Kurds or Kurdish people are an Iranic ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. There are exclaves of Kurds in Central Anatolia, Khorasan, and the Caucasus, as well as significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey and Western Europe. The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million.
Kurdish music refers to music performed in the Kurdish languages and Zaza-Gorani languages. The earliest study of Kurdish music was initiated by the renowned Armenian priest and composer Komitas in 1903, when he published his work "Chansons kurdes transcrites par le pere Komitas" which consisted of twelve Kurdish melodies which he had collected. The Armenian Karapetê Xaço also preserved many traditional Kurdish melodies throughout the 20th century by recording and performing them. In 1909, Scholar Isya Joseph published the work "Yezidi works" in which he documented the musical practice of the Yazidis including the role of the musician-like qewal figures and the instruments used by the minority.
The Kurdish population of Syria is the country's largest ethnic minority, usually estimated at around 10% of the Syrian population and 5% of the Kurdish population.
The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million. Most Kurdish people live in Kurdistan, which today is split between Iranian Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, and Syrian Kurdistan.
The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of Turkey. There are Kurds living in various provinces of Turkey, but they are primarily concentrated in the east and southeast of the country within the region viewed by Kurds as Turkish Kurdistan.
Paul Maubec, known by his pen name Chris Kutschera, was a French journalist, researcher, writer and specialist on the Middle East, with particular interest focused on Kurdish national movements. During his career he interviewed and photographed leading Kurdish figures, many of whom later took senior government positions, including: Mustafa Barzani, Dara Tawfiq, Masoud Barzani, Jalal Talabani, Nechirvan Barzani, Hoshyar Zibari and Barham Saleh.
Kurds in the United States refers to people born in or residing in the United States of Kurdish origin or those considered to be ethnic Kurds.
The Ararat rebellion, also known as the Ağrı rebellion, was a 1930 uprising of the Kurds of Ağrı Province, in eastern Turkey, against the Turkish government. The leader of the guerrilla forces during the rebellion was Ihsan Nuri of the Jibran tribe.
Kurds in Germany are residents or citizens of Germany of full or partial Kurdish origin. There is a large Kurdish community in Germany. The number of Kurds living in Germany is unknown. Many estimates assume that the number is in the million range. In February 2000, the Federal Government of Germany estimated that approximately 500.000 Kurds lived in Germany at that time.
Kurds in Switzerland are residents in Switzerland of full or partial Kurds origin. The Kurds in Switzerland mainly reside in the Cantons of Zurich, Aargau and Basel-Stadt and are descendants of migrants of refugees from the regions around Pazarcık, Kahraranmaraş or Erzincan. There are also shia kurdish migrants from Iranian Kurdistan, the region around Ilam and Kermanshah along with Feyli Kurds from Baghdad who mainly reside Genève.
Al-Jazira Province was an administrative division in the State of Aleppo (1920–25), the State of Syria (1925–1930) and the first decades of the Mandatory Syrian Republic, during the French Mandate of Syria and the Lebanon. It encompassed more or less the present-day Al-Hasakah Governorate and part of the former Ottoman Zor Sanjak, created in 1857.
The total number of Kurds in Istanbul is estimated variously from 3 to 4 million. Because Istanbul is widely accepted to house the largest Kurdish population in any city in the world, it is often dubbed as the biggest Kurdish city. The influx of Kurds to Istanbul was also motivated by the forced depopulation of Kurdish villages during the Kurdish Turkish conflict.
Fidan Doğan, Sakine Cansiz and Leyla Şaylemez, Kurdish women's activists, were murdered by gunshots to the head during the night of 9–10 January 2013 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
France–Kurdistan Region relations are bilateral relations between France and Kurdistan Region. France has a consulate general in Erbil and Kurdistan Region has a representation in Paris. The ties between France and Kurdistan Region have been very close since the presidency of François Mitterrand (1981–1995), when his wife Danielle Mitterrand played an instrumental role in the campaign for the no fly zone over Kurdistan Region in 1991. France has a military presence in Kurdistan Region, and Consul General Dominique Mas described their relations as being "historic" and "long-term".
Kurds in Greece are the people in Greece of Kurdish origin. Kurds have primarily migrated to Greece due to war and persecution. Most asylum seekers in Greece during the 1990s were Kurds from mainly Iraq but also from southeastern Turkey. A total of 43,759 Kurds entered in Greece in the latter part of 1990s, in which 40,932 were from Iraq and 2,827 from Turkey. However, only 9,797 of these sought asylum in Greece.
Roger Lescot (1914–1975) was a French orientalist and diplomat known for his research of the Kurdish language.
Kurds in Norway are Kurds living in Norway. The number of Kurds is estimated between 7,100 and 25,000 and they come mainly from countries in the Middle East. Most Norwegian Kurds live in the capital Oslo. In 1993, population of Kurds in Norway was estimated as 2,000 by Kurdish Institute of Paris (KIP). Today, citing a report of the KIP, Rudaw estimates that between 25,000 and 30,000 Kurds reside in Norway.
Kurds in Belgium are Kurds living in Belgium. The number of Kurds is estimated between 7,100 and 25,000. Most Belgian Kurds live in the capital Brussels.
Kurds are the largest people in the world without their own ethnic state. There is approximately 27 million Kurds are spread all over the world today, the vast majority live in the Middle East, especially in Turkey. Large Kurdish communities can also found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, and Sweden. The majority of the Kurds in Syria immigrated from Turkey to the French Mandate the 20th century, to escape the harsh repression of the Kurds in that country.
Emine Kara, also known by the nom de guerre Evîn Goyî, was a Turkish Kurdish militant and political activist who served as president of the Mouvement des femmes kurdes en France.
