The Kurds in 19th century British travel books

The 19th century witnessed major changes in the geographies where Kurds live, as in the rest of the world. In this period when the colonial activities were at the highest level, Kurdistan, which was on the roads to India, the colony of Great Britain, was visited by many soldiers, geologists, agents, diplomats or missionary travelers because of this feature. Some of the travelers who visited Kurdistan later published their notes containing important information about Kurds and Kurdistan as a travel book. These works contain extensive information about the life practices of both the ruler and ordinary Kurds, as they are written among the Kurds and based on primary observations. Rather than the rulers or the dynastic families, the extensive information they contain about the subject Kurds, allows the travel books to be used in historical, sociological and anthropological studies. With this perspective, our study tried to analyze the religious, economic, social and administrative structure of the Kurds, which were less emphasized in other sources, and to reveal the daily life practices of the Kurds in general, via the information obtained from the travel books written by the British travelers containing information about the Kurds. In our study, it is emphasized on the changes in the administrative structure of Kurdistan in the 19th century and their reflections to the public. Moreover it is emphasized on topics such as who Kurds are, how they look like, how they dress, how they fight, where and how they live, what they eat and drink, what beliefs they have, what they respect, what commercial activities they are interested in, what they like, what they complain about, their marriages, mourning, daytime entertainments, rituals, what they are interested in in general, and how they are perceived by others. Sedsala 19em hem li dinyayê hem jî li jîngehên Kurdan bûye şahidê guherînên mezin. Fealiyetên mêtingeriyê di vê serdemê de gihîştibûn asta xwe ya herî bilind. Ji ber ku Kurdîstan li ser rêya Hindistanê bû û Hindistan jî mêtingeha Brîtanyayê bû, gelek leşker, jeolog, sîxur, dîplomat an seyyahên misyoner berê xwe dabûne Kurdistanê. Hin seyyahên ku hatibûne Kurdistanê, piştî vegera xwe seyahatname weşandine ku ev seyahatname derbarê Kurdan û Kurdistanê de gelek agahiyên girîng dihewînin. Ji ber ku seyyah, di nav civata Kurdan de mane, berhemên wan çavdêriyên wan ên rasterast in û derbarê Kurdên rêveber û Kurdên jirêzê de xwedî agahîyên berfireh in. Seyahatname ji malbatên xanedanan wêdetir, behsa Kurdên reaya dikin, ji ber vê taybetiya wan, mirov dikare wan di xebatên dîrokî, sosyolojîk û antropolojîk de bi kar bîne. Vê xebatê bi vê perspektîfê hewl daye ku bi rêya xwendina seyahatnameyên ku di sedsala 19em de ji aliyê seyyahên Îngîlîz ve hatine nivîsîn, agahiyan bi dest bixe û binyada dînî aborî, civakî û îdarî ya Kurdan dahûrîne û bi giştî pratîkên rojane yên Kurdan bipeyitîne. Ev xebat li ser guherîna binyada îdarî ya Kurdistanê û bandora wê ya li ser kurdan jî disekine. Ji bilî vê jî, van mijaran vedikole: Kurd kî ne, çawa dixuyên, cil û bergên çawa li xwe dikin, çawa şer dikin, li ku û çawa dijîn, çi dixwin û vedixwin, şîn û şahiyên wan çawa ne, nava rojê çi dikin, rîtuelên wan çi ne, xwedî kîjan baweriyan in, rêz li çi digirin, çawa debara xwe dikin, bi kîjan karan mijûl in, kêfa wan ji çi re tê, ji çi gilî dikin û biyanî wan çawa dibînin.