Balak tribe

Balak, باڵەک, Balek is a Kurdish tribe descendant of an Arian clan.^[1] living in former Soran Emirate which is now part of Erbil Province in Southern Kurdistan. it is located in the mountainous region of northern Erbil Province in Southern Kurdistan., People from the Balak area speak a language that is mixed in the Kurdish Sorani dialect and the Kurdish Kurmanji dialect. Like most Kurdish tribes, the people from the Balak tribe mainly live in mountains. Balak area starts from Rawanduz district ends in Haji Omaran Sub-district. there are two main Districts in Balak; Choman City and Rawanduz City. also five sub-districts: Warta, Smilan, Galala, Qasre and haji Omaran. its 120 Kilometers Northern Hewler City the capital of Erbil province. and bordered with Eastern Kurdistan which currently is under Iranian occupation.

Choman City is the biggest and capital of Balak Tribe nowadays. Rawanduz was the capital of Soran Mirnisheen which was a Kurdish emirate based in the geographic region of Kurdistan, specifically in what is today known as Southern Kurdistan. The emirate presumably gained its full independence from the Ottoman Empire shortly after it was captured from Safavid control, in the 1530s, but was later reincorporated into the Ottoman Empire as a semi-autonomous vassal state. After serving the empire as a semi-autonomous vassal state for the next couple of hundred years, the emirate slowly gained full independence for a second time, during the late 1700s and early 1800s, but was eventually subdued by Ottoman troops in 1835. Its capital for most of that time was the city of Rawanduz^[1]

The Name

The naming of Balak tribe came from the area that they inhabit.^[2] The oldest source that mentions the name of Balak Tribe is (The book of مسالك الأبصار في ممالك الأمصار, Masalik al-absar fi mamalik al-amsar), by the Arab geographer, Ibn Fadl Allah Al-'Omari, the name Balak said to be derived from Balakan Village^[3] in Northern Kurdistan which currently is under Turkish occupation. Balakan means home place of Balak's. Also the Ottoman Sharif Pasha mentions in his report that some clans of Balak tribe reside in Zooka and Mashkan regions in Northern Kurdistan. and the name of Balak Tribe was Mentioned in Seyahatname by Evliya Çelebi.^[2]

Balak Tribe are neighbors with Mangoor and Mamash tribes in North, Bradost Tribe in West, Khoshnaw Tribe in south and Ako tribe in East. and had good relations with those tribes. Balak was one of the main Tribe members in the union of Billbas Federation. and they took part of many wars and battles against Ottoman and Safavid Empires.

The Land

• Mala Sharafis are owning the complete eastern side of Balak River and parts of west side. and has control over the tribe, Some of their towns and villages are:

1. Kosratan (home place of Haci Agha) 2. Nawpirdan (home place of Mostafa Nawpirdani) 3. Shiwalok ( home place of Mahmood Sayda) 4. Sakran 5. Walash (home place of Sheikh Mohammed Agha) 6. Merga (Home place of Malasharafis) 7. Galala 8. Rezhdur (Home place of Sharif Agha) 9. Shiwalok 10. Makosan (Home place of rashid Agha) 11. Saya 12. Qasre 13. Walza (Home place of Hamza Agha) 14. Soraban 15. Rosta 16. Smilan 17. Girtk 18. Goroni 19. Chomsak 20. Mawnan 21. Qalat 22. baste 23. Khazna 24. Boran 25. Dilman 26. Koyla

• Shiwazuri Aghas own several villages north of Choman City; these include:

1. Rayat 2. Alana 3. Goonda Zhor 4. Shora 5. Nawanda 6. Darband

• Wahab Agha of Rawandoz. Landlord of Judian village and resort, north of Rawandoz towards Choman City.
• Suleman Beg of Dargalla. Landlord of Dergalla, Chomrikhin and Hafiz.

Notables and Tribe Rulers

The tribe supreme chieftain is Mala Sharafi Clan. Mala Sharafis are Land Lords and Tribe Leading Family. People calling them Agha which is the title given to tribal chieftains, is also given to wealthy landlords and owners of major real estates in the urban Kurdish centers, although these landlords are usually with heavy tribal relations.

Leaders and notables from Mala Sharafi Clan

• Mala Sharaf Land lord and Chief of Balak tribe. 17th Century.^[2]
• Suleman Agha Tribe Leader. 18th Century.
• Shaikh Muhammad Agha (Died in 1952) Balak's most powerful Leader. Established Good relation with both British Government and King of Iraq. He became Iraqi Parliament member in 1938.^[4]
• Shemhamad Balak Prominent Peshmerga leader, former Politburo member of PASOK.^[5]
• Mostafa Nawpirdani Commander of 48th special detachment of Iraqi Fursan Militia,^[6] he joined Kurdish Peshmarga and participated in the uprising of Kurdish people against Saddam Hussein regime and Killed in a battle near Hawler City in 1991.
• Yakhi Balak Moderate young leader, lives in United States ^[7] Country Primary at 1st North American Expeditionary Force ^[8][9]
• Hasan Kwestani (1950-1994) Prominent Peshmarga Leader in Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. assassinated by KDP in May, 17th 1994.^[10]

Other notables

• Khanzad Miri Soran (Khanzad Princess of Soran) ruled Soran Emirate during the period 1816–1825. She was from rawandoz City Famous Kurdish female Ruler of the 19th century.
• Mala Muhammad Khati
• Sheikh Muhammad Balak Of Zinwa The owner of Suhrawardiyya Sofism order. Sheikh Muhammad Balak was an Islamic leader from the 17th century. He had over a thousand followers during the Suhrawardiyya Order. Descendents of his followers and the residents of the area visit the shrine regularly and it is considered among Kurdistan’s religious tourism highlights.^[11]
• Azad Jundiani (1960) Politburo Member, Media Chief and Public Speaker of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.^[12]
• Hemin Malazade Anchorman.^[13] at Rudaw TV, 24/7 Kurdish News Channel ^[14]
• Kamal Chomani Journalist and writer.^[15]
• Ibrahim Malazada (1966) Writer and academic researcher.
• Mahmood Sayda Peshmerga commander who stayed in the mountain to fight against Iraqi Government after the fall of the Kurdish resistance in 1975. Was killed in 27/8/1977 in Shiwalok, Choman after one full day of fire exchange with Iraqi Army, same day his wife and youngest child were taken hostages and jailed for 1 year and 8 months.

References