Mahmud Bayazidi
Encyclopedia
Mahmud Bayazidi was an Kurdish
polymath
from Bayazid in the Ottoman Empire
.
in Ağrı Province
, Turkey
) in 1797. He started his studies by reading the Koran, and then Arabic
, Persian
, Ottoman
and Kurdish
. He then moved to Tabriz
in north-western Iran
to continue his studies. After finishing his studies, he went back to his hometown and became a teacher. After the fall of Kurdish emirates in Bayazid, he moved to Erzurum
.
n consulate in Erzurum, for assistance in analyzing documents in the Kurdish language
. Jaba, in turn, employed Mahmud Bayazidi in the field of Kurdish language, history and Culture. With the assistance of Bayazidi, a number of Kurdish documents were sent to the Russian Academy of Sciences
in Saint Petersburg
, including some of Bayazidi's own writings. In 1858-1859, Bayazidi, edited the Kurdish
-Arabic-Persian
grammar
book by Ali Taramokhi (Kurdish writer of 15-16th century). He also wrote a book containing 3,000 phrases in Kurdish, which shed light on the life of Kurds in 19th century. This book was translated into French
by A.D. Jaba in 1880. Bayazidi, wrote another book called Habits and Customs of Kurds, which has been published in 1963 by the famous Russian Kurdologist Margarita B. Rudenko. From the correspondences of A.D. Jaba with Saint Petersburg
, it is evident that Bayazidi had written a book about the modern history of the Kurds, covering the period 1785-1858, although this book appears to have been lost, except for the French
translation of its preface. Bayazidi and Jaba also played an instrumental role in preserving old Kurdish literature by collecting more than 50 volumes of old hand written Kurdish classic texts and sending them to the Library of Saint Petersburg
. These texts which have been preserved until now, include the epics of well known classical poets such as Faqi Tayran
, Malaye Bate, Malaye Jaziri
and Mem û Zîn (Mam and Zin) by Ahmad Khani. This collection was finally published in 1961 by M.B. Rudenko, titled About the hand-written Kurdish texts in Leningrad.
During the period 1858-1859, Mahmud Bayazidi and A.D. Jaba, wrote the first Kurdish
-French
and French
-Kurdish
dictionary, published in 1879. During the same period, Mahmud Bayazidi, translated the Sharafnama (history of the Kurdish nation) from Persian
into Kurdish
. This is considered to be the first Kurdish
history book in modern times. Its hand-written version is preserved in the Russian National Library
. It was published for the first time in 1986.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
from Bayazid in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Early life
He was born in Bayazid (present-day DoğubeyazıtDogubeyazit
Doğubeyazıt is a city and district of Ağrı Province of Turkey, and is Turkey's most eastern district, the border crossing to Iran. Elevation 1625 m. Area 2.383 km². Population 115.354 of which 69.447 live in the town of Doğubeyazıt, the remainder in the surrounding countryside...
in Ağrı Province
Agri Province
The Ağrı Province is a province in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran to the east, Kars to the North, Erzurum to the Northwest, Muş and Bitlis to the Southwest, Van to the south, and Iğdır to the northeast. Area 11,376 km². Population 542,022 ....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) in 1797. He started his studies by reading the Koran, and then Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Ottoman
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
and Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. He then moved to Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
in north-western Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to continue his studies. After finishing his studies, he went back to his hometown and became a teacher. After the fall of Kurdish emirates in Bayazid, he moved to Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
.
Works
In 1856, the Russian academic A. Dorne, asked A.D. Jaba ,the newly appointed RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n consulate in Erzurum, for assistance in analyzing documents in the Kurdish language
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. Jaba, in turn, employed Mahmud Bayazidi in the field of Kurdish language, history and Culture. With the assistance of Bayazidi, a number of Kurdish documents were sent to the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, including some of Bayazidi's own writings. In 1858-1859, Bayazidi, edited the Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
-Arabic-Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
book by Ali Taramokhi (Kurdish writer of 15-16th century). He also wrote a book containing 3,000 phrases in Kurdish, which shed light on the life of Kurds in 19th century. This book was translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by A.D. Jaba in 1880. Bayazidi, wrote another book called Habits and Customs of Kurds, which has been published in 1963 by the famous Russian Kurdologist Margarita B. Rudenko. From the correspondences of A.D. Jaba with Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, it is evident that Bayazidi had written a book about the modern history of the Kurds, covering the period 1785-1858, although this book appears to have been lost, except for the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
translation of its preface. Bayazidi and Jaba also played an instrumental role in preserving old Kurdish literature by collecting more than 50 volumes of old hand written Kurdish classic texts and sending them to the Library of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. These texts which have been preserved until now, include the epics of well known classical poets such as Faqi Tayran
Faqi Tayran
Faqi Tayran is considered as one of the great classic Kurdish poets and writers. His real name was "Mir Mihemed". He was born in a village called "Miks" in the Hakkari region of the Ottoman Empire...
, Malaye Bate, Malaye Jaziri
Malaye Jaziri
Malaye Jaziri , was a Kurdish writer, poet and mystic.He was born in Jazira , the capital of Bohtan principality. Here the first school of classical Kurdish poetry in the Kurmanji dialect was established. Malaye Jaziri was the leading representative of this school and, one can add, a fine...
and Mem û Zîn (Mam and Zin) by Ahmad Khani. This collection was finally published in 1961 by M.B. Rudenko, titled About the hand-written Kurdish texts in Leningrad.
During the period 1858-1859, Mahmud Bayazidi and A.D. Jaba, wrote the first Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
-French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
dictionary, published in 1879. During the same period, Mahmud Bayazidi, translated the Sharafnama (history of the Kurdish nation) from Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
into Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. This is considered to be the first Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
history book in modern times. Its hand-written version is preserved in the Russian National Library
Russian National Library
The National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, known as the State Public Saltykov-Shchedrin Library from 1932 to 1992 , is the oldest public library in Russia...
. It was published for the first time in 1986.
Published books
- Bayazidi, Mahmud, Mem û Zîn (Mem and Zin), an abstract of Ahmad Khani's poem, Kurmanji version with French translation by Alexandre Jaba, introduced by Hakem, Helkewt, Debireh, no 5, Paris, 1989.
- Bayazidi, Mela Mahmud, 'Adat u rasumatname-ye Akradiye, ("Habits and customs of Kurds"), original manuscript (Kurmandjî in Ottoman characters), published by M. B. Rudenko, with an introduction and Russian translation : Nravy i Obycaj Kurdov, Moscow, 1963.
- Mela Mahmud Bayazidi, Tavarih-i kadim-i Kurdistan ; perevod Saraf-hana Bidlisi s persidskogo âzyka na kurdskij âzyk ; izdanie teksta, predislovie, ukazateli i oglavlenie K. K. Kurdoeva i Z. S. Musaélân Megjelenés: Moskva : NaukaNaukaNauka is a Russian publisher of academic books and journals. Established in the USSR in 1923, it was called USSR Academy of Sciences Publisher until 1963. Until 1934 the publisher was based in Leningrad, then moved to Moscow. Its logo depicts an open book with Sputnik 1 above it.Nauka was the main...
, 1986. (Kurdish translation of Sharafnama by Sharaf al-Din Khan Bidlisi)