Sheikh Said rebellion
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Said Rebellion was a rebellion of a Kurdish
clergy Sheikh Said
and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers (Azadî group) in 1925.
, a Kurdish
tribal
militia
established under the Ottoman Empire
to deal with the Armenians
and sometimes even to keep the Kizilbash
under control. According to British
intelligence reports, the Azadî officers had eleven grievances. Apart from inevitable Kurdish cultural demands and complaints of Turkish maltreatment, this list also detailed fears of imminent mass deportations of Kurds. They also registered annoyance that the name Kurdistan did not appear on maps, at restrictions on the Kurdish language
and on Kurdish education and objections to alleged Turkish economic exploitation of Kurdish areas, at the expense of Kurds.
It was Sheikh Said, reportedly, who convinced Hamidiye commanders to support a fight for Kurdish independence
. According to Olson, the Kurdish officers expressed their objectives in November 1924 as being: to deliver the Kurds from Turkish oppression; to give Kurds freedom and opportunity to develop their country.
British assistance was sought realizing that Kurdistan could not stand alone. No help was provided.
was prepared to use military force regarding Mosul, but he believed that the Mosul problem could be solved diplomatically. The Treaty of Lausanne
did not solve the problem of Mosul
province, and left it to the League of Nations
. In September 1925, a council at the League of Nations decided to advise leaving the Mosul
to the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. Turkey decided to resist this advice and prevent a final decision (awarding it to Britain). The border between Turkish forces (Turkey) and British forces (British Mandate of Mesopotamia) was based on the Brussels line and, beginning in November 1924, the escalating rebellion was a threat to prove that the Brussels line is not the correct line, which left the Kurds divided.
. However the Xormak and Herkî, two Zaza-Qizilbash tribes were the most active and effective opponents of this rebellion. The participation from Kurds (Kurmanchs) was almost non-existent except a handful of Hamidiye leaders. Mindful of the depredations of the Hamidiye against them (especially the Hamidiye commanded by Xalid Beg Cîbran), other Alevi tribes also refused to join the rebellion.
The main part of the uprising was over by the end of March, as the Turkish authorities crushed the rebellion with continual aerial bombardments and a massive concentration of forces. The president of the military tribunal which sentenced the rebels declared, on 28 June 1925:
More than 50,000 Turkish troops were mobilized against the rebellion. The military strength of the Kurds was 15,000.
During this rebellion, the Turkish government used its airplanes for bombing raids in Palu-Bingol area. In the course of this operation, the airfield near Harput road was used.
to Turkey.
In Fall of 1927 Sheikh Abdurrahman (brother of Sheikh Said) began a series of attacks on Turkish garrisons in Palu
and Malatya
. The brother of Sheikh Said tried to exact revenge on the Turkish government by attacking army bases in a Kurdish region. Nothing permanent was accomplished in those military operations.
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:*The Kurdish people*The Kurdish language*The Kurdish alphabet*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:*Iranian Kurdistan*Iraqi Kurdistan*Turkish Kurdistan*Syrian Kurdistan*History of the Kurdish people...
clergy Sheikh Said
Sheikh Said
Sheikh Said, also spelled Shaikh and/or Sa'id, Sa'īd, Saïd, Saeed may refer to:-People:*Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan*Sa'id ibn Zayd, companion of Muhammad...
and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers (Azadî group) in 1925.
Background
The Azadî was dominated by officers from the former HamidiyeHamidiye
Hamidiye may refer to:* Hamidiye , Kurdish cavalry of the Ottoman era, established 1890* Ottoman cruiser Hamidiye, a warship of the Balkan wars and World War I...
, a Kurdish
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...
tribal
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
established under 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...
to deal with the Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and sometimes even to keep the Kizilbash
Kizilbash
Qizilbash or Kizilbash is the label given to a wide variety of Shī‘ī Islamic militant groups that flourished in Anatolia and Kurdistan from the late 13th century onwards, some of which contributed to the foundation of the Safavid dynasty of...
under control. According to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
intelligence reports, the Azadî officers had eleven grievances. Apart from inevitable Kurdish cultural demands and complaints of Turkish maltreatment, this list also detailed fears of imminent mass deportations of Kurds. They also registered annoyance that the name Kurdistan did not appear on maps, at restrictions on 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....
and on Kurdish education and objections to alleged Turkish economic exploitation of Kurdish areas, at the expense of Kurds.
It was Sheikh Said, reportedly, who convinced Hamidiye commanders to support a fight for Kurdish independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
. According to Olson, the Kurdish officers expressed their objectives in November 1924 as being: to deliver the Kurds from Turkish oppression; to give Kurds freedom and opportunity to develop their country.
British assistance was sought realizing that Kurdistan could not stand alone. No help was provided.
Mosul
As a last resort, Mustafa KemalMustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
was prepared to use military force regarding Mosul, but he believed that the Mosul problem could be solved diplomatically. The Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
did not solve the problem of Mosul
Mosul Province, Ottoman Empire
The Vilayet of Mosul was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was created from the northern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad in 1878.At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of , while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 gave the population as 300,280...
province, and left it to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. In September 1925, a council at the League of Nations decided to advise leaving the Mosul
Mosul Province, Ottoman Empire
The Vilayet of Mosul was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was created from the northern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad in 1878.At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of , while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 gave the population as 300,280...
to the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. Turkey decided to resist this advice and prevent a final decision (awarding it to Britain). The border between Turkish forces (Turkey) and British forces (British Mandate of Mesopotamia) was based on the Brussels line and, beginning in November 1924, the escalating rebellion was a threat to prove that the Brussels line is not the correct line, which left the Kurds divided.
Events
Sheikh Said appealed to all the Kurdish tribes to join in the rebellion being planned. The tribes which actually participated were mostly ZazasZaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan , Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus,...
. However the Xormak and Herkî, two Zaza-Qizilbash tribes were the most active and effective opponents of this rebellion. The participation from Kurds (Kurmanchs) was almost non-existent except a handful of Hamidiye leaders. Mindful of the depredations of the Hamidiye against them (especially the Hamidiye commanded by Xalid Beg Cîbran), other Alevi tribes also refused to join the rebellion.
The main part of the uprising was over by the end of March, as the Turkish authorities crushed the rebellion with continual aerial bombardments and a massive concentration of forces. The president of the military tribunal which sentenced the rebels declared, on 28 June 1925:
More than 50,000 Turkish troops were mobilized against the rebellion. The military strength of the Kurds was 15,000.
During this rebellion, the Turkish government used its airplanes for bombing raids in Palu-Bingol area. In the course of this operation, the airfield near Harput road was used.
Result
Sheikh Said was captured around 1925 and executed by a method of hanging as a result. The rebellion diminished the negotiating power of Turkey and the Ottoman province of Musul was assigned to British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The final conclusion of the rebellion from existent powers were the British have the control of Mosul and Turkey were the chance of uniting Mosul Province, Ottoman EmpireMosul Province, Ottoman Empire
The Vilayet of Mosul was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was created from the northern sanjaks of the Vilayet of Baghdad in 1878.At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of , while the preliminary results of the first Ottoman census of 1885 gave the population as 300,280...
to Turkey.
In Fall of 1927 Sheikh Abdurrahman (brother of Sheikh Said) began a series of attacks on Turkish garrisons in Palu
Palu
Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at . It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain...
and Malatya
Malatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
. The brother of Sheikh Said tried to exact revenge on the Turkish government by attacking army bases in a Kurdish region. Nothing permanent was accomplished in those military operations.