TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Sheikh Mahmud Rebellion as Reflected in Ottoman Military Archives: A Struggle for Kurdish Independence under British Occupation
TT  - The Sheikh Mahmud Rebellion as Reflected in Ottoman Military Archives: A Struggle for Kurdish Independence under British Occupation
AU  - Tüfekçi, Vedat
PY  - 2025
DA  - September
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.21600/ijoks.1722635
JF  - International Journal of Kurdish Studies
JO  - Kurdish Studies
PB  - Hasan KARACAN
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2149-2751
SP  - 628
EP  - 664
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
LA  - en
AB  - This article investigates the uprising led by Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji during and after World War I, focusing on his determined efforts to establish an independent Kurdish state in Southern Kurdistan under British control. Drawing on Ottoman General Staff (ATASE) archives and contemporary memoirs, the revolt’s origins, development, and suppression are investigated, emphasizing the difficulties posed by a fragmented tribal society lacking military coordination and political unity. Initially appointed by the British as Governor of Kurdistan, Sheikh Mahmud rejected a symbolic role and instead pursued sovereign authority, thus becoming a central figure in Kurdish nationalist resistance. His rebellion, which continued with varying intensity until 1931, included attempts to form alliances with Kurdish tribes in Iran, reflecting one of the earliest efforts toward Kurdish unity and self-rule. Although the uprising was ultimately quelled by superior British military force, it remains a significant episode in modern Kurdish history. The revolt illustrates the broader tensions between colonial powers and indigenous movements seeking self-determination. By shedding light on lesser-known aspects of the rebellion, the article situates it within the broader continuum of Kurdish uprisings during the late Ottoman and early British Mandate periods, offering insights into the early dynamics of Kurdish nationalism and its enduring legacy.
KW  - Sheikh Mahmud
KW  - British Empire
KW  - Ottoman Empire
KW  - Kurdistan
KW  - Kurdish Revolt.
N2  - This article investigates the uprising led by Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji during and after World War I, focusing on his determined efforts to establish an independent Kurdish state in Southern Kurdistan under British control. Drawing on Ottoman General Staff (ATASE) archives and contemporary memoirs, the revolt’s origins, development, and suppression are investigated, emphasizing the difficulties posed by a fragmented tribal society lacking military coordination and political unity. Initially appointed by the British as Governor of Kurdistan, Sheikh Mahmud rejected a symbolic role and instead pursued sovereign authority, thus becoming a central figure in Kurdish nationalist resistance. His rebellion, which continued with varying intensity until 1931, included attempts to form alliances with Kurdish tribes in Iran, reflecting one of the earliest efforts toward Kurdish unity and self-rule. Although the uprising was ultimately quelled by superior British military force, it remains a significant episode in modern Kurdish history. The revolt illustrates the broader tensions between colonial powers and indigenous movements seeking self-determination. By shedding light on lesser-known aspects of the rebellion, the article situates it within the broader continuum of Kurdish uprisings during the late Ottoman and early British Mandate periods, offering insights into the early dynamics of Kurdish nationalism and its enduring legacy.
CR  - Aydoğan, E. (2013). Foreign policy during the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk era, Principles of Atatürk and History of Revolutions Course II. Atatürk University Open Education Faculty.
CR  - Azamat, N. (2016). Qadiriyya. TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, 24, 131–136.
CR  - Bakır, A., & Kayalan, F. (2017). British activities towards the Turkmens in Kirkuk within the framework of the Mosul issue: 1918–1926. Cappadocia Journal of History and Social Sciences, 8, 1–20.
CR  - Celil, C., & Lazarev, M. (1998). Political history of the Kurds in the modern era (A. Yılmaz & M. Aras, Trans.). Peri Publications.
CR  - Ceylan, E. (2022). Ottoman roots of modern Iraq (K. Koçak, Trans.). Vakıfbank Culture Publications.
Çetinsaya, G. (1999). Sufism, tribes, and politics in Northern Iraq during the reign of Abdulhamid II. Divan: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, (7), 153–168.
CR  - Çetinsaya, G. (2019). The cornerstone of the Abdulhamid regime: Centralization. In The era of Sultan Abdulhamid II: Politics, economy, foreign policy, culture and education. İZÜ Publications.
CR  - Çetinsaya, G. (2006). Ottoman Administration of Iraq (1890–1908). SOAS/Routledge Studies on the Middle East.
CR  - Dağdeviren, Z. (2020). Political relations between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq: State-government relations. Journal of Academic History and Research, 3(2), 151–198.
CR  - Edmonds, C. J. (1957). Kurds, Turks and Arabs: Politics, travel and research in North-Eastern Iraq (1919–1925). Oxford University Press.
CR  - E.J.R. (1919). Précis of affairs in Southern Kurdistan during the Great War. Government Press.
CR  - Hakan, S. (2013). The Kurds during the foundation of Turkey (1916–1920). İletişim Publications.
CR  - Jwaideh, W. (1999). The Kurdish nationalist movement: Its origins and development. İletişim Publications.
CR  - Kahraman, A. (2003). Kurdish uprisings: Suppression and extermination. Evrensel Publishing.
CR  - Karademir, N. (2019). Britain's Kurdish policy (1918–1932). Nubihar.
CR  - Kartın, C. (2018). Erbil in British intelligence documents (1918–1919). Yazıgen Publishing.
CR  - Korkmaz, E. (2021). Socio-political analysis of the Assyrian incidents in Hakkari between 1914 and 1924. Peywend Publishing.
CR  - Kurubaş, E. (2004). The international dimension of the Kurdish issue and Turkey. Nobel Academy Publishing.
CR  - Kutschera, C. (2006). The Kurdish national movement (F. Başkaya, Trans.). Avesta Publications.
CR  - Lees, G. M. (1928). Two years in South Kurdistan. Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society, 15, 253–277.
CR  - Natali, D. (2009). The Kurds and the state: Evolving national identity in Iraq, Turkey, and Iran (İ. Bingöl, Trans.). Avesta Publications.
CR  - Öke, M. K. (1987). The Mosul question: A chronology (1918–1926). Turkish World Research Foundation.
CR  - Öke, M. K. (1988). British policy in southeastern Anatolia and the activities of Major E. W. C. Noel (1919). Institute of Turkish Culture Research.
CR  - Öke, M. K. (1989). The mission of British agent Major E. W. C. Noel in Kurdistan (1919). Boğaziçi Publications.
CR  - Refik Hilmi, (1995). Memoirs: The Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji movement. Nujen Publishing.
CR  - Selvi, H. (2010). The Ottoman State and regional tribes against Britain's Mosul policy (1918–1920). Belleten, 74(271), 789–832.
CR  - Sluglett, P. (1976). Britain in Iraq: 1914–1932. Ithaca Press.
CR  - Soane, E. B. (1912). To Mesopotamia and Kurdistan in disguise: With historical notices of the Kurdish tribe and the Chaldeans of Kurdistan. John Murray.
CR  - Wilson, A. T. (1936). Loyalties: Mesopotamia (1917–1920). Oxford University Press.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks.1722635
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4972055
ER  -