Ekrad

Ekrad is a plural tribal name meaning "Kurds" in classical Arabic; its singular is "Kürd", and it was widely used in early Islamic history and geography sources to describe the Kurds, their regions, and their tribes. In Arabic, the pronunciation of the letter (ك/Kef) as "Ku", combined with the silent reading of the letters (ر/Ra) and (د/Dal), forms the word "Kurd"; the plural of this expression is "Ekrad" (Volume 2, p. 48).

Historical Background

The early and frequent appearance of the term in sources has a historical background. During the caliphate of Hz. Ömer, when Iraq and Iran were taken from the Sasanian Empire, one of the nations Muslim Arabs encountered and fought was the Kurds; as a result of these wars, the Kurds came under Islamic rule and became a nation that collectively accepted a Muslim identity after the Arabs. For this reason, early Islamic history and geography books contain a lot of information about them, especially regarding the regions where the Kurds lived (Volume 1, p. 87). The special importance Muslim geographers gave to introducing the peoples, origins, and geographies of the Islamic world also nourished this richness (Volume 2, p. 48).

Appearance in Sources

Belazurî is among the earliest examples where the term appears; in his work Fütûhu'l-büldân, he uses the word "Ekrad" eight times when speaking of the Muslim conquest of Kurdish settlements (Volume 1, p. 90; Volume 2, p. 11). In Ya'kubî's Kitab et-Tarih, a concise general history, there are three narrations where the name "Ekrad" appears (Volume 1, p. 92).

Geographers have treated the term in the context of both population and settlement. İstahrî provides information about the settlement areas and rulers of the Kurdish tribes he mentions by name; according to him, there are more than five hundred thousand Kurdish homes, and a tribe can produce between one hundred and one thousand cavalrymen (Volume 2, p. 17). Yakut el-Hamevî, in Muʿcemü'l-büldân, considered the largest geographical encyclopedia, describes the cities, villages, castles, and monasteries where Kurds lived; according to him, the regions where Kurds are densely populated are Cezîre, Cibal, Ermeniyye, and Azerbaycan, and they also live in places like Fars, Kirman, Horasan, and Hûzistan. Hamevî presents data indicating that Kurds generally engage in agriculture and animal husbandry and mentions many Kurdish tribes and clans in his work (Volume 2, p. 26; Volume 2, p. 27).

Place Names and Usages

The name "Ekrad" is also recorded in many place names. Hısn'ül-Ekrâd (Kurdish Castle) is mentioned among the Kurdish castles listed by Hamevî (Volume 2, p. 27). Kazvinî speaks of Bab el-Ekrad (Kurdish Gate), connected with the Kurds in the Ran region (Volume 2, p. 60). Makdisî, when discussing the cities of Fars, mentions Zummu'l-Ekrad, which has districts and a river (Volume 2, p. 22). Harat el-Ekrad (Kurdish Quarter) Mosque near Halep is among the known places (Volume 2, p. 33). Himyerî, when speaking of Kelar in Taberistan, notes that Ekrad-ı Deylem lived there, and they were people of courage and skilled in horsemanship (Volume 2, p. 46).

The term is also seen in usages related to origin and social class. El-Umerî uses the phrase "Eşrafu'l-Ekrad" when referring to the Kurdish nobility (Volume 2, p. 52). Hısn'ül-Ekrad stands out as both a place name and a center of migration; it is understood from sources that Kurds migrated from Hısn'ül-Ekrad to Bilad-ı Şam and settled there due to conditions such as war and invasion (Volume 2, p. 75).