Hejar Mukriyanî

Poet of Mahabad · The Greatest Kurdish Lexicographer · 1920 – 1991 CE — Abdurrahman Sharafkandi, known as Hejar ('the forsaken, the poor'), was a Kurdish poet, lexicographer, and translator from Mahabad in Rojhelat. He was among the leading cultural figures of the Republic of Mahabad and one of the great architects of the golden age of the Kurdish language.

Historical Overview

  • Rise to Power: Born in Mahabad and trained in the religious sciences, he joined Qazi Muhammad's movement in 1946. After the fall of the republic he was exiled to Iraq, lived in Bashur and then in Europe, and only returned to Iran after the revolution of 1979.
  • Achievements: He compiled Henbane Borîne — the largest Kurdish–Kurdish–Persian dictionary in history, with some 250,000 entries. He produced the first full Sorani translation of the Qur'an, and translated Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine from Arabic into Persian. He also left important poetry collections such as Bo Kurdistan and Alekok.
  • Significance to the Kurds and Medes: Hejar is the wall that protected the Kurdish language through its darkest decades. His dictionary remains the first reference of every Kurdish scholar, and his translation of the Qur'an made the sacred text available to millions of Kurds in their own tongue. His name is always invoked together with Hêmin and Qazi Muhammad as the golden triad of Mahabad.

Timeline

  1. 1920 CE — His Birth: Born in Mahabad to the scholarly Sharafkandi family.
  2. 1946 CE — The Republic of Mahabad: He took part in the cultural life of the republic and supported it through his poetry.
  3. 1947 CE — Exile: After the fall of the republic he sought refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan.
  4. 1979 CE — Return: He returned to Iran after the revolution and devoted himself to completing the dictionary.
  5. 1991 CE — His Death: He died in Karaj and was buried in Mahabad beside Qazi Muhammad.

Battles & Achievements

  • The Henbane Borîne Dictionary: The largest Kurdish–Kurdish–Persian dictionary ever produced, the work of nearly thirty years.
  • Translation of the Qur'an: The first complete Sorani translation of the Qur'an.
  • Translation of Ibn Sina's Canon: He rendered the great medical encyclopedia from Arabic into Persian in eight volumes.
  • The Bo Kurdistan Collection: His foremost national collection, recited at every Kurdish literary evening.

The Lands of Hejar

  • Mahabad — His birthplace and burial place.
  • Baghdad / Slemani — The two stations of his first exile.
  • Europe — His residence through the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Karaj — His final residence after returning to Iran.

Quotes & Legacy

  • Language is a homeland that cannot be occupied — guard it as you guard the mountain. — From the introduction to the dictionary.
  • I wrote the dictionary to build the Kurds a house that politics cannot tear down. — From an interview shortly before his death.

LEGACY

  • Hejar is the modern guardian of the Kurdish language. His dictionary has been reprinted many times in Tehran and Hewlêr and is used in every university. His tomb in Mahabad, beside Qazi Muhammad, symbolises the cultural completion of the Republic of Mahabad.

SOURCES

  • Hejar Mukriyanî · Hêmin û Hejar: Jiyan û Berhem · 1996 · Mukriyanî, Hewlêr
  • Joyce Blau · Méthode de Kurde Sorani · 2000 · L'Harmattan
  • Mukriyani Foundation Archives · https://mukriyani.com