Based upon an ancient epic poem by ahmad khani, the film relates the story of mem,a young kurdish boy, who falls in love with zin, the daughter of the governor of butan,when the people are celebrating newroz, the ancient national ceremony of kurds. Xanis fame and standing among the kurds are due primarily to his story of two tragic lovers. Certain passages in the dibace introduction of mem u zin certainly have a modern ring to them, as if they were. The poem is a romeo and juliettelike love story that represents the kurdish longing for their homeland. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. In chapter three, mem u zin is assigned to a specific genre of folk narrative, the romance. In earlier times, the tragic tale of mem and his beloved zin had circulated in both written and oral kurmanji versions in the kurdish north, but it had never become as popular or even as well known further south. Kurds generally consider northwestern iran to be one of the four parts of a greater. Ahmadi khanis theory of kurdish nationalism in mem u zin.
Abbas mohammadi in this essay i will discuss the legacy and influence of ahmad khani 1650 1707 on kurdish national awakening. He moved to bayezid in ritkan province and settled there. He was born amongst the khanis tribe in hakkari province in presentday turkey. The mem u zin mausoleum in cizre province is inspired by this fairy tale and became an attraction for tourists. Ida meftahi zin and mateo galinda torres mem in a lovers scene mem u zin mem and zin is a classic kurdish love story, known throughout all of kurdistan. This multidisciplinary handbook provides a definitive overview of a range of themes within kurdish studies. Studies on mem u zin, a kurdish romance by michael lewisohn chyet abstract this study is based on a corpus of eighteen oral versions of of the kurdish romance mem u zin, a tragic love story reminiscent of romeo and juliet which is very widespread in northern kurdistan. Now after all these years, after kurd gained something, we need another mem u zin by another ehmedi xani, i. Pdf ehmede xanis mem u zin and its role in the emergence. Among the masterpieces of kurdish oral literature are such traditional stores as mem and zin, khej and siyabend, dimdim, and zembilfirosh. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. For kurds, mem and zin are symbols for the kurdish people, the kurdish country and kurdish nationalism.
Mem u zin on one level is the story of a great and tragic love, on the pattern of such. While these cultures identify with these numerous folktales, the kurdish nation seems to identify with is mem u zin, which was written by kurdish poet ehmede xani in the 17 th century. In this lesson, students watch the film based on an epic poem, mem u zin, by kurdish poet ahmed xani. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. For kurds, mam and zin are symbols of the kurdish people and the kurdish country, which are separated and cannot come together.
With an estimated population of over 30 million, the kurds are the largest stateless nation in the world. This essay examines translations of the kurdish epic poem mem u zin into turkish, tracing the logics behind these statesponsored translations and examining how acts of translation are also efforts to regulate, translate, and erase kurdish subjectivities. The epic revolves around two starcrossed lovers mem and zin, who are prevented from embracing each other due to external factors coming in their way. Mem and zin is a tragic love story reminiscent of romeo and juliet.
Mem u zin, chapter 1 ehmede xanis epic mem u zin is more than simply a famous achievement of kurdish literature, it is, in the hearts and minds of many kurds, a symbol of the kurdish nation. Staging a legendary kurdish love story in canada fethi karakecili, york university figure 1. Jun 17, 2019 khani was fluent in kurdish, arabic and persian. The study is totally original and is based on methodical indepth textual analysis of the work with original translations. Kurdish folklore, which is almost completely oral, is incredibly rich and diverse.
Mar 17, 20 mem u zin were two true pure innocent decent lovers. It is the most important work of kurdish writer and poet. Mem u zin is a place where serenity and flavor meet. Kurdish epic, mem u zin, by ehmede khani in the late 16th century, did sharpen a feature of kurdish identity that would continue to take shape through subsequent centuries, and exists even today. Kurdish book club presents a seminar on mem u zin of ahmadi khani by dr kamal mirawdeli sunday 14th april 20 from 15. It includes the west azerbaijan province, kurdistan province and kermanshah province. They loved each other truthfully without any conditions. Mem u zin by ehmedi xani, it wasnt only a book, but rather it was a revolution by all means over all aspects of life at that time. However, despite the great number of studies published on the text, many aspects of it remain to be studied. Its open now mem u zin provides you with more than 300 variety of dishes. Ahmad khani was a famous kurdish poet and wellknown for his book, mamuzin. In 1695 ahmadi khan published the poem mem u zin calling for kurdish unity, which many consider the start of kurdish nationalism.
This is part of the conclusions chapter of kamal mirawdelis recent book love and existence. Mem u zin mem and zin of ahmadi khani is one of the important and wellknown classical kurdish literary texts, which has remained without a serious critical evaluation by the kurdish experts or by foreign researchers. The kurdish homeland kurdistan is therefore now divided amongst four new nationstates. With reverso you can find the german translation, definition or synonym for mem u zin and thousands of other words. The dissertation entitled and a thornbush sprang up between them. Mem u zin translation english german dictionary reverso. The consecration of a kurdish national epic michiel leezenberg university of amsterdam draft please do not quote without consulting the author more than any other work, ehmede khanis mem u zin henceforth mz, a mystical romance or mathnawi poem in 2,655 bayts, or distichs, written in kurmanci or northern kurdish.
Just over 300 years ago, the kurdish poet and muslim scholar ehmede xani completed his magnum opus mem u zin, which nationalist kurds have come to consider as their national epic. It is the most important work of kurdish writer and poet ahmad khani 16511707. I argue that the state instrumentalizes mem u zins potent nationalist currency in order to disarm present and future claims of. It is based on a true story from the 14th century from the region. Ehmede xanis mem u zin, written in 110516931694, is without a doubt the most famous book ever written in kurdish.
This work is a scholarly study of ahmadi khani s mem u zin, the most famous and the most important text of kurdish classical literature. The mem u zin mausoleum in cizre province has become a tourist attraction. This brings us to the question of xanis alleged nationalism. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. You can complete the translation of mem u zin given by the germanenglish collins dictionary with other dictionaries. Kurdish studies, as an academic field, seems today to be dominated by english and turkishlanguage literature. Pdf ehmede xanis mem u zin and its role in the emergence of. History of the kurds the kurdistan memory programme. He describes khanis memuzin as a touchstone of any discourse on the.
Mam and zin mem u zin is a kurdish classic love story written down 1692 and is considered to be the epopee of kurdish literature. More than any other work, ehmede xanis mem u zin mz, a mystical romance or mathnawi poem in. Ahmad khani and his new spring for kurdish children kdppress. The kurdish movement and the end of ottoman rule in the balkans. During the ottoman period there were 16 kurdish emirates, 6 of which lasted until the middle of the 1800s. Mem u zin were two true pure innocent decent lovers. The seminar, which will be held in kurdish, will be chaired by dr rzgar amin. Understanding kurdish culture through poetry and film. This essay examines translations of the kurdish epic poem mem u zin into turkish, tracing the logics behind these statesponsored translations and. They left everything behind,all their personal dreams,religious and none religious beliefs, money,friends family,and struggled,suffered,hurt, starved,just to make it and end up together,but alas a religious sick man called bako and the backward traditions and beliefs of the society. Ehmede xanis mem u zin routledge handbook on the kurds.
Ehmede xani or khani, born in 1650, and died in 1707, was a kurdish writer, poet and philosopher. Memozin pdf in this study, we are going to compare mem u zin in turkish and kurdish with fuzulis. They are becoming increasingly important within regional and international geopolitics, particularly since the 2003 invasion of iraq, the arab spring and the war in syria. The consecration of a kurdish national epic michiel leezenberg university of amsterdam draft please do not quote without consulting the author more than any other work, ehmede khanis mem u zin henceforth mz, a mystical romance. Versions of the tale were reproduced in most of the early works on kurdish oral literature see pryn and socin, 1890. Apr 14, 2012 mam and zin mem u zin is a kurdish classic love story written down 1692 and is considered to be the epopee of kurdish literature.
Baixe no formato pdf, txt ou leia online no scribd. This lengthy epic was written by xani in rhyming couplets in the 17th century in classical. Some were run by the central government and others by kurdish rulers. Another example of this appropriation is the promotion of ehmede xanis mem u zin to the status of kurdish national epic. The politics of this postimperial era are defined by the ideology of nationalism. October 6, 2012 read part i part ii what is mem u zin about. Wikipedia, lexilogos, langenscheidt, duden, wissen, oxford, collins dictionaries. Mam mamo and zin is based on a true story, laid down from generation to generation through oral tradition. Part i part ii part i perhaps pseudokurdologists, eurocentrists and oreintalists, in edward saids sense of the word, would be annoyed by just seeing this title let alone my argument for the fact that there is a comprehensive theory of nationalism regarding kurdish nation in ahamdi khanis mem u zin finished writing it in 1690. Syria, turkey, iraq and iran which after shah reza pahlavis successful coup detat in 1921 is no longer controlled by the qajar dynasty. Thus, mem u zin may be read as a specimen of vernacularisation rather than romantic nationalism. Ehmede xanis mem u zin and its role in the emergence of kurdish nationalism. Analytical study of ahmadi khanis tragedy of mem u zin published by khani academy.