Georgian Kurds

Total population
7004208430000000000♠20,843 (2002 census).[1][2] 6999480000000000000♠0.48%
Regions with significant populations
Batumi, Meskheti, Javakheti, Adjara,[1]Rustavi,[3] and Abkhazia.[4]
Languages
Kurdish,[5]Georgian
Religion
Sunni Islam[5] Shia Islam[5] Zoroastrian[5] Irreligious[5]
Related ethnic groups
Iranian people

Georgian Kurds are members of the eponymous ethnic group that are citizens of Georgia. In the 20th century, most Kurds fled religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire.^[6] In Georgia, Kurds enjoy a higher standard of living than the Kurds in Turkey and the Kurds in Iran and they face no discrimination in Georgia,^[5] but the return of their Kurdish surnames needs effort according to a Kurdish activist in Georgia.^[7] The Kurds also have their own schools, school books and a printing press in Georgia. Illiteracy among them disappeared in the early 1900s.^[3][5] Kurds in Georgia are politically neutral; however, in 1999 they staged a huge demonstration in Tbilisi, demanding the release of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Abdullah Öcalan.^[8] Kurds in Georgia today use Cyrillic script. Earlier, in the 1920s, they used the Latin script.^[9]

History[edit]

The first Kurds came to Georgia during the reign of George III in the 12th century.^[10] Kurdish tribes appeared in Georgia in the 16th century in the city of Mtskheta. During the 18th century, Kurds arrived in Tbilisi to get assistance from King Erekle II of the Kingdom of Kakheti during the Kurdish liberation in Turkey.^[11] When Russia and Iran signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Kurds got the opportunity to work in Georgia.^[10] Most Kurds left Van and Kars for Georgia in 1918 after Turkey oppressed them politically and religiously.^[11] The Kurds of Georgia also became victims of Stalin’s purges in 1944.^[12][13] Between 1979 and 1989, the Kurdish population in Georgia increased 30%.^[6] When Georgia became independent, the Kurdish population in Georgia decreased.^[10]

Similarity to Georgian people[edit]

David Comas and colleagues found that mitochondrial sequence pools in Georgians and Kurds are similar, despite their different linguistic and prehistoric backgrounds. Both populations present mtDNA lineages that clearly belong to the Western Eurasian gene pool.^[14]

Demographics[edit]

Kurdish population in Georgia (1926-2014)

Kurdish	1926[15]		1939[16][17]		1959[18][19]		1970[20][21]		1979[22][23]		1989[24][25]		2002[26][27]		2014[28]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Georgia	7003542800000000000♠5,428	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	7004129150000000000♠12,915	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	7004162120000000000♠16,212	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	7004206900000000000♠20,690	6999400000000000000♠0.4%	7004256880000000000♠25,688	6999500000000000000♠0.5%	7004333310000000000♠33,331	6999600000000000000♠0.6%	7004208430000000000♠20,843	6999500000000000000♠0.5%	7004137700000000000♠13,770	6999400000000000000♠0.4%
Tbilisi			7003261100000000000♠2,611	7000100000000000000♠1%	7004129350000000000♠12,935	7000190000000000000♠1.9%	7004184090000000000♠18,409	7000210000000000000♠2.1%	7004234130000000000♠23,413	7000220000000000000♠2.2%	7004303040000000000♠30,304	7000240000000000000♠2.4%	7004171160000000000♠17,116	7000160000000000000♠1.6%	7004125700000000000♠12,570	7000110000000000000♠1.1%
Kakheti									7002838000000000000♠838	6999200000000000000♠0.2%	7003110700000000000♠1,107	6999300000000000000♠0.3%	7002495000000000000♠495	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7002528000000000000♠528	6999200000000000000♠0.2%
Kvemo Kartli									7003105000000000000♠1,050	6999200000000000000♠0.2%	7003141300000000000♠1,413	6999200000000000000♠0.2%	7002463000000000000♠463	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7002453000000000000♠453	6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Adjara	7003174500000000000♠1,745	7000260000000000000♠2.6%	7003421200000000000♠4,212	7000210000000000000♠2.1%	7002123000000000000♠123	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7002138000000000000♠138	5000000000000000000♠0%	7002140000000000000♠140	5000000000000000000♠0%	7002197000000000000♠197	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7001760000000000000♠76	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001810000000000000♠81	5000000000000000000♠0%
Mtskheta-Mtianeti									7001670000000000000♠67	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7001780000000000000♠78	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7001960000000000000♠96	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7001740000000000000♠74	6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Guria									7001650000000000000♠65	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001990000000000000♠99	6999100000000000000♠0.1%	7001230000000000000♠23	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001170000000000000♠17	5000000000000000000♠0%
Imereti									7001750000000000000♠75	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001540000000000000♠54	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001560000000000000♠56	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000600000000000000♠6	5000000000000000000♠0%
Shida Kartli									7000300000000000000♠3	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001280000000000000♠28	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000100000000000000♠1	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000400000000000000♠4	5000000000000000000♠0%
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti									7001170000000000000♠17	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000800000000000000♠8	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000200000000000000♠2	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000100000000000000♠1	5000000000000000000♠0%
Samtskhe-Javakheti									7000400000000000000♠4	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001130000000000000♠13	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000100000000000000♠1	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000100000000000000♠1	5000000000000000000♠0%
Abkhazia	7001110000000000000♠11	5000000000000000000♠0%	7000500000000000000♠5	5000000000000000000♠0%	–	–	7001230000000000000♠23	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001160000000000000♠16	5000000000000000000♠0%	7001290000000000000♠29	5000000000000000000♠0%	–	–	–	–
South Ossetia	–	–	–	–	–	–	7000900000000000000♠9	5000000000000000000♠0%	–	–	7000200000000000000♠2	5000000000000000000♠0%	–	–	7000100000000000000♠1	5000000000000000000♠0% (2015 census)[29]

See also[edit]

• Kurdish population


• Yazidis in Georgia

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• 
  "Cable 08TBILISI516: Meeting with Union of Kurds of Georgia". WikiLeaks. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2011.