Kurds
Most Kurds live in a mountainous region of the Iranian Plateau called Kurdistan, an area where Turkey meets Iran, Syria, and Iraq. Kurds also live in the Caucasus region. The total Kurdish population is estimated at 10 million. Although their language is Iranian, the Kurds' ethnic origins are uncertain. Most Kurds were converted to Islam in the 7th century; they are predominantly Sunnite Muslims. Throughout their long history they have never had a country to call their own.
The Kurds traditionally herded sheep and goats in the mountains they have occupied since prehistoric times. Today many Kurds still take their livestock to mountain pastures in summer and return to valley villages in winter. Most Kurds are settled farmers, however. While nomadic groups retain the traditional tribal organization under chiefs, some settled Kurds have become urbanized and assimilated into their respective nations.
The Kurds have repeatedly tried to become independent. They have fought the Sumerians, Assyrians, Persians, Mongols, European crusaders, and Turks. One of their great leaders was Saladin. Since World War I, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq have put down many major Kurdish uprisings. Kurds in northern Iraq revolted in 1961; in 1970 an agreement finally granted them several concessions, including autonomous local government. A Kurdish group led by Mustafa al-Barzani opposed the final implementation of the agreement in 1974, and fighting broke out again. Although the rebellion collapsed within a year, occasional hostilities continued. Following the 1979 revolution in Iran there was severe fighting between government forces and Kurds demanding political and cultural autonomy. A brutal resettlement program by Iraq's government in 1988 drove 1.5 million Kurds from their homes. The short Persian Gulf War of 1991 seemed to offer the Kurds hope; but though Iraq was defeated, its rulers remained in power. They put down a Kurdish revolt, forcing more than 1 million Kurds to flee northward into Turkey or eastward into Iran. The refugees in Turkey faced an uncertain future.
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