Ihsan Nuri Pasha
Encyclopedia
Ihsan Nuri, also known as Ihsan Nuri Pasha (1892 or 1893, Bitlis
– March 25, 1976, Tehran
) was a Kurdish
soldier and politician. Former officer of the Ottoman
and Turkish Army
. One of leaders of the Ararat rebellion as the generalissimo
of the Kurdish National Forces.
in 1893. After finishing primary education at Gök Meydan mosque in Bitlis, he was registered to Erzincan Military School (Erzincan Askerî Rüştiyesi ). After completing secondary educatıon, he entered to Ottoman Military Academy. In 1910, he graduated from this academy as lieutenant
and joined to the Ottoman Army. He participated in the counterinsurgency operations in Albania
. And then he was sent to Yemen
and served there for 33 months. After returning from Yemen, he was appointed the aid-de-camp of Ottoman 93rd Infantry Regiment and was sent to Beyzon. In the early stage of the First World War, he was injured at Nerman and sent back to rear area for treatment. On the way to Erzincan, he sufferred from frostbite near Karaburun. After treatment in Erzincan, he was assigned to the Ottoman Ninth Army
, and then he was appointed the member of the administration committee of Ozurgeti
in Georgia
and served as the commander of the mobile gendarmerie
of the town. After the First World War, he got in contact with the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan
. He wrote an article about Woodrow Wilson
's Fourteen Points
, and this was published on March 30, 1919 in Jîn
magazine. When he arrived at Trabzon
, Rushdi Bey
, who was the commander of the 9th Caucassian Division, sent him to Baku
to meet authorities of the Red Army
.
(Independence), a “supreme national organ … with full and exclusive national and international powers”.
Cognizant of the need for a proper military structure, Xoybûn promoted Ihsan Nuri to general (pasha) and nominated him Commander-In-Chief of the Kurdish National Army. Ihsan Nuri, besides being a former Kurdish member of the Young Turks
, showed his allegiance to the Kurdish cause when he led the mutiny within the Turkish military prior to the Sheikh Said rebellion
.
By 1928, Ihsan Nuri had assembled a small group of soldiers armed with modern weapons and trained in infantry tactics. This force initiated the Xoybûn revolt, marching towards Mount Ararat
. Ihsan Nuri and his men not only achieved success in reaching Mount Ararat, but they were able to secure the towns of Bitlis
, Van
provinces, and most of the countryside around Lake Van
, establishing a notable area of Kurdish resistance.
By the end of summer 1930, the Turkish air forces were bombing Kurdish positions around Mount Ararat from all directions. According to General Ihsan Nuri, the military superiority of Turkish air forces demoralized Kurds and led to their capitulation.
. The government restricted his movements during his years in Tehran. In the summer of 1976, he was injured when he was struck by a motorcycle directly in front of his home at around 10:00 am. He was taken to a local hospital where he died of his wounds during the day. The culprit driving the motorcycle that hit him was never identified or apprehended.
Bitlis
Bitlis is a town in eastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The town is located at an elevation of 1,400 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis River, a tributary of the Tigris. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural products which include...
– March 25, 1976, Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
) was a Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
soldier and politician. Former officer of the Ottoman
Military of the Ottoman Empire
The history of military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years between 1300 and 1453 , the classical period covers the years between 1451 and 1606 , the reformation period covers the years between 1606 and 1826 ,...
and Turkish Army
Turkish Army
The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...
. One of leaders of the Ararat rebellion as the generalissimo
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
of the Kurdish National Forces.
Early life
Ihsan Nuri was born in the house of his father Elî Qulî in BitlisBitlis
Bitlis is a town in eastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The town is located at an elevation of 1,400 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis River, a tributary of the Tigris. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural products which include...
in 1893. After finishing primary education at Gök Meydan mosque in Bitlis, he was registered to Erzincan Military School (Erzincan Askerî Rüştiyesi ). After completing secondary educatıon, he entered to Ottoman Military Academy. In 1910, he graduated from this academy as lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and joined to the Ottoman Army. He participated in the counterinsurgency operations in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. And then he was sent to Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and served there for 33 months. After returning from Yemen, he was appointed the aid-de-camp of Ottoman 93rd Infantry Regiment and was sent to Beyzon. In the early stage of the First World War, he was injured at Nerman and sent back to rear area for treatment. On the way to Erzincan, he sufferred from frostbite near Karaburun. After treatment in Erzincan, he was assigned to the Ottoman Ninth Army
Ninth Army (Ottoman Empire)
The Ninth Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the World War I.-Order of Battle, June 1918:In June 1918, the army was structured as follows:...
, and then he was appointed the member of the administration committee of Ozurgeti
Ozurgeti
Ozurgeti is a town and the regional administrative centre of Western Georgian province of Guria, former Macharadze or Makharadze . Population of Ozurgeti: 21,009...
in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and served as the commander of the mobile gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
of the town. After the First World War, he got in contact with the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan
Society for the Rise of Kurdistan
Society for the Rise of Kurdistan was an organisation formed in 1918, in Istanbul, with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state in eastern Turkey....
. He wrote an article about Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
's Fourteen Points
Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a speech given by United States President Woodrow Wilson to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918. The address was intended to assure the country that the Great War was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe...
, and this was published on March 30, 1919 in Jîn
Jin
Jīn can mean either "muscle" or "tendon" . Exercises designed to develop Jīn are known as Jīngōng . In the context of Chinese martial arts, such exercises develop the ability to recruit the tendons at the beginning and end of a movement as a means of enhancing and delivering the force generated by...
magazine. When he arrived at Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, Rushdi Bey
Rüştü Pasha
Rüştü Pasha or Rushdi Pasha was an officer of the Ottoman Army and the general of the Turkish Army.-Medals and Decorations:*Order of the Medjidieh 5th and 3rd Class*Gallipoli Star *Silver Medal of Liyaqat*Silver Medal of Imtiyaz...
, who was the commander of the 9th Caucassian Division, sent him to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
to meet authorities of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Republic of Ararat
Kurdish nationalists met in October 1927 and not only proclaimed the independence of Kurdistan, but also formed XoybûnXoybûn
Xoybûn or Khoyboun , meaning oneself/being oneself in Kurdish language, was a Kurdish nationalist organization that is known with Ararat rebellion commanded by Ihsan Nuri.-Establishment:...
(Independence), a “supreme national organ … with full and exclusive national and international powers”.
Cognizant of the need for a proper military structure, Xoybûn promoted Ihsan Nuri to general (pasha) and nominated him Commander-In-Chief of the Kurdish National Army. Ihsan Nuri, besides being a former Kurdish member of the Young Turks
Young Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
, showed his allegiance to the Kurdish cause when he led the mutiny within the Turkish military prior to the Sheikh Said rebellion
Sheikh Said rebellion
Sheikh Said Rebellion was a rebellion of a Kurdish clergy Sheikh Said and a group of former Kurdish Hamidieh soldiers in 1925.-Background:The Azadî was dominated by officers from the former Hamidiye, a Kurdish tribal militia established...
.
By 1928, Ihsan Nuri had assembled a small group of soldiers armed with modern weapons and trained in infantry tactics. This force initiated the Xoybûn revolt, marching towards Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
. Ihsan Nuri and his men not only achieved success in reaching Mount Ararat, but they were able to secure the towns of Bitlis
Bitlis Province
Bitlis Province is a province of eastern Turkey, located to the west of Lake Van.-History:Bitlis was formed as an administrative district in the 17th Century...
, Van
Van Province
Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
provinces, and most of the countryside around Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
, establishing a notable area of Kurdish resistance.
By the end of summer 1930, the Turkish air forces were bombing Kurdish positions around Mount Ararat from all directions. According to General Ihsan Nuri, the military superiority of Turkish air forces demoralized Kurds and led to their capitulation.
As refugee
During the 1930s, İhsan Nuri arrived as a refugee in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. The government restricted his movements during his years in Tehran. In the summer of 1976, he was injured when he was struck by a motorcycle directly in front of his home at around 10:00 am. He was taken to a local hospital where he died of his wounds during the day. The culprit driving the motorcycle that hit him was never identified or apprehended.
External links
- Ağrı Dağı İsyanı'nın lideri İhsan Nuri Paşa'yı anlatıyor, Navenda Lêkolînan Kurdistan