Kurdish people

The Kurdish people are a population of Indo-Iranian origin inhabiting a mountainous area of Southwest Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Turkey, and Iran as well as smaller sections of Syria, Armenia and Lebanon. Kurds speak Kurdish, an Indo-Iranian language. They are, together with the people of Western and northwestern Iran, widely thought to be descended from the Medes. The ancient Greek historian Xenophon referred to the Kurds in the Anabasis as "Khardukhi" a fierce and protective mountain dwelling people who attacked his armies in 400 BC. Although many Kurds live in modern-day Middle-Eastern countries, it is worthy to note that they differ in ethnicity from Arabs, Assyrians, and Armenians.

Related Topics:
Indo-Iranian - Southwest Asia - Iraq - Turkey - Iran - Syria - Armenia - Lebanon - Kurdish - Medes - Xenophon - Middle-Eastern - Arabs - Assyrians - Armenians

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Ranging anywhere from 25 to 27 million people, the Kurds comprise one of the largest ethnic groups without a separate state in the world. For over a century, many Kurds have campaigned and fought for the right to self-determination in an autonomous homeland known as "Kurdistan". The governments of those countries with sizable Kurdish populations are actively opposed to the possibility of a Kurdish state, believing such a development would require them to give up parts of their own national territories.

Related Topics:
Self-determination - Kurdistan

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