CAUCASIAN KURDS (ARMENIA)

The wars that broke out in the 18th century and the following events brought about tragic consequences for many peoples within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Being a battle field between the two great power, Ottoman and Russian Empires, The Serhat ( Border ) region of Kurdistan ( The Nort-Eastern Anatolia ) suffered tragic consecuences whose effects will still be seen. After the war, the Armenians living in the region and the Kurds, the majority of whom were Yazdi, were forced to leave the lands they had been living on for thousands of years and migrate to Russia. The majority of them settled in Armenian lands.

Between 1914 and 1918, no Yazdi remained in the Serhat Region, and the Yazdis who migrated to Armenia settled in the villages of Elegez (Alagyaz), Çobermez (Avshen), Pampa Kurdan (Sipan), Çawuşvan (Jamışhlu), Korbulax (Shenkanî), Poşt (Sadunç), Mîrek (Mirak), Qundexsaz (Rya Taza), Derîk (Charchakis), Korobxas (Mijnatun), Senger (Kaniashir). Some of these villages were founded by those who settled during this migration. The Kurds who took refuge in the Soviet Union, which was established after the October Revolution of 1917, were officially recognized by the new administration. Research institutes on the language and history of the Kurds were established. In 1928/29, the first Kurdish Latin alphabet was prepared by Erebê Şemo and İshak Marogulov. The first Kurdish newspaper prepared in the Latin alphabet, Rîya Teze, ( The New Road ) was published. The first Kurdish novel, “Şivanê Kurd” ( The Kurdish Shepherd ) , was written. The first documentary film, “Zerê” ( The Blondie) , was shot, and Yerevan Radio began to broadcast in Kurdish. These broadcasts influenced both Soviet Kurds and Kurds beyond the Soviet borders. The Caucasian Kurds had a great influence on the formation of today's written Kurdish literature. The Stalinist period that followed Lenin's death led to a second tragedy for the Kurds living in areas close to the Turkish border. As they were thought to pose a threat to the Soviet Union, Kurds were exiled to various regions such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Siberia.

After the collapse of the USSR, some of the Kurds migrated to Europe, primarily to Moscow (Russia) and Tbilisi (Georgia), due to economic concerns. Nowadays, 40 thousand Kurds are estimated to live in Armenia.

Ehmetd Bahçe's transistor radio from the 1960s. Broadcasting in Kurdish since 1955, Yerevan Radio has been listened with interest, especially in places where Kurds live and the Kurdish language is banned.

While Mîro Mahmudov chats with his wife Karê and daughter Elîza, his eldest daughter Nazê shines her father’s shoes.

Elîza Mahmudov tidying her hair before leaving home.

Students and teachers attending the ceremony held on the first day of the Shkekiro Mihoyan School. In Armenia, education in the native language begins in the third year and continues until the ninth year.

The books used by students who have moved on to the next grade have been collected in a classroom to be given to the new students. All of the students' needs are met by the state for the first four years.

Almast Rustem Hisoyan has been teaching Kurdish to children at the Ferîkê Usiv school in the village of Sipan (Pampa Kurda) for 30 years. His family fled to Armenia from the village of Antap (now a district called Tutak) during the 1915 massacre.

Bedirê Şêx Kînyas Ozmanyan keeps the object considered sacred in the Yazidi faith in his home. Those who want to find healing come to visit the house, which is also considered a “Taca serê sor” ( The Crown on The Ginger Head ) hearth.

Taloyan is spending time with his grandchild.

Aramê Emo Mistoyev and his wife Eşo Mistoyev, whose family migrated from Diyarbakır to Armenia during the 1915 massacre.

The fortune and wish tree to be taken to the bride’s house is prepared by the groom’s best man, Îsmayîlê Şerîf Çoloyan. The apples on the tree refer to the story of Adam and Eve. When the bride arrives at the door of her future husband’s house, the apples are thrown from the roof to the bride by the groom.

In front of the bride’s house, the dowry that the bride will take to the groom’s house is shown to the guests.

The bride's younger brother demands money from the groom, who has come to evict his sister from the house, according to an old tradition called "behind the door".

Groom Silavîkê Ezo Aloyan puts his hand on the head of his best man, Îsmaîlê Şerîf Çoloyan, and prays that he will get married soon.

The bride arrives at the groom's house with bread on her shoulder, representing sustenance and abundance, and is greeted at the door by her mother-in-law with a plate. According to tradition, the plate is broken by the bride on the threshold of the door so that evil eyes and evil do not enter the house.

Silavîkê Ezo Aloyan and Sivêta Torîn Mistoyan set up a tent in the village square for the evening wedding ceremony.

Participants in the wedding ceremonies of Silavîkê Ezo Aloyan and Sivêta Torîn Mistoyan have fun in the tent set up in front of their houses.

Silavîkê Ezo Aloyan and Sivêta Torîn Mistoyan sit at the table reserved for them during their wedding ceremony.

A group of men in the village play a game of chance to pass the time.

The book written by Khacatur Abovyan, one of the leading writers of Armenian literature, about the Yazidi Kurds in 1846 is exhibited in the museum named after him.

The issue of the newspaper Rîya Teze (New Road) dated April 28, 1956.
Rîya Teze, which started its publication life on March 25, 1930, has the distinction of being the longest-running Kurdish newspaper and the first to be published in the Latin alphabet.

Kurdish MP for Armenia and the head of the Kurdish Union, Kînyazê Hemîd Hasanov.

All the sheep in Alagyaz ( Elegez ) village are taken out to graze by shepherds every morning. Animal husbandry is the main source of income in the region.