Diplomacy gone to seed: a history of Byzantine foreign relations, A.D. 1047-57 Paul A. Blaum The reign of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus (1042-55) was a watershed in the history of the Middle East. For the Christian nations of the “Orient,” particularly Armenia, his reign proved a disastrous turning point, since it was in […]
Category: International Journal of Kurdish Studies
The International Journal of Kurdish Studies: a cumulative index, 1986-2002 Lokman I. Meho Published by the Kurdish Library since 1986, initially under the title Kurdish Times (through Volume 4), The International Journal of Kurdish Studies (ISSN 1073-6697), publishes research, analysis, and commentary on Kurdish history, culture, and contemporary affairs. The journal, a semi-annual refereed periodical, […]
The tale of Suto and Tato: Kurdish text with translation and notes B. Nikitine From the Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, London Institution, Vol. III, 1923-25. Reprinted with permission. “The story of Suto and Tato is in no way fiction, it is a lively reality, and anyone even slightly acquainted with these far-distant […]
The Naqshbandi Shaikhs of Hawraman and the heritage of Khalidiyya-Mujaddidiyya in Kurdistan Farhad Shakely The history of the Naqshbandi order has to a great extent been recorded and studied by Western scholars as well as by the leaders of the order and their followers. Studies in this context are not, understandably, in proportion to the […]
The Yezidi Kurds’ tribes & clans of south Caucasus Kereme Anqosi From the Author Yezidi Kurds have been in the southern Caucasus under Russia for some 150 years now. The majority fled Ottoman oppression and discrimination in 1916-1918 to settle in Armenia and Georgia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, they have been leaving […]
A tangled web they weave: the mystery of Kurdish roots Vera Beaudin Saeedpour Kurds often complain that their ancestors, particularly the illustrious ones, are at best misidentified, at worst misappropriated. And therefore credit does not accrue where credit is due. Take for example, Karim Khan Zand (or Zend), a notable to whom more than a […]
Were the Assyrians at Ecbatana? I.N. Medvedskaya The historical geography of Media of the 9th-7th century B.C. presents one of the most complicated problems in the history of the Ancient Near East. The toponyms of Media testified by Assyrian sources do not coincide with the later Median toponyms of the Achaemenid period known to Ancient […]
Black-white man, white-red woman: gender representations in Kurdish urban society Andrea Fischer-Tahir The paper examines cultural representations of gender in Iraqi Kurdistan in the context of colors as social symbols of “masculinity” and “femininity”. Exploring the colors white, red and black as examples, the paper argues that the exchange of representations mirrors relations of power […]
Zhila Husseini Born in Saqgiz, Iranian Kurdistan, in 1964, she published only one poetry collection titled “The growth of love,” in 1985. She died in a car accident on September 26, 1996. Another collection of poems, short stories and other writings was published posthumously in 1998 under the title, “The castle of secrets.” DEATH OF […]
The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq Robert Kennedy George Packer, The Assassins’ Gate. America In Iraq. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2005. 467 pp. Any attempt at a comprehensive account of the Iraq War risks rapid obsolescence, particularly if the author draws upon fresh history to tender confident predictions that do not come to […]