Lawik's which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes of the past like Saladin. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autumn. Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk), erotic poetry and work songs are also popular. Kurdish Music (Kurdish: Muzîk û strana kurdî) referes to music performed in Kurdish language. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1476x1636, 1413 KB) Summary Åživan Perwer. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1476x1636, 1413 KB) Summary Åživan Perwer. ... Åživan Perwer giving concert in Sweden, 2005 Åživan Perwer (pron: Shvan Parwar) (born on December 23, 1955 in Sarıdam (Sorî), Siverek as Ä°smail Aygün) is a poet, a singer a performer on the tembûr (lute) and a leading Kurdish artist. ... For the 2001 film, see Storytelling (film) Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in words, images, and sounds. ... For the 18th century American form of music and performance known as minstrelsy, see minstrel show. ... The Bard (ca. ... The epic is a broadly defined genre of narrative poetry, characterized by great length, multiple settings, large numbers of characters, or long span of time involved. ... Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi (Arabic: , Kurdish: , Persian: , Turkish: ) known also as Saladin or Salah al-Din Yusuf (c. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Dance

Main article: Kurdish dance

Kurdish dance is a group of traditional hand-holding dances similar to those from the Balkans, Lebanon, and to Iraq. It is a form of round dancing, with a single or a couple of figure dancers often added to the geometrical centre of dancing circle. Kurdish dance (Kurdish: Govend) is a group of traditional hand-holding dances similar to those from the Balkans, Lebanon, and to Iraq. ... Kurdish dance (Kurdish: Govend) is a group of traditional hand-holding dances similar to those from the Balkans, Lebanon, and to Iraq. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... There are two distinct dance categories called Round dance. ...

According to Encyclopaedia of Islam, Kurds sing and dance in all of their festivals, birthdays and marriage ceremonies. These folkloric dances are one of the main factors in distinguishing Kurds from neighbouring muslim populations ^[2]. The Encyclopaedia of Islam (EI) is the standard encyclopaedia of the academic discipline of Islamic studies. ...

Kurdish dance has various and numerous versions such as following:

• Dilan
• Sepe
• Geryan
• Chapi

Kurdish dance (Kurdish: Govend) is a group of traditional hand-holding dances similar to those from the Balkans, Lebanon, and to Iraq. ...

Cinema

Turtles Can Fly movie poster

Main article: Kurdish movies

Kurdish films mainly evoke poverty and the lack of rights of Kurdish people in the region. Yilmaz Guney (Yol) ^[3] and Bahman Qubadi (A Time for Drunken Horses and Turtles Can Fly) are among the better known Kurdish directors. Turtles Can Fly movie poster This is a copyrighted poster. ... Turtles Can Fly movie poster This is a copyrighted poster. ... Kurdish films mainly evoke the poverty and the lack of rights of Kurdish people in the Middle East. ... Yilmaz Güney Yilmaz Güney (April 1, 1937-September 9, 1984) is a Turkish film director, writer and scenarist. ... Yol (in Turkish means The Way) is the title of a movie by Yilmaz Güney and Serif Gören. ... Bahman Ghobadi (born February 1, 1969) is a Kurdish Iranian film director. ... A Time for Drunken Horses (Zamani barayé masti asbha) is a 2000 Kurdish film directed by Bahman Ghobadi and produced in Iran. ... Turtles Can Fly (Persian: لاک پشت ها هم پرواز Ù…ÛŒ کنند Kurdish: Kûsiyan jî dikarin bifirin [1]) is a 2004 film written and directed by Bahman Ghobadi. ...

Literature

Main article: Kurdish literature

Kurdish literature refers to the literature written in Kurdish language. Literary Kurdish works have been written in one of the three main dialects of Gorani, Kurmanji and Sorani. There is no existing evidence of Kurdish literature of pre-Islamic period. Some sources consider Ali Hariri (1425-1495) as the first well-known poet who wrote in Kurdish. He was from the Hakkari region ^[4]. The Kurdistan newspaper Kurdish literature (in Kurdish: Wêjey kurdî) is a literature written in Kurdish language. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... The Kurdish language is a language spoken in the region called Kurdistan, including Kurdish populations in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. ... Gorani could be the name of: Gorani, (a. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sorani is a group of Central Kurdish dialects and as such is part of the Iranian languages. ... Ali Hariri (1425-1495) (Kurdish: Elî Herîrî) was among the first well-known Kurdish poets who wrote in Kurdish. ... Events Foundation of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Births John II, Duke of Lorraine (died 1470) Edmund Sutton, English nobleman (died 1483) Deaths January 18 - Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English politician (born 1391) March 17 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (born 1407) May 24 - Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of... 1495 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hakkâri, formerly Çölemerik, is the capital city of the Hakkâri il, Turkey. ...

Rug

Main article: Kurdish rugs

Kurdish rugs are rugs woven by the Kurdish people in the Middle East and the southernmost Caucasus. Kurdish rugs (Kurdish: Tevnên Kurdî) are rugs woven by the Kurdish people in the Middle East and the southernmost Caucasus. ... Languages Kurdish Religions Predominantly Sunni Muslim also some Shia, Yazidism, Yarsan, Judaism, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Iranian peoples (Talysh Baluch Gilak Bakhtiari Persians) The Kurds are an ethnic group who consider themselves to be indigenous to a region often referred to as Kurdistan, an area which includes adjacent parts... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ...

They are stout and solid in structure, usually made in symmetrical knotting upon a woolen foundation. Symmetry is a characteristic of geometrical shapes, equations and other objects; we say that such an object is symmetric with respect to a given operation if this operation, when applied to the object, does not appear to change it. ...

Religion

Main articles: Cultural Muslim, Yazidism, Yarsan, Yazdanism, Kurdish Jews, Kurdish Christians

The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir is the oldest and one of the most significant mosques in Anatolia. Following the Muslim conversion of Diyarbakir (Amed) in 639, the St Thomas Church (built in 629) was used in part as a mosque. The church was eventually fully converted to a mosque; repaired 1092

Before the spread of Islam in the 7th century CE, the majority of Kurds practised their indigenous religions, today are referred to as Yazdanism. Yazidism and Yarsan, which may stemmed from and eventually replaced those religions are still practised among the Kurds. Most Yazidis live in Iraqi Kurdistan, in the vicinity of Mosul and Sinjar. Yazidis are also found in Syria, Armenia, Turkey, and Germany. Their holy book is "Mishefa Reş" (The Black Book)^[5]. The Yarsan, or Ahl-e Haqq, religion is practised in western Iran, primarily around Kermanshah. There were also many Kurds who practised Zoroastrianism. ^[6] Generally, a Muslim is defined by faith in the religion of Islam; however, in the modern world there are religiously unobservant, agnostic or atheist individuals who still identify with the Muslim culture due to family background or personal experiences. ... The Yezidi or Yazidi (Kurdish; Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Yazdânism or Cult of Angels (also Yazdâni or Yazdanism) is a modern term for the monotheistic, though universalist, religion that was practiced by most Kurds up to the Islamization during the sixteenth century. ... Kurdish Jews (יהדות כורדיסתאן Jews of Kurdistan, Standard Hebrew Yehudi Kurdistan) are the ancient Jewish communities inhabiting the region today known as Kurdistan, roughly covering parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, and Syria. ... Kurdish Christians are the ancient Christian communities inhabiting the region today known as Kurdistan. ... Image File history File links Great_Mosque_Diyabakir. ... Image File history File links Great_Mosque_Diyabakir. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Yazdânism or Cult of Angels (also Yazdâni or Yazdanism) is a modern term for the monotheistic, though universalist, religion that was practiced by most Kurds up to the Islamization during the sixteenth century. ... The Yezidi or Yazidi (Kurdish; Êzidî) are adherents of a small Middle Eastern religion with ancient origins. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... Sinjar is a small town in northwestern Iraq near the Syrian border, with an estimate population in the 2006 census of about 39,875 residents [1]. The wall and other evidence at a huge mound in northeastern Syria known as Tell Hamoukar indicate a complex government dating back at least... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Also referred to as Yarsan or Yaresan and also Ali-Ilahis or Aliullahis by outsiders, is one of many Sufi orders in Iran, combining various syncretistic and Islamic ideas with a veneration of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ...

Also before arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD there were large Kurdish populations practising Christianity, still found in small numbers especially in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish kingdom of Adiabene, including a large number of its Kurdish citizens, converted to Judaism during the 1st century BC.^[7] Tanna’it Asenath Barzani, who lived in Mosul from 1590 to 1670 was among the very first Jewish women to carry an official tile normally reserved for rabbinic scholars. The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... The history of the Kurds stretches from ancient times to the present day. ... Adiabene (In Syriac: ܚܕܝܐܒ) was an ancient Assyrian kingdom in Mesopotamia with its capital at Arbela. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... // Tanna’it Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) was a renowned Jewish-Kurdish woman who lived in Mosul, Iraq. ... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Rabbi, in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’, or more literally, ‘great one’. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ or ‘distinguished (in knowledge)’. Sephardic and Yemenite Jews pronounce this word ribbÄ«; the modern Israeli pronunciation rabbÄ« is derived from a...

Malak Ta’us, the peacock angel of Yazidism religion

In the 7th century, Arabs conquered the Kurdish regions and converted the majority of Kurds to Islam. The majority of Kurds are Muslim, belonging to the Shafi school of Sunni Islam, distinguishing them in the region, (and to a much lesser degree, the Hanafi) Schools of Sunni Islam. There is also a significant minority of Kurds that are Shia Muslims, primarily living in the Ilam and Kermanshah provinces of Iran and Central Iraq ("Al-Fayliah" Kurds). The Alevis are another religious minority among the Kurds, mainly found in Turkey. There are also Kurds who are Agnostics. http://altreligion. ... http://altreligion. ... Melek Taus (The Peacock Angel, Arabic ملك طاووس) is the Yazidis name for the central figure of their faith. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Shafii is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... // The Hanafi (Arabic حنفي) school is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... // Introduction Ilam province is on the western edges of the Zagros range, bordering Iraq. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Alevis or Alevi-Bektashis (Kurdish: Alevi, Turkish: Aleviler or Alevilik) are a religious community in Turkey, and they make up some 20% of the population of the country. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Most Kurds have moderate tendencies toward religion. For instance, Kurdish women usually do not wear hijab or cover their face, differentiating themselves from many Arab and the women of Iran. ^{[8] [9] [10]}. Illustration of an Islamic headscarf “Higab” redirects here. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Cultural heritage

Hasankeyf on the Tigris River

Kurdish cultural heritage is rooted in one of the world's oldest cultures, the Mesopotamian( actually there no culture related to those Kurdish living in the area, Kurds are all a selfish living people in the mountains animal raising group that is why thier laguage is mixture of Iranian-Arab-Turkish, but groups are created or converted some words in a way that other groups can not understand the other as they live as a group on the mountains moving permenantly to good grassland to feed thier animals).^{[citation needed]} This heritage has been subject to injustices, neglect and repression, or has been eclipsed by other cultures. Important components of the original cultural heritage have disappeared or have been destroyed (if this is true how come Urarth or other culture in the same area dont destroyed an arrived till today, if there would be any cultural heritage it will arrive today as many other, i.e Maya culture is still living eventhough it is imposed strong destroy by Spanish). There are numerous examples of how valuable or irreplaceable Kurdish physical heritage are endangered or destroyed, like the threat posed by the Illusi Dam in Kurdistan (Turkey), where the oldest Kurdish city, Hasankeyf, soon is to be covered by water(How it belong to Kurdish culture, I ask to them to show any proof, not words, show me a name that belongs thier nations. I am giving a proof there is a bridge there Malabadi bridged that is build by Artuhkouglu MEHMET BEY, there a monment grave/thomb that belongs to Akkoyunlu king of ZEYNEL bey,(SON OF GRAET KING OF ARTUHKOUGLU, TALL HASAN BEY) and all mosque there is builted by Turkish heritages). ^[11] Kurdish come down from mountains after 19 centry after Russian Armenian joint attack to Ottamans border in the east Anatolia. From one end there was non-muslim group Russian and Armenian on the mountains attacks muslim and Muslims on the village and towns. They joined to Muslims and act with them till establishing of todays Republic. On the other side of Border, Iraqi side there was English Occupier, and divided all Arab land into 4 parts (Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia) for a family brothers who helped them in Occupying frm Ottamans. There was autonomy (self determination) in northern Iraq giving by Saddam Husein time, before first Kuwait War, they had a TV channel doing 5 hrs program in thier most known language Kirmanchi. All these facility is given by Iraqi goverment but they did stand against Arabs and gets western worlds support to become divident. Now time to join together as EU joins and makes them strong agains others, we need to join frm Central Asia till Moroc including Afganistan and Pakistan. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 613 KB) Summary Hasankeyf, Kurdistan, Turkey, 2004. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 613 KB) Summary Hasankeyf, Kurdistan, Turkey, 2004. ... Hasankeyf on the Tigris River Hasankeyf is in Batman Province, southeast Turkey — an area mainly settled by Kurds. ... The Tigris is the eastern member of the pair of great rivers that define Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, which flows from the mountains of Anatolia through Iraq. ...

See also

• Culture of Iraq
• Culture of Iran
• Culture of Turkey
• Newroz as celebrated by Kurds

Iraq has one of the worlds oldest cultural histories. ... Safavid era painting kept at The Grand Shah Abbas Caravanserai Hotel in Isfahan. ... Traditional Turkish coffee The culture of Turkey is a diverse one, derived from various elements of the Ottoman Empire, European, and the Islamic traditions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Norouz. ...

Notes

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ [4]
5. ^ [5]
6. ^ [6]
7. ^ [7]
8. ^ [8]
9. ^ [9]
10. ^ [10]
11. ^ [11]

External link

• Kurdish cultural center