International Journal of Kurdish Studies articles from July 1999

International Journal of Kurdish Studies archives from July 1999

Editor's note.(Editorial)
July 1, 1999... Coming at the end of the first millennium, this special issue of the journal features Kurdish folktales from the Sulaimani and Kerkuk regions of Iraqi Kurdistan. Painstakingly and lovingly collected by Mohammed Tofiq over a period of ten years,...

Kurdish folklore.(Critical Essay)
July 1, 1999... Demons who come roaring down from the sky, irresistably beautiful sprites and fairies, fire-breathing dragons, clever "mangy" kids, and treacherous viziers leering lustfully at helpless young princesses are the stuff of which Iranian folklore...

The king of the east.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that a long time ago there was a merchant who had a daughter. The daughter was mad, and lest she harm anyone they locked her up in a room and gave her food and water through a window. Once the merchant packed up his goods and set out...

The cleverness of the three brothers.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that long ago there was a man. He was very hardworking, and as a result of saving his money and his miserliness, he became very rich. This man had three sons. When he had grown old and was afraid he was going to die, he called his sons...

The black slave.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that in the days when Harun er-Rashid was caliph, there was a couple in Baghdad. They loved each other very much, and they had several children. It happened that the wife came down with a serious illness. One day she went to the...

Gulkhandaran's flower.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... It is related that a long, long time ago there was a king. For some reason or other, he decided that if he had a son he would cut his head off and only allow daughters to survive him. One year it occurred to the king to go on the pilgrimage...

Brokenhearted Uncle Homar.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once, a long time ago, there was an old man named Uncle Homar. Once his wife and child hurt him, so he left in grief and went to Baghdad, vowing never to return. As he approached Baghdad he met two young men, and after...

The world-revealing goblet.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once upon a time Sultan Mahmud disguised himself in dervish clothing and went to the outskirts of the city, where he came to the city graveyard. As he looked from afar he saw under a tree a youth and a fairy sitting together next...

The king who had seven sons.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once long ago there was a king who had seven sons, and his wife was pregnant. It happened that the king went on a long journey, but before he left he said to his eldest son and successor, "My son, if your mother gives birth to a...

The results of stinginess.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... Long ago there was a man who worked as a porter. Although he was broadshouldered and strong, he never made any money, and often he would lie down to sleep at night hungry. One day a hadji merchant told him to clean his shop. Since the man...

Give up your head but don't divulge your secret.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that long ago there was a man who made gold, and one of the ingredients of that gold was apple juice. The king of the city got wind that someone in the city was making gold, but no matter how hard he tried to find out who it was, he...

The grateful bear.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... A long time ago there was a hunter who went out every day to hunt in the wilderness and mountains. One day a bear came across his path. The hunter wanted to kill it, but the bear lay down on its back and raised its paws to heaven as though...

Hasan the Trapper.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... Once upon a time there was a hunter whose name was Hasan the Trapper. He knew the languages of all animals and birds. One day he went out hunting. While in the wilderness he saw an old snake fighting with a beautiful young female snake. The old...

The results of greed.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that a long time ago there was a poor shepherd. Every day he took his flock of sheep to a meadow far from the village, and there he pastured them. One day around midday, near a pile of rocks, he took a sheep, milked it into a pot,...

The zay tree and the tay falcon.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that long ago there was a king who had three sons. It happened that the king went blind in both eyes, and no matter how the physicians treated him, they had no success. The astrologers looked into the matter and said, "If the zay tree...

Hisayn the water carrier.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once, a long time ago, there was a porter whose job it was to carry water. He had been married for a long time, but he didn't have any children. His wife went to many shaykhs and mullas, consulted many holy men, and took lots of...

King Ahmad.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once upon a time there was a king who had an only son named Ahmad. When the boy grew up and matured, he asked his father to get him a good horse. "My son," the father said, "there is the herd of horses. Go among them and pick...

The weaver's son.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that in the time of Sultan Mahmud, there was a weaver in a village. He had a very beautiful and lovely daughter. Once Sultan Mahmud and Ayaz, his vizier, put on dervish clothes and started roaming around the kingdom. One day they...

The king and fate.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that long ago there was a king. His wife died and left him with a son and a daughter. The king decided not to marry again so that his children would not be subjected to a stepmother. Years came and years went. The son and daughter...

Strike, strike, what you saw is all you'll get.(Short Story)
July 1, 1999... They say that once upon a time Sultan Mahmud disguised himself by putting on dervish clothes and went out to roam around the market and lanes of the city. By chance, he passed by a blacksmith's shop, and he listened in. Somebody inside was...

God Wills It! An Illustrated History of the Crusades.(Book Review)
July 1, 1999... W. B. Bartlett. God Wills It! An Illustrated History of the Crusades. Phoenix Mill, Great Britain: Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999. 267 pp. Bibliography 268-270. Index 271-274. The tale of the Crusades has been told many times, and the...

Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein.(Book Review)
July 1, 1999... Andrew Cockburn and Patrick Cockburn, Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999. Hardcover, 290 pp. Notes 291-309 Index 311-322. Map. In their valiant effort to explain why, some nine...