Comments on: Seeing the Kurds

By: Grant

Grant — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:09:38 +0000

Further clarifiaction; Kurds live in Khorowsan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularily Balouchistan. Some, like those in Khorowsan, were put there by one of the Shahs to fight the Turkmens. Others, like those in Balouchistan, have gone at various times, such as during the Agri revolt etc. HOWEVER, with the exception of some of some of the Khorowsani Kurds, very very few still speak Kurdish. Kurds in Afghanistan for example can no longer be considered Kurdish in any meaningful sense, as with many of those in Khorowsan and elsewhere. As one taxi driver in Khrowosan put it to me, “I don’t know Kurdish, I just know I’m a Kurd.” And that was the extent of his knowledge.

By: Dilawer

Dilawer — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:08:28 +0000

Heja is absolutely misinformed, as are many other Kurds, regarding the distribution of Kurds in Afghnistan and Pakistan and the Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan provinces of Eastern Iran.
There are over 1.5 million Kurds in Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan. Over 1/4million live in Afghanistan and over that number live in Baluchistan, Sind and Punjab in Pakistan. Some of those are referred to as Baluch, but they are in fact Kurds. Many have the last name Kurdi. In fact Benazir Bhuttos mother was Kurd. The Sarpara, Rodini and Pirkani tribes of Pakistani Baluchistan are Kurds. Some of my Baluch friends consider their ancestry as Kurd and some Baluchi musicians such as Ustad Shir Mohammad Espindar recite Kurdi songs.
The major Kurdi tribes of Khorasan are Amarlu, Shadlu, Zafaranlu, Keyvanlu, Tupkanlu and Qarachorlu. They speak mostly the Kirmanji Kurdi dialect.
A well known Kurd of the Rika tribe in Kabul was Ali Mardan who lived in the 17th century. He is mentioned in traditional love stories in Afghanistan.

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By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:15:49 +0000

Heja:

Thanks. I knew that; it was a bit of sloppiness on my part. And, for readers interested in more on the Kurds, I can highly recommend the book A Thousand Sighs, A Thousand Revolts : Journeys in Kurdistan by Christiane Bird.

Mark

By: Heja

Heja — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:17:24 +0000

Hi Mark,

Just a quick note. Kurds are living in “Kurdistan” a mountanious area in northern mesopotamia divided between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. There are no Kurds in Afghanistan.

Yours,
Heja