Kurdish culture

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Kurdish history and Kurdish culture
People
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History

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Karduchian dynasties

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Cyrtians
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Medieval

Modern
Culture
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Religion

Kurdish culture is a group of distinctive

Kurdish people
. The Kurdish culture is a legacy from ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society.

Kurds are an ethnic group who live in the northern

Greater Kurdistan. Greater Kurdistan lies along the Zagros Mountains and the Taurus Mountains, and today comprises northeastern Iraq, northwestern Iran, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey
.

Miscellaneous

A grandma and her grandchild watching the “Nowruz” ceremony.

There is a lot of controversy about the Kurdish people from their origins, their history, and even their political future. Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups that do not have an independent state recognized universally.[1]

Language

Main article:
Kurdish languages

Kurdish (Kurdî) is part of the North-Western division of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family.

Folklore

Main article: Kurdish mythology

The Kurds have a rich folkloric tradition which is increasingly endangered as a result of modernization, urbanization, and cultural repression. Kurds celebrate the new year on Newroz, and its celebration was often banned by authorities in Turkey and Syria.[2][3] A well known Kurdish tale is Mem û Zîn.[4]

Zembilfrosh

Zembilfrosh (

Duhok governorate, in Iraqi Kurdistan.[5]

Music

Main article: Kurdish music
Tunar Rahmanoghly singing Kurdish song "Rinda Min". Khari Bulbul Music Festival

Kurdish folk music is an important part of Kurdish culture and has traditionally been used to transmit stories about Kurdish history by Dengbêj. Dengbêj (bards, literally "voice-sing"[6]) are well known for songs of mourning, or stran.[7] Many popular Kurdish musicians of the 20th century like Hassan Zirak and Ahmet Kaya sang in Turkish or Persian as well as in Kurdish.


Cinema

Main article: Kurdish cinema

Kurdish cinema focuses on the

human rights violations, and life as a stranger. Kurdish cinema has a high significance for the Kurds, as it offers the opportunity to draw attention to their own situation artistically. However, because of state repression, most films are produced in exile. The best example of this is in Turkey, where Kurds were not permitted to speak their native language until 1991, which made the development of their films more difficult.[8]

Films about Kurds:

Cuisine

Main article: Kurdish cuisine
Traditional Kurdish food

Food is widely recognized to be a fundamental part of what it means to be Kurdish. Foods such as kfta کفتە (spiced minced meat cased in thin layer of mashed pudding rice), Ser u pe (goats head, tongue and feet), shifta (meat patties),[9] are traditional Kurdish foods. Lamb and chicken have been staple meats in Kurdish cuisine for centuries. Vegetables, pilaf, and dairy products also comprise a large portion of traditional Kurdish food.[10] Tea is also staple to a Kurdish diet. It is commonly drunk 2-3 times a day as a social activity. Kurds also drink Mastaw/Do'h/Ayran, a yogurt-based drink.[11]

Religion

Main articles:
Kurdish Jews, and Kurdish Christians

The Kurdish people have different religions depending on their ethnic connections and the country in which they live. The most common religion among Kurds is Sunni Islam, practiced by 98% of Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds of Turkey are 30% Alevi out of a population of approximately 15–22 million Kurds and 68% follow Sunni Islam.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Who are the Kurds?". BBC News. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  2. ISSN 1773-0546
    .
  3. ^ Arab, The New (17 March 2019). "Turkey bans Newroz celebrations for Syrian Kurds in Afrin". alaraby. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  4. ^ Lescot, Roger (1942). "Mame Alan" (PDF). Institute Kurde de Paris. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  5. ISBN 0345469399
    (see pp 149-150)
  6. ^ Project, The Kurdish (2015-03-11). "Kurdish Musical Tradition is Revived with Dengbej Culture". The Kurdish Project. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. ^ "Kurdish Culture". thekurdishproject.org. The Kurdish Project. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  8. ^ "KurdishCinemaHomePage". kurdishcinema.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Shfta - Kurdish meat patties". www.adventuressheart.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  10. ^ "Learn About Kurdish Food | The Kurdish Project". The Kurdish Project. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  11. ^ "Kurdistan's cuisine". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  12. ^ "Religion of the Kurds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-09.

Further reading

Folktale collections
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