The region of Barzan is deeply significant in the history of the Kurds and Kurdistan, not only in Southern Kurdistan, or Bashur, but also in Bakur, Rojhilat and Rojava.
Barzan was destroyed several times in the 21st century, with structures bombed out and leveled to the ground. In his speech at the opening of the Barzani National Memorial, President Masoud Barzani relayed how Barzan had been destroyed sixteen times in a single century. Homes were rebuilt each time only to be destroyed again by the next series of bombings.
In 1983, eight thousand Barzan men were rounded up and taken to the deserts of Basra in southern Iraq, where they were thrown into mass graves. No one ever heard from them again. Looking at the shoes of those who were buried alive in the deserts, it is understood that there were even children among them.
Mustafa Barzani and his friends returned to Iraqi Kurdistan from the Soviet Union in October 1958. On 19 September 1961, he launched the beginning of the Kurdish national liberation struggle, which since made Barzan a very important center. Undoubtedly, Barzan was already important before this period, most notably during the reigns of Abdüsselam Barzani (1868-1914) and even Muhammed Barzani (d. 1903). The opening of a national museum, the Kurdish national museum, in Barzan thus carries great significance.
Opening ceremony on May 11, 2023
Hundreds of guests from Bashur (Kurdistan in Iraq), Bakur (Kurdistan in Turkey), Rojhilat (Kurdistan in Iran), Rojava (Kurdistan in Syria), Europe, the United States, Russia, and Africa were invited and lodged by the Prime Ministry for the opening of the Barzani National Memorial. On the morning of May 11, 2023, these esteemed guests were taken to Barzan by a convoy of hundreds of cars. Along the way, the public greeted the convoy from their balconies. As children watched it pass, they waved Kurdish flags and greeted the guests, who responded to the children with love and attention.
The Barzani National Memorial opened in Barzan that day. Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, and Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi attended the opening, with President Barzani welcoming the guests. KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, President Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and Kurdistan Parliament Speaker Revaz Faik also attended the opening.
We, too, as İsmail Beşikçi Foundation (İBV), together with İBV President İbrahim Gürbüz participated. There were also friends from Turkey and Bakur.
At the ambassadorial and consular levels, many states from the Middle East, Europe and the world also joined in the memorial's opening, including the consul generals of Iran and Turkey in Hewler.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and U.S. Consulate General in Hewler Irvin Hicks were among the attendees. Meanwhile, the 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush (2001-2009) sent a message for the occasion, in which he congratulated President Massoud Barzani for his efforts for the Kurds and Kurdistan.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani also gave speeches, after whom President Massoud Barzani took the floor. The host of the ceremony was Muhammed İhsan.
Memories and tributes
After the opening speeches, there was a video screening of the life stories of Mustafa Barzani and his friends, after which the guests toured the memorial. The guests carefully observed the objects exhibited in the memorial.
Later, the guests visited Mustafa Barzani's grave. We visited the grave together with İbrahim Gürbüz. Standing by the grave, I made the following short speech:
“Dear Mustafa Barzani, today, May 11, 2023, the Barzani National Memorial was opened. As I listened to the speeches of the Iraqi and Kurdistan government officials, the events that have happened since 1961 flashed before my eyes, one by one. The national liberation struggle of the Kurds was carried out in an area surrounded by hostile forces and in great poverty. It was an authentic and devoted struggle.
Mustafa Barzani, in my opinion, is the embodiment of the Kurdish spirit. Today, the Kurds who came to Barzan in groups and visited Mustafa Barzani, became one with this spirit. Great successes and gains have been achieved since 1961. Of course, there are and will be other important milestones to reach. I greet Mustafa Barzani with love.”
İbrahim Gürbüz added: “This is the sixth time that I am visiting the cemetery of Mustafa, the immortal leader of the Kurdistan national liberation struggle. İsmail Beşikci accompanied me on four of these visits. With each visit, I better understood Mustafa Barzani's role in the national liberation struggle of both Kurdistan and the world. The Kurds also understand better every day that Mustafa is one of the main symbols of the Kurdish national spirit.
Today is a happy day. It is also the opening day of the memorial of the immortal national leader Mustafa Barzani. The memorial will contribute to some extent to solidifying the national and historical consciousness. The number of such similar institutions should grow in the future. The immortal leader Mustafa will always live in our hearts. I bow before his memory with respect and love.”
Oak trees as symbols of Kurdistan
May 11, 2023… Barzan was once again lush and adorned with wildflowers, poppies, daffodils, and pheasant’s eyes, with hyacinths and lilacs swaying in the gentle wind. Water flowed from its rivers, while different colors of roses and all other sorts of flowers bloomed. Oaks, pines, and the other trees also grew bigger and multiplied, spreading throughout the land. The houses looked like they were hiding among the trees.
When I saw how big the oak trees were, I remembered a quote by Mustafa Barzani that identified the trees with the Kurds. “The oak is an important symbol for Kurdistan and the Kurds. As long as the oaks live, Kurds and Kurdistan will live too.” He emphasized that the Kurds should protect oak trees and care for them with the utmost attention.
The Mustafa Barzani National Memorial is a magnificent building, a national monument set in a large garden. It exhibits the clothing, weapons, tools, and daily equipment of Mustafa Barzani and his close friends. The exhibition halls are well arranged and brightly lit. Barzani National Memorial meets every need of its visitors with its library, meeting and seminar halls, congress halls, guesthouse and restaurant.
Museums are the memories of a nation. At the end of this article, I mentioned the house where Muhammad Barzani's (d. 1903) children were born and raised. I also mentioned that the Barzan region, especially this house, was burned to the ground by bombings many times. This house, destroyed by the final bombing, was left as it is, together with the piles of iron, stone, earth and concrete. There is a benefit in leaving the house like this. This will ensure that this memory is passed onto future generations.
The Anfal Monument
On the way back to Hewler following the opening, we also visited the Anfal Monument, a national monument built in a large area with sections arranged in the form of an amphitheater.
A notebook was placed on the table at the monument so that visitors could write their impressions. I wrote: “Anfal is not a disaster that happened over one or two days. It was a genocide that started in 1983 and spread over time and places. The date of March 16, 1988, was the culmination of the Anfal genocide; it is a date that should never be forgotten. It would be an appropriate time to organize conferences, panels, and seminars on this subject from time to time.”
İbrahim Gürbüz also shared his thoughts: “ Mustafa started the Kurdish national struggle 104 years ago and fought until the end of his life. Today, hundreds of intellectuals, politicians, and writers from all four parts of Kurdistan and the diaspora came together to fulfill the epitome of the Kurdish national spirit. The Barzani National Memorial, opened in the name of Mustafa Barzani, will raise the Kurdish national and historical consciousness. Kurds need science and national consciousness more than anything.
The museum is the most important place of Kurdish memory. Kurdish intellectuals, writers, politicians, diplomats, and the foreign diplomats who converged on Anfal from all over the world symbolizes that the Anfal genocide that is a bleeding wound in our hearts. These historical places are very important in terms of society, history, national consciousness and national memory. Nations without a memory are doomed to extinction.
The Barzani National Memorial, the Barzani Cultural Complex, and the Anfal Monument will leave deep marks in the hearts of all Kurds. These places are also the building blocks of becoming a state and will make a significant contribution to the development of the Kurdish national consciousness. On this occasion, I condemn the Anfal genocide, the Kurdish genocide that has been going on for a century.”
A Suggestion
Here, I would like to suggest the construction of the following elements in Barzan. In an area as close as possible to the original house, another structure representing the house where Muhammad Barzani’s (d. 1903) children Abdüsselam Barzani (1868-1914), Sheikh Ahmed Barzani (1896-1969) and Mustafa Barzani (1903-1979) were born and raised, should be built in the same architectural style with the same materials, tools and equipment.
Personally, I have never seen a photograph of this house, but there are undoubtedly people who have been there, so it can be redesigned with the help of their recollections. Of course, the house should not be filled with modern furniture. Items such as mats, rugs, cushions and pillows used at that time should be selected. Modern furniture can be used in residences, but in a structure that serves as a museum, contemporaneous materials and tools should be used.
A few years ago, we were shown a house that was said to be Masoud Barzani's Headquarters in Çoman. This house, for example, was filled with modern furniture, which makes it lose its meaning. Mustafa Barzani had a house on a mountain in Çoman that he used as his headquarters, a house with a shelter that opens onto a great abyss. There was such a structure in Glala, but we could not enter these spaces.
İsmail Beşikci After attending the inauguration of Mustafa Barzani's memorial in the Kurdistan Region last month, I felt compelled to express my thoughts on the matter. It was truly a remarkable experience to witness the unveiling of a memorial honoring a visionary Kurdish leader who devoted his life to the service of his people and nation.
