KURDISTAN: lost city of Qabra in the heart of Hewlêr

[Anthea]

CIVILIZATION OF KURDISTAN
Kurdeki Neteweyi



The Sasanids stolen Kurdish heritage

Before proceeding, certain terminological distinctions should be made clear:
The term “Pahlawani” represents an endonym historically used by Kurdish-speaking populations, while “Pahlavi” functions as an exonym primarily associated with Persian historiography.

In this discussion, the exonym “Pahlavi” will be used for clarity, since it remains the more widely recognized term in scholarly and international discourse. However, it is important to acknowledge that the conventional understanding of “Pahlavi” derives from Persian reinterpretations of what originally have been Kurdish linguistic and cultural tradition associated with the Sasanian era.

The Sasanian Language and Historical Sources:

It is broadly accepted among historians and linguists that the Sasanian dynasty used a language referred to as Pahlavi. This language appears in several historical inscriptions and literary works from the period, including Kār-nāmag ī Ardašīr ī Pābakān. The 8th-century scholar Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ (born Ruzbeh), who translated many Sasanian texts into Arabic, explicitly distinguished Pahlavi from Parsi (Middle Persian), identifying them as two separate languages. Although Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ was ethnically Persian and his native tongue was Parsi - he was very skilled, some claim fluent, in Pahlavi (see source) which he used in his translations, such as the now-lost Xwadāy-nāmag.

According to Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ’s own statements, the Pahlavi language was primarily spoken in northwestern Iran—a region historically and demographically associated with Kurdish populations rather than Persian ones. This geographic observation suggests that Pahlavi not only belonged to the northwestern branch of the Iranian language family by linguistics, but also belonged to kurdish inhabited areas geographically. Distinct from the southwestern branch, to which Persian language belongs.

Linguistic Classification and Historical Reinterpretation:

Prior to the 19th century, linguistic scholarship often classified Pahlavi as a dialect of Parthian, a clearly northwestern Iranian language—the same branch to which modern Kurdish belongs. This implies that the Sasanian linguistic tradition was rooted in the northwestern (kurdish) rather than southwestern (persian) Iranian group.

However, during the early 19th century, particularly following the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911) and the rise of nationalist historiography, Persian intellectuals and their Western counterparts increasingly sought to reinterpret Iran’s ancient past as ethnically and linguistically Persian. This ideological shift entailed redefining Pahlavi as “Middle Persian,” effectively rebranding the Sasanian cultural and linguistic kurdish heritage as Persian rather than Kurdish or Parthian in origin.

Comparative Linguistic Evidence:

A comparison of key lexical items across Sasanian Pahlavi, modern Kurdish (Pahlawani/Pehlewani), and modern Persian reveals notable phonological and lexical continuities between Pahlavi and modern Pehlawani, while having significant divergence from persian. For example:

Sasanids Pahlavi:
Good night > Shaw xwaš
God > Xwãda
Language > uzwan
Land of Aryans > Ērān
Good evening > Ewarag xwaš
Good > Xwaš
Modern kurdish Pahlawani:
Good Night > Shaw xwaš
God > Xwãda
Language > zwan
Land of Aryans > Ērān
Good evening > Ewara Xwaš
Good > Xwaš
Meanwhile persian:
Good Night > Shab bakhir
God > Xûda
Language > Zaban
Land of Aryans > Iran
Good evening > Asr bakhir
Good > Khoob

These parallels suggest a strong structural and lexical relationship between the Sasanian and Kurdish linguistic traditions, supporting that the Sasanian “Pahlavi” actually was rooted in northwestern Iranian languages, such as Kurdish, than to the southwestern Persian language.

Historical Consequences of Reinterpretation:

Following the consolidation of Persian national identity in the 19th century, many aspects of Iran’s pre-Islamic history— including the Sasanian Empire’s language, culture, and territorial designations—were subsumed under a unified “Persian” framework. Even the term Ērānšahr (“Land of the Aryans”), historically pronounced Ērān in Sasanian and Kurdish usage, came to be Irān according to the Persian phonological system - which differs from Pahlavi/Kurdish.

Summary:

In summary, linguistic, historical, and geographic evidence collectively indicate that the Sasanian Pahlavi language shared fundamental affinities with northwestern Iranian languages, notably Kurdish, rather than with southwestern Persian. If the Persian language indeed derived some aspects of its lexicon or structure from the northwestern language such as Pahlawi/Pahlawani, this would imply a process of linguistic assimilation and reinterpretation rather than direct continuity. Consequently, modern Persian is seen as a distinct southwestern Iranian language that has incorporated substantial lexical and structural elements from both Arabic (50%) and northwestern sources such as kurdish pehlewani.

Therefore the term ”middle-persian” applied on the kurdish Pahlavi / Pahlaw / Pahlawani language is a blatant historical falsefication regarding the Sasanids Pahlavi language which was a northwestern language and not an ancestral persian language.

According to Ibn Muqaffa, the only language that could be classified as ”middle-persian” is the language called Parsi. One language can’t be derived from two different languages and therefore both Pahlavi and Parsi, who where 2 different languages, can not be classified as ”middle-persian”.

”Were the Sasanids persians?”

No. Due to authentic evidence the Sasanids spoke a different language from modern persian and the only language that linguistically can be regarded as the continuiation of the Sasanids Pahlavi language/dialect is the modern kurdish dialect of Pahlawani. The statement from Ibn Muqaffa in the 8th century regarding the geographic location of the Pahlavi speakers further strenghtens that kurdish Pahlawani dialect is the only continuiation of the Pahlawi/Pahlawani language.

Therefore, Sasanids language should not be regarded as the ancestor of persian language since the ancestor of persian language is Parsi. Not Pahlavi.

Further, the Sasanid themselves shouldn’t be regarded as persians since the sasanid language/dialect was a northwestern dialect - just as modern kurdish is.

Pahlaw / Pahlawi / Pahlawani:

To understand the Southern Kurdish dialect of Pahlawani is to understand Kurdish history – beyond the political falsefications created by persians.

Selected References:

* Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Pahlavi Language” (E. Yarshater)
* D. N. MacKenzie, Kurdish Dialect Studies I–II (1961–62)
* V. Minorsky, Kurdish Dialects and Literature (1943)
* G. L. Windfuhr, The Iranian Languages (2009)
* O. Mann, Kurdische Studien (1906)
* Kār-nāmag ī Ardašīr ī Pābagān (Sasanian period text)
* Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ (Ruzbeh): biographical entries, IRCO & Encyclopaedia Iranica
* Ethnic Groups in Iran (University of Cologne; CIA Demographic Map)

[Anthea]

Qabra
The lost city in the heart of Hewlêr is revealed!

An archaeological breakthrough that changes the understanding of the history of Mesopotamia

Just 22 kilometers southwest of Hewlêr in southern Kurdistan, archaeologists have made one of the most significant discoveries of modern times - Kurdish Qaburstan, an ancient city believed to be the legendary Qabra, thriving around 1800 f. Kr.

The project, led by Dr. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni at the University of Central Florida, is changing our understanding of the Middle Bronze Age in northern Mesopotamia. For a long time, the story of the "cradle of civilization" has focused on southern Mesopotamia - Ur, Uruk and Babylon - while the North has remained silent. But Kurdish Qaburstan changes all this.

“This is the jewel of the Hewlêr plain,” Earley-Spadoni says. “We reveal a city that flourished 4,000 years ago - the ancient city state of Qabra, famous from powerful royal inscriptions. ”
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A rediscovered center of civilization

Kurdish Qaburstan covers more than 100 hectares and is therefore one of the largest archaeological sites in the entire region. Using modern geophysical technology, such as magnetometry, the scientists have already mapped about 80% of the city - with clear traces of palaces, residential neighborhoods, streets, drainage systems, and monumental buildings.

Two large palaces have been found - one on the upper height and one on the lower - both about one hectare big. In the ruins of the lower palace, over 16 human skeletons were discovered, trapped beneath the racial masses - likely victims of a violent siege.

The historical inscriptions the Stele of Dadusha and the Stele of Shamshi-Adad describe this very event: how a coalition of kings stormed and destroyed Qabra. Now archaeology confirms these 4,000 year old stories.
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A society of order, prosperity and planning

Excavations in residential areas show that Qabra was not a society of deep gorges - rather a well-organized and stable urban community. Most households had similar food, vessels, and assets to the inhabitants of the palace. The streets were paved, the sewers worked, and the city planning suggests cooperation and local self-government.

“We are seeing no signs of extreme poverty,” Earley-Spadoni says. "This was a prosperous city built on cooperation and joint responsibility. ”
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Temples, faith and the secrets of language

In a newly discovered temple, researchers found remains of sacrificial lambs, ritual trays, and large storage vessels, which testify to an active religious life - but it is still unclear which deity was worshiped.

In addition, an archive of wicker-lettering boards, the largest and oldest ever found on the Hewlêr plain was found. They contain administrative documents, receipts and grain registers - "4,000-year-old bureaucratic papers," as the researchers describe them.

By using the names and languages on these paintings, the researchers hope to determine whether the people of the city were Amorites, Hurrites or other people of ancient Kurdistan, which can provide new knowledge about cultural identity and social structure.
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From city states to empires

The fall of Qabra marks the end of an era of independent city states and the beginning of the era of the first empires. It is the story of the transition from local freedom to central power - a historical mirror that still reflects today's Middle East.

The project is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and began in 2013 under the leadership of Dr. Glenn Schwartz (Johns Hopkins University). Since 2022, led by Dr. Earley-Spadoni, whose research has made Kurdish Qaburstan a key to understanding humanity’s early urban history.

“This is not just an excavation,” she says. “It is a window into the beginning of humanity - where our cities, our faith and our communities took their first shape. ”

[Anthea]

Must Be Muslims



The sheep and the stone

Walking in circles without understanding why!

Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words.

A herd of sheep stand gathered in perfect circles around a lonely stone on a destined plain.

Fake - but at the same time, uncomfortable.

The picture reminds us of how easily we people, just like sheep, move in patterns we do not understand, around symbols we do not question.

I have seen a lot in life - the borders between countries, cultures, languages and ideologies.

I have seen politicians of all kinds: left, right, religious and secular. Everyone with their resolutions of a better life. But with time you learn to see through the acting. Behind every new promise is the same old structure - power, capital and control.

I've seen civil battles between brothers, parties that claim to be fighting for freedom but who in practice just switch places in the same game. I have seen how people are forced to flee, how they learn to survive, but also how many of them transform into the very system they once fled from.

I don't get surprised anymore. The mass movement no longer fascinates me, because I have seen it in every country - in London, Berlin, Hewler, Saqeez, Diarbekr, Qhamishlu and Slemani. Man seeks safety in community, but too often he loses his independence in the process.

The economic situation we see in the world today is nothing new. History is repeating itself. When economies crash, the powerful always solve it in the same way: through war, colonialism and exploitation. And as billionaires amass wealth that exceeds the budgets of entire nations, the poor continue to struggle for survival—and hope for the next savior.

But no savior is coming. No politician can save a man who no longer thinks for himself. If the oppressed are to rise up, they must first stop allowing themselves to be divided - between religions, dialects, parties and regions. As long as we fight each other, the power does not have to fight us.

The sheep are still walking in circles.

The question is just - do we dare to leave the stone in the middle and go our own way?

Do Kurds have the strength to break away from the oppressive and destructive grips of Islam