The Kurds: A Concise HandbookFirst Published in 1993. Since before the dawn of recorded history the mountainous lands of the northern Middle East have been home to a distinct people whose cultural tradition is one of the most authentic and original in the world. Some vestiges of Kurdish life and culture can actually be traced back to burial rituals practiced over 50,000 years ago by people inhabiting the Shanidar Caves near Arbil in central Kurdistan. In this book, the author has tried to identify and delineate the heritage of the Kurds, now thoroughly submerged in the accepted and standard models for subdividing Middle Eastern civilization, none of which is designed to accommodate the stateless Kurds. |
Contents
Internal Subdivisions | 8 |
Geology | 14 |
Flora Fauna | 20 |
Historical Periods | 28 |
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY | 73 |
Historical Migrations | 86 |
Emigrations Diaspora | 99 |
Integration Assimilation | 108 |
Sufi Mystic Orders | 158 |
Bâbism Bahaism | 165 |
Literature | 175 |
Press Electronic Mass Media | 181 |
SOCIETY | 183 |
POLITICAL AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES | 197 |
ECONOMY | 221 |
Employment | 234 |
Urbanization Urban Centers | 120 |
Ethnic Minorities in Kurdistan | 126 |
Islam | 133 |
Festivals Ceremonies Calendar | 241 |
Costumes Jewelry | 256 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alevis Alevism Anatolia ancient Ankara Antep Arab Arbil Armenian Aryan assimilated Assyrian avatar Azerbaijan Baghdad Bârzâni Bitlis borders Caucasus central Kurdistan century BC Christian Confederacy Cult of Angels culture Darsim Daylamites demographic deportations Despite dialect Dimili Diyarbakir dynasty early eastern economic Empire enclave ethnic groups forces Further Readings Gurâni Hakkâri History Iran Iranian Iraq Iraqi Kurdistan Islam Journal KDP-I Khurâsân Kirkuk Kirmânshâh Kurdish language Kurdish majority Kurdish music Kurdish political parties Kurdish population Kurdish tribes Kurds Kurmanji-speaking Laki-speaking land large number leaders living London medieval Mesopotamia Middle East modern Kurdish Mosul motifs mountains movement Muslim neighboring nomads northern Ottoman period Persian provinces Readings and Bibliography region religion religious rugs Safavid Sanandaj Shaykh Shi'ite social South Kurmânji southern Kurdistan southern Zagros Soviet Sufi Sulaymânia Sunni Syria Tâlabâni Teheran territories traditional tribal Turkey Turkish Turkmen urban western Kurdistan Yârsânism Yârsâns Yezidi Zagros Zand Zoroastrianism