Author: Cewlik » Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:36 pm
Sheikh Mahmud BarzanjiSheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Sheikh Mahmud Hafid was born 1881 and died October 9, 1956. He was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in south Kurdistan.
Sheikh was a true and loyal Kurd. He is still remembered today with displays of him around south Kurdistan and especially Sulaimaniah.
He was a brave leader against the British Mandate in Iraq and fought for the independence and respect of Kurdistan. He was the first leader to emerge in the 20th century in Kurdistan and was the pioneer to many future Kurd leaders. He is a hero to the Kurd people to this day.
Sheikh Mahmud led the first Kurdish revolt in British controlled Southern Kurdistan in May 1919. Shortly before being appointed governor of Sulaimaniyah, he ordered the arrest of all British political and military officials in the region.
As the British became aware of the sheikh's growing political and military power, they were forced to respond militarily. Two British brigades were deployed to defeat Sheikh Mahmoud's fighters at Darbandi Bazyan near Sulaimaniyah in June 1919. Sheikh Mahmoud was eventually arrested and exiled to India in 1921.
Mahmoud's fighters continued to oppose British rule after his arrest. The success of the Kurdish fighters' anti-British revolts forced the British to recognize Kurdish autonomy in 1923.
Returning to the region in 1922, Sheikh Mahmoud continued to promote raids against British forces, and declared himself as the King of Kurdistan. On September 14, 1922, the British recognized Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji as the first King of Kurdistan under the British mandate. The Kingdom of Kurdistan lasted from 1922 to 1924.
After the British government signed Iraq over to King Faisal I and a new Arab-led government, Sheikh Mahmoud retreated into the mountains, and later signed a peace accord with the Iraqi government and settled in the new Iraq in 1932.
Sheikh sued for peace and was exiled in southern Iraq in May 1932 and was able to return to his family village in 1941 where he remained the rest of his years. He ultimately died in 1956 with his family.






Soldiers of the Kingdom of Kurdistan


