eh? - kurdistan

[Vulkan]

Where the hell is kurdistan?

[Pinko]

Officially, Kurdistan is nowhere. In reality it is a small bit of northern Iraq, most of eastern Turkey, a tiny sliver of Syria and a bit lump of western Iran.

This is a map. (http://www.akakurdistan.com/kurds/stories/index.html)

My history of the area is weak, but I think it was one of the countries that lost out when the Ottaman Empire was carved up.

[hawarameen]

kurdistan as a state and kurdish people date back to before the ottomans, neither iraq,iran,syria or turkey existed when the kurds (then a nomadic tribe) settled in the regions we know today as iraq, iran, turkey and syria they have been living in the area for thousands of years and is home to one of the oldest remaining cities in the world, namely hewler (the arabic name of arbil may be more recognisable to outsiders) situated in southern kurdistan (north iraq).

when the ottoman empire was carved up the kurdish people were not deemed to be 'nationalist' enough, ie there was not enough kurdish nationalism. kurdistan would have been formed had it not been for the turkish leader at the time (kemal attaturk) who forced the west to abandon the idea of a kurdish state.

so technically kurdistan does exist and has existed before iraq was even conceved (my passport states my place of birth as sulaimani, kurdistan).

the name may not be recognisable, but saladin was kurdish and led the middle east to victory against richard the lionheart in the crusades and the kurdish army played a major part in the domination of the ottoman empire and indeed its defeat.

kurds are also the largest group of people in the world without a nation.

[munkey soup]

Technically they are a nation but not a State.

[Vulkan]

thanks for that guys, i appreciate it