The battle between the Yezidis and the Kurds at Radwan 1828
This battle took place in 1828 between the Yezidis and the Kurds in the Yezidi principality of Radvan, south of Siirt (a city in southeastern Turkey). In ancient sources, Radvan is also called Ezidhan. Khachatur Abovyan was one of the first to write about this battle.
The author spoke with Yazidi eyewitnesses who participated in this battle. The Armenians who lived in Radwan also fought side by side with the Yazidis against the Kurdish militants. The Kurds constantly attacked Yazidi villages, killed men, stole cattle and took Yazidi women and children into slavery. The Kurds committed all these acts under the pretext that the Yezidis were not loyal to them. Preferring to keep silent until now the fact that their ancestors were Yezidis who converted to Islam on pain of death.
The peculiarity of this battle was that the Yazidis faced a huge superior army: under the leadership of Sheikh Qasim, 30,000 Kurdish soldiers were mobilized. The prince of the Yezidis was the legendary Mirza Akha, who commanded about 6,500 Yezidi fighters.
The Kurdish army was devastatingly defeated, and Mirza Akha is still sung by the Yezidis as a hero in songs. This battle determined the existence of the Yezidis in Radwan. If the Yazidis had lost this great battle, the entire Yazidi population would have been destroyed in Radwan.
Source of the Yezidis ☼ Yezidstan
Tags: #yazidisinfo #yazidihistory #aboutyazidi
The battle between the Yezidis and the Kurds at Radwan 1828
This battle took place in 1828 between the Yezidis and the Kurds in the Yezidi principality of Radvan, south of Siirt (a city in southeastern Turkey). In ancient sources, Radvan is also called Ezidhan. Khachatur Abovyan was one of the first to write about this battle.
The author spoke with Yazidi eyewitnesses who participated in this battle. The Armenians who lived in Radwan also fought side by side with the Yazidis against the Kurdish militants. The Kurds constantly attacked Yazidi villages, killed men, stole cattle and took Yazidi women and children into slavery. The Kurds committed all these acts under the pretext that the Yezidis were not loyal to them. Preferring to keep silent until now the fact that their ancestors were Yezidis who converted to Islam on pain of death.
The peculiarity of this battle was that the Yazidis faced a huge superior army: under the leadership of Sheikh Qasim, 30,000 Kurdish soldiers were mobilized. The prince of the Yezidis was the legendary Mirza Akha, who commanded about 6,500 Yezidi fighters.
The Kurdish army was devastatingly defeated, and Mirza Akha is still sung by the Yezidis as a hero in songs. This battle determined the existence of the Yezidis in Radwan. If the Yazidis had lost this great battle, the entire Yazidi population would have been destroyed in Radwan.
Source of the Yezidis ☼ Yezidstan
Tags: #yazidisinfo #yazidihistory #aboutyazidi
