Kurd-Dagh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kurd-Dagh or Kurdish Mountain (Kurdish: Çiyayê Kurmênc, Arabic: جبل الاكراد Jabal al-Akrad ("Mountain of Kurds"), Turkish: Kürt Dağı) is a region of Kurdistan, located in Syria (Aleppo Governorate) and Turkey (Gaziantep Province). It is bordered with Afrin River (Tell 'Afrin, Afrin Çayı) to the east and south, by Islahiye-Kırıkhan Plain to the west and by Eloğlu (Türkoğlu) Plain to the north. In Syria, it is among the three "ethnic mountains" of western Syria, along with Jabal an-Nusayriyah ("Mountain of Alawites") and Jabal ad-Duruz ("Mountain of Druze"). The main town is Afrin (Efrîn in Kurdish) in Syria. The area is known for its olive growing and charcoal production. The majority of Kurd-Dagh population are Hanafi, while most Syrian Kurds are Shafiite.
Sherefname asserts that the authority of Kurdish beys of the region was extended to localities in Antakya. In plain areas like Islahiye, Kırıkhan, Reyhanlı, and Kilis, there are vestiges of Kurdish concentration in Kurd-Dagh. While other regions of Syrian Kurdistan faced an influx of Arab immigrants and campaign of Arabization, beginning in 1960s, Kurd-Dagh was spared from Arabization, mainly due to Syria's different policy based upon good relations with pro-Damascus landowners. The Turkish part was renamed officially as Kurt Dağı ("Wolf Mountain"), with a pun on the Turkish words Kürt (Kurd) and kurt (wolf).
