Draft:Caucasian Kurds

• Comment: Regarding Special:Diff/1199715324:
  • The majority of the cited sources don't seem to discuss this draft's topic (Kurds in Caucasia)
  • Multiple cited sources are not very useful (e.g., the sources referred to in footnotes 1 and 12)
  • There is a significant logical break: The draft discusses "Kurds in Caucasia", but then describes Kurds in Kazakhstan without citing a single source that discusses why this connection ought to be made, i.e., I suspect WP:SYNTH;
  • No source seems to discuss the number that expresses the entirety of Kurds in the Caucasus, i.e., WP:SYNTH or WP:OR was used to obtain that figure;
  • Some parts of the text directly address the reader.
  One could argue that the cited sources do not indicate notability, but I doubt that peoples or ethnicities cannot be deemed notable, and thus I'd argue that the cited sources are insufficient, hence the verifiability decline. Note that topics related to Kurdish Nationalism might be considered controversial, so a very good sourcing is required, and I'd be more strict in this case. But another AfC reviewer might see it differently. Best regards, --Johannes (Talk) (Contribs) (Articles) 22:10, 27 January 2024 (UTC)

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Caucasian Kurds

Kurdên Kafkasyayê
Total population
Unknown
Regions with significant populations
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Languages
Kurdish (Kurmanji), Azeri, Armenian, Georgian, Russian and Kazakh.
Religion
Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Christianity and Yazidism.
Related ethnic groups
Iranian Peoples

Caucasian Kurds are ethnic Kurds wich come from or live in the region of the Caucasus, this includes countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and parts of Russia. The first Kurdish presence in the Caucasus region can be traced back to the middle of the 10th Century. Some groups of Caucasian Kurds have been deported to Central Asia in 1937, 1938 and 1944 by the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin. Most descendants of wich now reside in Kazakhstan. The total number of Caucasian Kurds inside and outside the Caucasus region is unknown.

Population

Main articles: Kurdish population, Kurds in Armenia, and Kurds in Georgia

Armenia

According to the latest Armenian Census, 37,470 Kurds live in Armenia as of 2011.They mostly live in western Armenia (not to be confused with historical Western Armenia), speaking the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish.

Georgia

According to the latest Georgian Census, 20,843 Kurds live in Georgia as of 2002. Living mostly in Tibilisi and Rustavi, speaking Kurmanji.

Soviet Union (Historical)

The number of Kurds in the Soviet Union in 1959 was 26,000 in Armenia, 16,000 in Georgia and more than 14,000 in Central Asia.

Population of Kurds in:

Country	Number	Year	Source
Armenia	37,470	2011
Azerbaijan	70,000	2011
Georgia	20,843-60,000	2014
Kazakhstan	49,355	2023
Russia	50,701	2021

Religion

Main articles: Yezidis in Armenia, Kurds in Armenia, and Kurds in Georgia

In Armenia

The majority of Kurds in Armenia are Yazidis, the latest Armenian census from 2011 recorded 35,308 Yazidis and 2,162 Kurds (Kurd in this case meaning non-Yazidi Kurds, mostly Muslim Kurds with some christians), since in Armenia, Yazidis and Kurds are seen as two different ethnic groups.

In Georgia

In Georgia Yazidis are seen as part of the Kurdish ethnicity by the Georgian government, the number of Yazidis in Georgia has steadily declined since 1989. 30,000 in 1989, 18,000 in 2002 and 6,000 in 2015.

History

Main articles: Shaddadids, Treaty of Turkmenchay, and Kurds in Azerbaijan

Origins

The Shaddadids were the first Kurds wich lived in the Caucasus region, hailing from the Hadhabani Tribe.

10th-12th century

The first Kurdish presence in the Caucasus region (specifically the Transcaucasus) can be traced back to the mid 10th century when the Shaddadid was established at Dvin by its first emir Muhammad ibn Shaddad, the Shaddadids ruled between the Kura and Aras rivers until the they fell in the end of the 12th century. During the Shaddadid rule they often engaged in war with the Georgian Kingdom and the Byzantine army.

16th century

According to Grigory Chursin, at the time of the Ottoman–Safavid War a wave of Kurdish immigration in western parts of modern Azerbaijan may have taken place in 1589 when soldiers chose to stay in the conquered lands.

18th century

Kurdish tribes migrated to the Ararat Plain (modern day Armenia), in the 18th century.

In 1728, Kurds and Shahsevans who were breeding cattle in the Mughan plain applied for Russian citizenship.

In the late 18th century Kurds arrived in Tibilisi to get assistance from King Erekle II against the Ottomans.

19th century

When the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Kurds were allowed to work in Georgia.

During the early 19th century, the policy of the Russian Empire towards their own and the greater Kurdish population was to keep them neutral in the wars against Qajar Iran and the Ottoman Empire. Around the same time, Kurds settled in Transcaucasia. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Yazidis fled from the Ottoman Empire due to religious persecution and settled in the Russian Transcaucasus.

During the two Russo-Persian wars between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran (Persia), the Russian authorities let Kurds settle in Russia proper and then Russian ruled Armenia, later during the Crimean War and the Russo-Turkish War, Kurds again moved to Russia and Armenia.

20th century

Armenia

A Kurdish representative was elected to the Armenian parliament of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920).

After the dissolution of the First Republic of Armenia and the founding of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Armenia (later Armenian SSR) the soviet policy of Korenizatsiia was inforced, leading to the founding of radio, press and education in Kurdish (Kurmanji), alongside the cration of a Kurdish alphabet using the Armenian script in 1922 followed by a Latin version in 1927 and under Stalin in 1945 a Cyrillic one too.

After the deportations of Caucasian Kurds began in 1937 Kurdish radio, the Riya Teze (newspaper) and other Kurdish institutions were closed, they were revived in the 1950s.

With the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 1988, many Kurds fled Armenia. Around 18,000 Kurds left Armenia for Azerbaijan, a large community of Kurds from Armenia and neighboring countries has developed in Krasnodar. Between 1992 and 1994 the Kurdish minority of the Lachin and Kelbajar districts of Azerbaijan was forced to flee due to the Armenian invasion during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Kurdish States in Caucasia

Main articles: Shaddadids, Kurdistan Uezd, and Kurdish Republic of Lachin

Shaddadid Dynasties (951-1199)

Map of the Shaddadid Dynasties (11th-12th Century)

Region formerly occupied by Kurdistan Uezd, Kurdistan Okrug and later the Kurdish Republic of Lachin.

The History of Kurds in Caucasia goes back to the 10th Century, in 951 the Shaddadid Dynasty was established at Dvin by Muhammad ibn Shaddad (Arabic: محمد بن شداد; Kurdish: محمد بن شەداد), the Shaddadid Dynasty reached its greatest extend in 1030, during wich it included territories from modern-day Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1067 the Shaddadids became a Vassal state of the Seljuk Empire after the death of Abu'l-Aswar. The Shaddadid State (of Dvin & Ganja) was fully annexed in 1075 by the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan, the Dynasty survived in Ani through Manuchihr ibn Shavur. The Shaddadid Dynasty of Ani was independent for almost another 100 years, until the Georgian King George III of Georgia annexed all of Ani for Georgia in 1161. The Shaddadids would rule over Ani again after a coalition of Muslim states defeated Georgia in 1163, though they were a Vassal of Azerbaijan. In 1174 Ani would again be occupied by Georgia, after switching sides between Georgia and the Shaddadids for another 4 times, the Shaddadid family lost all power over Ani in 1199.

Kurdistan Uezd (1923-1929)

Kurdistan Uezd (also known as "Red Kurdistan") was a Soviet administrative unit wich existed as an Autonomous region inside the Azerbaijan SSR for 6 years. Its Capital was Lachin, overall the region was majority Kurdish. In 1929 the Azerbaijani Congress of Soviets dissolved the Autonomous Region.

Kurdistan Okrug (1930)

The administrative unit of Kurdistan Okrug only existed for around 2 months after being dissolved, because it strained relations between the Soviet Union and Iran and Turkey.

Kurdish Lachin (1992)

Kurdish Lachin (Officially: English: The Kurdish Republic of Lachin; Kurdish (Kurmanji): Komara kurdî ya Laçînê) was a unofficial Republic wich existed for one year during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, its Territory was the same as that of Kurdistan Uezd and the following Kurdistan Okrug. It was backed by Armenia, and when their support stopped due to political change in late 1992 the Republic was dissolved.

Persecution

Main article: Population transfer in the Soviet Union

Deportation of 1937

The First Deportation of Kurds from Caucasia occurred in 1937, then leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin did not trust the Kurdish population and ordered their forced Deportation to Kazakhstan SSR, Uzbekistan SSR and Kyrgyzstan SSR. This group of Kurds from the first Deportation by Stalin came from Nakhchivan Autonomous SSR (Part of Azerbaijan SSR). Most of them died during the deportation.

Deportation of 1938

In 1938 Azeris, Persians, Kurds and Assyrians were deported from Azerbaijan SSR to Kazakhstan SSR.

Deportation of March 1944

Cleansing of Tbilisi, in March 1944 Azeris and Kurds had been deported from Tbilisi to Southern Georgia SSR.

Deportation of November 1944

In November 1944 multiple ethnicitys from Southwestern Georgia SSR had been deported to Central Asia, among them Caucasian Kurds.

Deportation of 1948

In August 1948 the last Deportation of Caucasian Kurds was carried out, Kurds belonging to the force of Mustafa Barzani from Azerbaijan SSR were deported for their affiliation with Barzani.

Caucasian Kurds in Kazakhstan

Main article: Kurds in Kazakhstan

History

The Kurdish Population in Kazakhstan is descendent from Caucasian Kurds from Azerbaijan and Georgia SSR, who have been deported to Central Asia in 1937, 1938 and 1944 by Joseph Stalin, then leader of the Soviet Union. Some Caucasian Kurds who were Deported to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan later migrated north to Kazakhstan, because of the Osh Riots in 1990.

Population

The Population of Kurds in Kazakhstan has steadily increased since 1970. 12,313 in 1970, 17,692 in 1979, 25,371 in 1989, 32,764 in 1999, 38,325 in 2009, 46,348 in 2019 and 49,355 in 2023. Specefic population data prior to 1970 does not exist. Exept one census wich counted the number of Kurds in the Soviet Union from 1959 wich counted 14,000 Kurds in Central Asia, most in Kazakhstan.

Religion

Most Kurds in Kazakhstan are Muslim, 98.3% of Kurds are Muslim and 0.52% are Christian.

Language

88.7% of Kurds in Kazakhstan speak the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish as their mother tongue. Places in Kazakhstan in which Kurds are a substantial part of the population often teach Kurdish literature and the Kurdish Language in primary and secondary school. Since 1990 there is also a Kurdish newspaper in Kazakhstan named "Kurdistan".

Notable Kurds from the Caucasus

• Shahanshah ibn Mahmud, Kurdish emir of Ani from 1164 to 1174
• Qanate Kurdo, Kurdish philologist (born Kars oblast, 1909)
• Samand Siabandov, Kurdish Soviet war hero (born Kars oblast, 1909)
• Nadir Nadirov, Kurdish scientist (born Nakhichevan, 1932)
• Guram Zakharovich Adzhoyev, Kurdish footballer (born Tibilisi, 1961)
• Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian, Kurdish-Australian bodybuilder (born 1989, his parents are Kurds from Armenia)

See also

• Religion in Kurdistan