DERSİM/ZAZANA: AN
INTERNAL COLONY OF THE TURKISH STATE
By SEYFİ CENGİZ
This is an account of the land, people, language, religion and history of
Dersim, intended for the people who have a concern in. It is based on a
study by myself not yet published. A lengthy summary of this study in
Turkish could be found on the Internet under the title of “Kal u Bal`dan
Beri (Dersim-Zaza Tarih Tezi)”. For some additional information see article
“Tarih Bizi Mansur Kılacaktır!”, also on the Internet.
Land
Dersim is an ancient ethnical and geographical name, which has been
mentioned in the historical sources, at least since Xenophon`s book called
Anabasis, written at the turn of the 5th century BC. The name was recorded
under different forms, such as Derxene/Xerxene in Xenophon, Pliny and
Strabo; Tzanica in Procopius and Agathias; and Derjan or Chaniuk in
Armenian geography. The once extensive territory has been reduced to Inner
Dersim, that is today a province in the eastern part of Turkey, situated
between the two branches of the river Euphrates, known as Karasu and Murat.
It was renamed as “Tunceli” during a Turkish military expedition in 1935.
Arriving Turkish troops appeared on all sides to complete the occupation,
which was eventually suceeded through a genoside in 1938. Thus the land
remained to be officially known as “Tunceli”, though it was never accepted
by the nation itself.
An alternative historical name for Dersim is that of Zazana, mentioned in
B.C. 521 in the old Persion inscription of Behistun. It has menaged to
survive over the course of the centuries under diferent forms such as
Zavzan, Gozan/Guzana, Zozan, Zauzan, Zawazan (Andzevatsik in Armenian
sources) and Sason.
People
The name of the Dersimis is often used synonymously with those of the Zazas
and Dailamits (Gilanis), simple because they all are branches of the same
race.
Although there are some who regard them as Kurds, this designation neither
corresponds with the historical facts, nor with the self-definition of the
people itself. Besides none of their many traditions and legends points to a
Kurdish connection. Quite the contrary all of them suggest otherwise.
In other words they are a seperate people clearly distinguished from the
Kurds.
Combining the account given in the oral tradition with that of the
historical record and archaeological findings, the above mentioned study
comes to the conclusion that the early Dersimis are descendants of Mamans
(the Mamikonians of Armenian sources), who were otherwise known as Tzanians
to the classical writers. Sin, San or Çan are only different forms for Tzan,
which can also be seen forming the second half of the name Der-Sim in a
slightly distinct shape, i.e. Sim.
As to the name Zaza, it is simply a different pronunciation of that of
Sasan. The account of their Sasanian origin is also recorded by many
writers, the first Kurdish historian Sharaf Khan among them.
It is almost impossible not to come to the conclusion that the Mamans
(Tzanians) and Sasanians (Zazas of modern times) were infact different
sections of one and the same people.
There is also a Parthian element in the ethnical make-up of Dersimis as
their traditions suggest.
Briefly; Mamans, Sasanians and Parthians are the ones that formed the early
substrata of the people of Dersim/Zazana.
According to the tradition these early Dersimis during their migration were
headed by two brothers, Kal Mem and Kal Ferat, who are seen as ancestors. In
the study mentioned above this tradition is identified with that of the
Mamikonians, in which the Mamik-Konak brothers are mentioned instead.
Given the fact that nationalities are personified in legends, the study
arrives at the conclusions that the name Kalmem in the Dersimi tradition is
a reference to Mamikonians and that of Kalferat to Parthians.
Thomas Artsruni, a 9/10th century historian, mentions an ancient tradition,
according to which, or rather his interpretation of it, the name Zaza or
Sasan is derived from that of Sanasar, son of the Assyrian king Sennacherib
(705-682 B.C), who took refuge in Armenia (Zazana) together with his
brother, army and followers, and settled on Mount Sason (Mt. Sin) after
being defeated by his half-brother Esarhaddon in 681 B.C.
The tradition spoken of is indeed an historical event, connected with the
origin of the Zazas. However it must be added that the House of Angle (Gel,
Gilan) and that of Sennacherib are often confused or identified in the then
traditons as Toumanoff warns us. For that matter the above statements can
hardly refer to the Assyrians proper, though there certainly existed an
Assyrian colony among them, whose traces can still be seen in the names of
some Dersimi tribes, such as “Asuran” and “Munzur”.
The names Sasan and Sanasar seem to me to be related.
The Dersimi legends of their origin also speak of some late migrations into
Dersim, headed by Shah Hasan and Sayyid, sons of a certain Shaikh Ahmet.
This, again, is also supported by written records almost fully, except that
two separate waves of migrations with the same sets of the names be
understood instead of a single one as suggested in the legend, which merges
the two into one.
Thus, the name Shaikh Ahmet actually refers to two seperate person of the
same name:
The first of whom is Ahmet Basri (Ahmet Rifai, 1118-1182), founder of the
Rifai order of Darvishes, who is frequently replaced with one of his
descendents and namesake Ahmet Kucheki Rifai (d. 1251/52), otherwise known
as Karaja Ahmet and occasionally as Hajji Bektash, the elder brother of
Shaikh Mahmut Harrani (Mahmut El Rifai, d. 1268/69); and the other, named as
Ahmet Yesevi, is none other than one of the Safawi leaders, most probable
Shah Haydar the Safawi (d. 1488).
The rest of the names that still remains to be identified are those of Shah
Hasan and Sayyid. Shah Hasan represents at least three separate people of
that name. Of the three, the two are being identified in the study with the
Emirs of Chemishgezek Principality, namely Shah Hasan the First (d. c. 1473)
and Shah Hasan the Second (d. 1543/44), Saltuqids by descent; and the other
with the famous Uzun Hasan the Akkoyunlu (d. 1478), who married his daughter
Alemshah Begum to Shah Haydar the Safawi. Alemshah Begum is called by her
nisba ‘Kıncısur’ (the one dressed in red) in Dersimi tradition.
Finally, by the name Sayyid in the tradition, the following two persons are
meant: Seyit Ali (Darvish Gewr) and Shah Haydar the Safawi.
These late migrations took place between the11th and 15/16th centuries A.D
and the new comers referred to in the tradition are identified in the study
with the Saltuqids, Rifais (Goranis), Aqqoyunlus and Safawids, who were
mostly from the same stock as that of early Dersimis, so far as their
origins and nationality are concerned.
To sum up, the Dersimis/Zazas of modern times are descendants of the
country`s early and late inhabitants mentioned above.
The above conclusions are reached through a detailed examination of the
tradition as well as a comprehensive study of the written history.
The identity of Dersimis/Zazas being thus established, one can proceed
further to discuss the rest which becomes easier to deal with.
Language
The People of Dersim speak an Iranian language called Zaza (Zazaki).
Although some as pointed above reject the non-Kurdish identity of Zazas and
thereby regard their language as a dialect of Kurdish, the speakers of both
languages cannot communicate with one another unless Turkish, the language
of the colonial power, is used.
What this simple fact indicates is that the two languages have nothing much
to do with one another except that they both are Iranian languages and
therefore have some similarities further strenghten by mutual contacts
between the two peoples as neighbours.
Zazaki, if we search back, is the surviving representative of Parthian
(Pahlavi) and Sasanian languages, both of which to my knowledge were the
same.
It is not yet quite certain whether or not the language of the sacred book
of the Zoroastrian religion related to Zazaki, though the two seem to be
akin.
Religion
The religious ideas of the Dersimis/Zazas have always been of great interest
to the outside world.
They were at first among the adherents of an Iranian religion called
Mazdaism, founded by Zoroaster (Zarathustra), the Prophet of ancient Iran,
who is thought to have lived in the 6th century BC. From 4th century on,
some sections of them converted to Christianity mainly through the Gregorian
and Paulician sects. The Magian (Mazdaic) and Christian traces are still
easily detectable in the land and beleifs of Dersim/Zazana.
The religion of Islam among Dersimis spread in the form of the Sufi ideas,
introduced by the orders like Kadiris, Rifais (Babais, Bektashis), Ismailis
of Alamut, Ehl-i Haks and Safawids. From late 15th century onward they
adopted a new religion, called Kızıl-Bash (Turkish word for the İranian
Surh-i Ser, having reference especially to the red head-dress worn by its
adherents), founded by Shah Haydar Safawi of Ardabil, who in Dersimi and
Kızılbash traditions is referred to under numerious names or ‘nisbas’, such
as Father Mansur, Kalemamsor or Kalman Sar (this title slightly differing in
spelling and pronunciation denoted “the one dressed in red”, “Surkhalaman”
or “Surkhjamagan” in its original form), Sayyid, Pir Sultan (Kodja Haydar),
Sultan Baba, Father Düzgün (Shah Haydar), and sometimes also as Ahmet Yesevi
and Hajji Bektash.
In his time millions took him to be a universal god.
The term “Yesevi” is infact a distorted form of that of Safawi. Therefore
the religio-political movement that labeled as “Yesevism” in later periods
cannot be anything else other than Safawism.
Shah Haydar the Safawi is regarded as the founder of their religion by
Dersimis.
It was a religion seperate from both the Christianity and Islam though
influenced by both to a certain extent. Due to their new religion,
consedered as heretical (Rafizi or Gulat in Arabic), Dersimis/Zazas were
heavily persecuted by the Ottoman and Turkish rulers time and again. These
persecutions occasionally turned into the massacares of the worst kind.
Eventually a section of the Zazas living outside Inner Dersim, that is,
under ottoman occupation, converted to mainstream Sunni Islam, which has
caused an internal division within the nation.
History
The Kingdom of Urartu (880/850-590 B.C) could be taken as a reference point
to start with, as it was the first political entity which had unified almost
all the lands populated by Zazas.
At peresent it is difficult to determine for certain whether or not the
Kingdom of Urartu was a Zaza monarchy.
After the collapse of Urartu, its territory was first conquered by the Medes
and at a later period by the Akamenids, i.e. Old Persions, who replaced them
in Iran.
By this time the former land of Urartu, at least a great portion of it,
received a number of other names. Of them the commonest were those of
Armenia and Dersim/Zazana.
Under Akamenids, perhaps since the time of the Medes, Dersim/Zazana had
nominally been governed by the Dynasty of Orontids (401-200 B.C), and then,
at the time of Macedonians, by two other dynasties related to them, Sophene
(Tsophk) and Artaxiad (200-1 B.C). In ethnical sense both Orontids and the
ruler of the latter were Gilanians, which is another name for modern Zazas
as mentioned before.
Parthians (247 B.C-224 A.D) and Romans, who defeated the Macedonians, were
next to rule. Thereafter we find Byzantines and Sasanians (224-651 AD) in
the possession of the land.
The Sasanian rule came to an end with the Arab invasion of the 7th century
A.D.
The tradition refers to the Parthians and Sasanians as the ancestors of
Dersimi/Zaza people alongside with the Mamikonians.
In the 11th century the country was invaded by the late Dailamits (Gilanis)
and Seldjuq Turks. After the periods of Mongols and Timurids the land fell
into the hands of the tribal confederations known as the Karakoyunlu and
Akkoyunlu, who were mainly Mamakonians in origin, but mixed and partly
Turkicized in later times. Eventually, the Akkoyunlu, who gained a decesive
victory over the Karakoyunlu exercised the supremacy until they were
replaced by the Safawids, their succesors.
The brief rule of the Safawids was followed by that of the Ottomans.
As is known from historical sources during the centuries-long war between
Safavids and Ottomans, Dersimis had sided with the former against the
latter.
When all combined together these facts clearly show that despite foreign
interventions, frequent interruptions and fragmentation of the country, the
Zazas, under different names, have been repeatedly spoken of during the
historical times. At least since the Persian domination we find them
governing some parts of the country here and there though not always
independently.
Nevertheless it is important to note that they are most easily recognisable
during the times of the Parthians and Sasanians, who are referred to as
ancestors. It was their golden millenium, the end of which marked by the
Arab invasion. They returned to power in the person of Dailamits and menaged
to maintain it for a century (945-1055) until the coming of the Saldjukid
Turks. The Arab and Turkish invasions were obviously the most unfortunate
for the Zazas. They rose to power once more with the early Safawids and
continued to share their fate ever after.
Search for justice
The collapse of the Ottomans had left a power vacuum, filled by the Turkish
nationalists, called Kemalists at a later time. In order to create a Turkish
nation from above, they waged a bloody campaign against Armenians, Zazas and
Assyrians, the non-Turkish elements of the empire. It was a deliberate and
sustain war, in the course of which the national resistance of the Zazas
with the sole purpose of self-defence in 1920 (Kochgiri), 1925 (Shaikh Sait)
and 1937-1938 (Inner Dersim) had been ruthlessly suppressed one after
another and thousands were forced into exile.
That`s how the previously independent part of the country, known as Inner
Dersim, has also been subdued and colonised by Turks.
In 1937-38, i.e., at a time when world attention was focused on the Second
World War, Turkey commited a genocide, by killing approximately 70.000
people in the process.
Especially the year 1938 became one of the most important date in the
nation`s calender commemerated every year, in particular by its Kızılbash
section. Hence the people speak of “before and after the year 1938”
whenever the recent history is concerned.
What happened back then has been handed down to the later generations by
their parents and grand-parents, who witnessed the onslaught, and of whom
some are still alive. Furthermore the sites of the mass graves all over
Dersim are well known and can easily be located if and when need be. The
ruins of the country`s cultural heritage including churches belonged to the
nations`s Christian section are still visible.
Let there be no doubt that a legal action against Turkey will at long last
be taken at some time in the future. A search for justice has already began.
People wish to see the justice served.
Despite a long interval the Zaza aspirations for a free homeland has never
died out. The turning point arrived in the late-1980s, when a new patriotic
movement began to emerge. This movement has continued to gather momentum up
until now.
The struggle for a democratic self-rule is still on.
It is a struggle for survival.