Nalî

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nali
A Fictional Portrait of Nali by Babajan
Born	1798 Xakuxol, Kurdistan
Died	1855
Pen name	Nalî
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	Kurdish

Nalî or Nali or Nalli(1798-1855) is the pseudonym used by Kurdish poet Xidir - Khidir. He was born in 1798 in the town of Xakuxol - Khakukhol. In order to complete his studies, he travelled to many cities in Kurdistan, such as Senna, Mahabad, Halabja and Sulaimaniya. In 1830, he pilgrimaged to Mecca, and on the way back, visited Damascus and Istanbul, where he came to know many Kurdish intellectuals and writers.

During his youth, two powerful principalities of Ardalan and Baban were ruling the southern part of Kurdistan. In 1837, the Baban principality was destroyed by the Ottoman state. This event affects him deeply and he has dedicated many of his poems to the his love for his homeland. In addition to Kurdish, he was fluent in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. A collection of his poems is published in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Ottoman occupation and destruction of the Baban principality resulted in Nali's forced exile, due to his Kurdish partriotism and support of the Babans. He spent his last years in Damascus, Mecca and Istanbul.

[edit] Significance in Kurdish Culture

It is widely accepted that Nali's literature contributed significantly to bringing about a renaissance in the Kurdish language. His most famous works were written in the lower Kurmanji dialect, Sorani, within the context of the turmoil caused by the Ottoman oppression.

To this day Nali's influence on Kurdish culture can be recognised as Sorani is the primary dialect of Kurdish in Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.