Ehmedê Xanî | |
|---|---|
 Abust of Ehmedê Xanî inKurdistan Region | |
| Born | 1650 (1650) Khani,Hakkari |
| Died | 1707 (aged 56–57) |
| Occupation | Intellectual, scholar, poet, writer |
| Period | 17th century |
| Notable works | Mem and Zin |
Ehmedê Xanî (alsoAhmad-e Khani,Kurdo-Arabic script:ئەحمەدێ خانی) was aKurdish intellectual, scholar,mystic andpoet who is viewed by some as the founder ofKurdish nationalism. He was born in theHakkâri region in 1650 and died inBayazid in 1707.[1]
Xanî's most important work isMem and Zin, a long romanticepic which is sometimes viewed as the Kurdishnational epic. It is the most famous work of Kurdish literature among both Kurds and non-Kurds. His other important works includeNûbihara Biçûkan, a versified Arabic-Kurdish vocabulary, andEqîdeya Îmanê, a religious poem. These works were studied in Kurdish schools from the time of Khani towards the 1930s.[1]
Xanî admired the Kurmanji poetsMelayê Cizîrî andFeqiyê Teyran.[2]Joyce Blau called him the spiritual son of Cizîrî, Teyran andAli Hariri.[3]
Xanî was born in the village of Khan in the region ofHakkari (in modern-day southeastern Turkey) in 1650. He received his education inreligious schools and went to study in different parts ofKurdistan.[1] He wrote his first poem at the age of fourteen and became a clerical secretary at the princely court ofBayazid at the age of twenty.[4] It is possible that he also visited Syria and Egypt. There are indications in his poetry that he lived for a long time in the city ofJazira (Cizre), which was the capital of the Kurdish principality ofBohtan.[1] He completed the romanticepicMem and Zin, his most famous work, at the age of 44.[4] He worked as a teacher in Bayazid in the last years of his life.[1] Most scholars concur that he died in Bayazid in 1707.[4]
Xanî is sometimes considered the founder ofKurdish nationalism[1] or viewed as a proto-nationalist. He expressed his negative opinion of Arabs, Persians, and Armenians in his poetry.[5] In the introductory chapters of his epic poemMem and Zin, he did not devote parts of the introduction to praising the rulers of his time, which was typical in classical Oriental literature. Instead, he wrote of the subjugation of the Kurds and the occupation ofKurdistan by theOttomans and theSafavids, as a result of which the Kurds lacked their own independent state with a Kurdish monarch. Such a ruler could liberate Kurds from the 'vile'.[1] He also believed that an independent Kurdistan could safeguard theKurdish language for scientific and intellectual purposes.[5] He wrote:
Ger dê hebûya me ittifaqek
Vêk ra bikira me inqiyadek
Rum û ʻEreb û ʻEcem temamî
Hemiyan ji me ra dikir xulamî
Tekmîl dikir me dîn û dewlet
Tehsîl dikir me ʻilm û hikmet
Temyîz dibûn ji hev meqalat
Mumtaz dibûn xwedankemalat
If we could form a union by agreement
And to that union we all submitted
It would force the Turks, Arabs and Persians all together
To show deference to us [alt. would become our servants][6]
Then we would perfect religion and State
We would be able to cultivate knowledge and wisdom
Then the hodgepodge would be sorted
Those with excellence would become distinguished[7]
According toFerhad Shakely, many later Kurdish poets, such asHaji Qadir Koyi (1824–1897), followed Xanî's example and lauded the struggle of the Kurds for liberty.[1] In the 20th century,Mem and Zin was hailed as the earliest expression of Kurdish nationalism. This interpretation has been criticized by Hakan Özoğlu, who argues that "it is highly unlikely that Ahmed-i Hani sought a nation-state for the Kurds." According to Özoğlu, Xanî may have only hadKurmanji speakers in mind when writing.[8] Martin van Bruinessen states that it is incorrect to call Xanî a nationalist, although his works "have played an important part in crucial phases of the Kurdish national movement."[9] He writes, "Kurd in [Xanî's] period appears to refer only to the Kurdish tribes and a part of the urban aristocratic elite, but not to the non-tribal peasantry." In van Bruinessen's view, if Xanî conceived of a state when wishing for a Kurdish king, it was not of a Kurdish nation-state but a multi-ethnic state where Kurds would conquer their neighbors.[10] Leonard Michael Koff argues that Xanî wrote of Kurdish moral and cultural independence but understood the impossibility of political independence.[4]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) New edition: Brussels, Koerdisch Instituut, 1993.
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