Berzenci

Berzenci is a Kurdish tribe and sheikh family settled in the Süleymaniye-Kerkük basin of Güney Kürdistan. In Ottoman archival documents, it stands out as both a local power center and the central family of a short-lived Kurdish administration established in Güney Kürdistan after World War I.

Religious Influence and Local Politics

As an indicator of the family's religious-social influence, records concerning the Berzenci sheikhs' dergah in Kerkük and the Halidiyye order's tekke and madrasah in Süleymaniye are found in Ottoman archival funds (Cilt 3, s. 65). The tribe's weight in local politics is evident in the struggle for dominance over Süleymaniye, located on the Ottoman-İran border; during the İttihat ve Terakki governments, the struggle for influence over this city took place between the Berzenci and Talabani tribes (Cilt 3, s. 115).

Sheikh Mahmud and the Kurdistan Government

The most prominent figure of the family is Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci. At the end of World War I, during the evacuation of Kerkük by Ottoman forces and its occupation by the British, a Kurdistan Government was formed in Süleymaniye under the leadership of Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci; this development is reflected in official correspondence dated 1919 from the Erzurum Governor to the Dâhiliye Nezareti (Cilt 3, s. 121, 143). Following this process, it was recorded in the encrypted telegrams of the period that Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci was declared "Güney Kürdistan Sultanı" (Cilt 3, s. 132).

Conflict with the British

Relations between Şeyh Mahmud and the British administration quickly deteriorated. According to documents, Şeyh Mahmud, unable to tolerate British practices any longer, clashed with British officers and soldiers on May 26, 1919, took some of them prisoner, and defeated the British force that came to retrieve the prisoners in Süleymaniye at Taşluca, seizing automobiles, machine guns, weapons, and ammunition (Cilt 3, s. 121). Continuing his resistance, Şeyh Mahmud was wounded in the heel during these clashes and, along with his brother-in-law Şeyh Mehmed Garib, was captured by the British on June 19, 1919, and sent to Bağdat for trial (Cilt 3, s. 141).

Lausanne and the Mosul Question

Developments in Güney Kürdistan after World War I are evaluated under the heading "Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci hareketi" at the center of Kürt-British relations and conflicts (Cilt 3, s. 128). It is reflected in documents that the British tried to fill the power vacuum created by Şeyh Mahmud's capture through Şemdinanlı Seyit Taha, but Seyit Taha remained silent on the matter (Cilt 3, s. 134). The Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci administration established in Süleymaniye came to the agenda with the Lozan Görüşmeleri and the Musul meselesi; Turkey's stance on the Musul meselesi and specifically on Güney Kürdistan was the subject of correspondence between Lord Curzon and İsmet Paşa (Cilt 3, s. 142).