TWO YEARS IN
KURDISTAN

1918-1920

By W. R. HAY

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EXPERIENCE OF A POLITICAL OFFICER
1918-1920

By:
W. R. HAY

 


Captain attached 24th Punjabis,
Political Dept., Government of India

LONDON: First Edition 1921

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essential Reference

on BRITISH ADMINISTRATION of

KURDISTAN 1918-1920

Fascinating Photograph Illustrations
from
IRAQI KURDISTAN
more than 85 Years Ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sir William Rupert Hay (1893 -1962)

Knight, Lieutenant Colonel Indian Administrator, Born 16 December 1893. Educated University College, Oxford. Served European War in Mesopotamia; entered Political Dept., Government of India, 1920; Political Agent, Resident in the Persian Gulf, 1941-42; Revenue and Judicial Commissioner, Baluchistan, 1942-43; , Resident and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan, 1943-46; Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, 1946-53; retired, 1953. Died 3 April 1962.

In Mesopotamia, Hay was posted to Mandali after the armistice, a small town on the Persian border, then transferred to Altun Keupri near Kirkuk, before his appointment in Kurdistan as Arbil district Political Officer in 1919.

The New Edition

From Introduction:

DURING the last three years it has been the writer's fortune to serve in the Civil Administration of Mesopotamia, always in more or less remote parts of the country. Mesopotamia, though by no means unmapped, was before the war to most people terra incognita. Baghdad was the capital of the land of fairy tales, the Arabs was pictured spurring fiery steeds over the trackless desert, while Kurd we had never heard of, or heard of only as the wildest of brigands.

In this narrative I shall deal only with my experience in Mesopotamia since the Turkish armistice (October 31st, 1918), and with the country that lies between the Lesser and Greater Zabs, consisting of the Arbil division, the Rania district, which is part of the Sulaimaniyah divison, and the town of Altun Keupri which is now under Kirkuk. In the first five chapters I shall treat of the geography of this area, with the nature of its inhabitants, and their customs, with their agricultural methods and the system of land tenure in vogue, and with the products of the country and its trade. I shall then pass to the narrative of my experiences, starting with Altun Keupri, my first visit to Arbil, and my residence at Koi. I shall devote more space to events during my second long stay at Arbil, describing in detail my series of adventures in the Rawanduz district and the final troubles at Arbil, which so nearly proved a debâcle. I shall conclude with a brief tribute to my fellows in the Civil Administration, especially those who have fallen.

 

 

 

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Contents ...

Chapters

Introductory

Geographical : Fauna and Flora

The Kurds

The Tribe

The Population of The Towns, and other Races

Agriculture and Trade

Altun Keupri, and First Visit To Arbil

Koi And Rania

Visit To The Khushnao, and other Tours

Arbil Again

Formation of The Arbil Division

Rawanduz And The Gorge

Yusuf Beg

Three Quiet Months

Visits To Rawanduz and The Persian Frontier

Nuri : The Death of Two Great Men

The Beginning of The Trouble

The Storm Bursts

Khurshid Agha Keeps His Word

Reconstruction

Conclusion

Appendix A. -Administrative System of The Turkish Empire

Appendix B. -Summary of The Events In Mesopotamia From The Armistice To The End of I920

 

 

 

 

Christian Women of Koi

 

 

 

 

 

ARBIL from the south; altitude 1,000 feet

 

 

 

 

 

The Gorge of Rawanduz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kurds of the Rawanduz District

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A View of Koi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muhammad Ali Agha

 

 

 

 

Hama Agha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kushano Chiefs
Rashid Beg ~ Qadir Beg ~ Saleh Beg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ismail Beg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rawanduz Gendarmes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Only Road to Rawanduz from the North

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muhammad Ali Agha ~ Capt. J. Marshall ~ Khalifa Rashid
The Spring of Zindian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remains of Lower Town, Rawanduz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulla Hawaiz Agha of Koi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Akoyan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






 

 

 

 

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rewanduz Today

 

 

 

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GRANBUHA

 

 


 


Foundation For Kurdish Library & Museum