View source for Gandhari Kurdistan

[[File:Kurdish region in Gandhara.png|thumb|right|350px|A map displaying the Kurdish-majority region of northern Gandhara.<br />{{legend|#c12838|Kurds form an overall majority}}{{legend|#d0676f|Kurds form a relative majority}}]]

'''Gandhari Kurdistan''' is an unofficial name for the parts of northern [[Gandhara]] where [[Wikipedia:Kurds|Kurds]] form the predominant ethnic group. It includes six [[Governorates of Gandhara|governorates]]: Bayazidi, Khani, Dinawar, Tayran, Mawardi, and Caesarea.

The region covers an area of 166,227 km² (64,181 sq mi), constituting almost 25% of Gandhara's total area. According to the 2016 Census, the region has a total population of 2,030,005, just above 6% of the country's total population. The unofficial capital is considered to be [[Araz]], the capital of the Tayran Governorate, which is a popular city among students due to the presence of prestigious universities and foreign companies.

==History==
During the [[Wikipedia:Middle Ages|Middle Ages]], the Kurdish-inhabited regions of [[Outernatia]] came under the rule of local Kurdish chieftains, though they never established an unified nation state. In 1575, the current region of Gandhari Kurdistan came under the rule of the Gandhari Empire after Mustafa II, known as ''Mustafa the Conqueror'', defeated several [[Wikipedia:Kurdish tribes|Kurdish tribes]].

Ethnic groups had very little rights under the rule of the Sultans, which led to internal conflicts in which ethnic groups opposed the rule of the central government. An example is the Kurdish Rebellion of 1869–73. After the downfall of the Gandhari Empire and the foundation of the [[Al-Mansur dynasty]], the relationship between the Kurds and the central government remained tense. 

During the [[Gandhari Revolution]], the [[Arab Socialist Union of Gandhara]], a [[Wikipedia:Political party|political]] and [[Wikipedia:Military organization|military organization]] who seeked to abolish the monarchy and to establish an [[Wikipedia:Arab Republic|Arab Republic]], received mass support from the Kurds. The Arab Socialist Union promised more rights for ethnic minorities and after the overthrow of the Al-Mansur dynasty, a new [[Constitution of Gandhara|Constitution]] was adopted by [[Gandhari constitutional referendum, 1957|referendum]], in which [[Wikipedia:Central Kurdish|Sorani]] (a dialect of [[Wikipedia:Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]) is recognized as an official language in the governorates of Gandhari Kurdistan.

==Geography==
[[File:Landscape in Gandhari Kurdistan.png|thumb|right|220px|Valley of Tahir in Dinawar, Gandhara.]]
Gandhari Kurdistan is largely mountainous, with over 72% of the region lying above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft). The mountains are part of the larger [[Hare Krishna]] mountain range that runs through Gandhara from north to south. The plains in the east are fertile and are used for growing grains and grazing. Various rivers, such as the [[Pankisar River]], flow through the area and water these plains.

==Politics==
There have been ideas to merge the governorates of Gandhari Kurdistan into one [[Wikipedia:Administrative division|administrative unit]] that would exist along the other governorates with a certain degree of autonomy. In the interest of national unity and to avert secessionist movements, the central government has always opposed this idea.

===Political parties===
Kurds in Gandhara are represented by the [[Kurdish Alliance]], a [[Wikipedia:Kurdish nationalism|Kurdish nationalist]] political party that holds 12 seats in the [[Wikipedia:National Assembly|National Assembly]], the [[Wikipedia:Lower house|lower house]] of the [[Parliament of Gandhara]].

==Demographics==
[[File:Sıla Şahin.png|thumb|right|220px|Gandhari-Kurdish actress [[Wikipedia:Sıla Şahin|Sıla Şahin]].]]
According to the 2016 Census, there live around 4,032,000 Kurds in Gandhara, which is 12,4% of the total population. More than 1.5 million Kurds live in the mountainous areas of Gandhari Kurdistan, where they make up more than 75% of the population. Other ethnic groups in Gandhari Kurdistan include [[Wikipedia:Arabs|Arabs]], [[Wikipedia:Armenians|Armenians]], [[Wikipedia:Assyrian people|Assyrians]], and [[Wikipedia:Yazidis|Yazidis]].

The table below shows the Kurdish population in relation to the total population in Gandhari Kurdistan.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Governorate
!Total population
!Kurdish population
!Percentage
|-
| [[File:Flag of Bayazidi.png|border|23px]] Bayazidi || align=center|331,672 || align=center|327,890 || align=center|98.9%
|-
| [[File:Flag of Khani.png|border|23px]] Khani || align=center|310,556 || align=center|284,292 || align=center|91.5%
|-
| [[File:Flag of Dinawar.png|border|23px]] Dinawar || align=center|212,918 || align=center|184,443 || align=center|86.6%
|-
| [[File:Flag of Tayran.png|border|23px]] Tayran || align=center|281,857 || align=center|203,736 || align=center|72.3%
|-
| [[File:Flag of Mawardi.png|border|23px]] Mawardi || align=center|491,055 || align=center|342,265 || align=center|69.7%
|-
| [[File:Flag of Caesarea.png|border|23px]] Caesarea || align=center|401,947 || align=center|187,765 || align=center|46.7%
|-
!Total
!2,030,005
!1,530,391
!75.4%
|}

===Languages===
The official languages of Gandhari Kurdistan are Sorani and [[Wikipedia:Arabic|Arabic]]; the Kurdish dialect Sorani is the most widely spoken language. The other two dialects of Kurdish, [[Wikipedia:Northern Kurdish|Kurmanji]] and [[Wikipedia:Southern Kurdish|Pehlewani]], are also spoken by a part of the population. [[Wikipedia:Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[Wikipedia:Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]] are the native tongues within their respective communities.

==See also==
*[[Wikipedia:History of the Kurds|History of the Kurds]]
*[[Wikipedia:Kurdish population|Kurdish population]]
*[[Wikipedia:Kurdish music|Kurdish music]]

[[Category:Gandhara]]
[[Category:Geography of Gandhara]]