Bajalan
Encyclopedia
The Bajalan people also called Bazhalan, Bajarwan and Bajlan are a Kurdish tribe in Iraqi Kurdistan. However, they also have sub-groups in Turkey
, Iran
and Armenia
.
Bajalan. The Bajalans arrived in the city of Mosul
in 1630 AD numbering some 4000. The Bajalans were split into two main groups the urbane Bajalans who held military and administrative posts remained in Mosul while the more tribal elements by imperial decree of Ottoman Sultan Murad IV
were given hereditary land holdings in Zohab near Khanaqin, Zohab was the site of The 17 May 1739 Treaty of Zohab between Sultan Murad IV
of Turkey and Shah Safi of Persia. This move by the Sultan displaced the Kalhur tribe. The Bajalans have eight branches and under Ottoman rule they were lightly taxed partly because 'they furnished a body of 1200 horsemen to the crown'. One of the main branches of the Bajalan is identified by George Nathaniel Curzon as the Sagwands. The Bajalan pass was noted by foreign travelers for their monasteries, bridges, medieval castles and aqueducts. James Silk Buckingham
names Zohab as the seat of the Bajalan Pashas. David McDowall describes the Bajalans as formidable fighters and George Bournoutian states that their sheer looks brang on terror to the enemy in their chain mail
.
The Erzurum commission of 1843-8 of which Uthman Bajalan Pasha was a member decided that the Bajalan would remain Ottoman citizens and that they would move their headquarters to Khanaqin from Zohab.
Mehrdad Izady states that the Bajalan speak a Gornai dialect. However, the Bajalani dialect has been replaced amongst many Bajalans by the use of Sorani Kurdish.
There is also a huge group of "Bajalan" people in Armenia. Many of them moved to 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...
, 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...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
History
The name Bajalan means home of the falcons and is the name of the founder of the tribe and family Abdal BeyBey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
Bajalan. The Bajalans arrived in the city of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
in 1630 AD numbering some 4000. The Bajalans were split into two main groups the urbane Bajalans who held military and administrative posts remained in Mosul while the more tribal elements by imperial decree of Ottoman Sultan Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
were given hereditary land holdings in Zohab near Khanaqin, Zohab was the site of The 17 May 1739 Treaty of Zohab between Sultan Murad IV
Murad IV
Murad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
of Turkey and Shah Safi of Persia. This move by the Sultan displaced the Kalhur tribe. The Bajalans have eight branches and under Ottoman rule they were lightly taxed partly because 'they furnished a body of 1200 horsemen to the crown'. One of the main branches of the Bajalan is identified by George Nathaniel Curzon as the Sagwands. The Bajalan pass was noted by foreign travelers for their monasteries, bridges, medieval castles and aqueducts. James Silk Buckingham
James Silk Buckingham
James Silk Buckingham was an English author, journalist and traveller.He was born at Flushing near Falmouth, the son of a farmer, and had a limited education. His youth was spent at sea, and in 1797 he was captured by the French and held as a prisoner of war at Corunna...
names Zohab as the seat of the Bajalan Pashas. David McDowall describes the Bajalans as formidable fighters and George Bournoutian states that their sheer looks brang on terror to the enemy in their chain mail
Chain Mail
"Chain Mail" is a single by Mancunian band James, released in March 1986 by Sire Records, the first after the band defected from Factory Records. The record was released in two different versions, as 7" single and 12" EP, with different artworks by John Carroll and, confusingly, under different...
.
The Erzurum commission of 1843-8 of which Uthman Bajalan Pasha was a member decided that the Bajalan would remain Ottoman citizens and that they would move their headquarters to Khanaqin from Zohab.
Notable Bajalans
- Mustafa Pasha, Son of Uthman Pasha entered the Ottoman civil service and took up the post of kaymakam (prefect) of Al 'Aziziyah and then Badrah. Mustafa was the head of the Bajalan at turn of the 20th century and was described by civil administration of Mesopotamia as one of the most important political factors in the region, Major E. B. Soane describes him a man with a harsh and determined character, he also notes that Mustafa is a KurdKürdKürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
to the backbone and is of pure decent. It is also documented that Mustafa Pasha Bajlan had always been an anti-Turk and has at various times been in rebellion. Major E. B. Soane comments that 'Mustafa has a great reputation for dashing bravery in tribal fighting' and that he would be 'an energetic and enthusiastic instrument in any scheme for the autonomy of Kurdistan'. The OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Government and Mustafa had been in constant friction with each other and as a result he had spent many years in exile in ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
before the Second Constitutional Period. His contact and relationships with British officials alarmed the Turks and Arabs to the extent that he was called to BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and placed under house arrest in 1912.. He married Asma Khanum the daughter of the last BabanBabanBaban were a Kurdish principality and ruling family originating from Darishmana in the region of Pijder. The founder of the dynasty and its first ruler was Fakih Ahmed a descendent of the ancient house of Soran. He also had a brother named Khidder Ahmed who lived with him...
prince Ahmed Pasha. - Ahmad Pasha Bajalan, a commander of the Ottoman army who moved against and fought Nadir Shah of Persia in Pataq and Zohab January 1733, who in return expelled a part of his tribe to Khurramabad..
- Rashid Bajalan, founder member of the first Kurdish political party in Iraq Hiwa. And later appointed member of the central committee of the KDP on August 16, 1946 in Baghdad..
Mehrdad Izady states that the Bajalan speak a Gornai dialect. However, the Bajalani dialect has been replaced amongst many Bajalans by the use of Sorani Kurdish.
There is also a huge group of "Bajalan" people in Armenia. Many of them moved to Turkey.