Historical Dictionary of the Kurds

SHEIKH

Sheikh: translation

The Arabic origin of the wordsheikhis simply "old man." In Kurdistan, however, sheikhs are holy men, recipients of popular devotion that at times borders on worship and leaders ofsufiorders. Traditionally, they enjoyed wide respect and thus became ideal mediators in conflicts after the last Kurdishemirateswere abolished in the 19th century. This political role was reinforced by the sufi orders, which enabled sheikhs to occasionally be able to mobilize large masses for political aims. Indeed, most of the main Kurdish nationalist leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries owed at least some of their power to their "sheikhly" connections.Sheikh Ubeydullah of Nehri,Sheikh Mahmud Barzinji, andSheikh Said of Palucome readily to mind.Mulla Mustafa BarzaniandJalal Talabanialso owed their initial power to their association with families of sheikhs.
In the 20th century, however, the power of sheikhs has greatly declined before the forces of modernization. Following the uprising of Sheikh Said inTurkeyin 1925, thetekiyeswere closed, and sheikhs were persecuted and exiled as reactionary opponents of the modern Republic of Turkey. Some sheikhs were even executed. Even more important in this decline of sheikhly influence were various socioeconomic developments. Mass migration to the cities, better education and communication networks, more effective governments, and improved agricultural techniques made the sheikh less important as a mediator and more likely to be seen as an exploiter or even charlatan. Many sheikhs died without appointing a successor, the sheikh ofBarzanbeing a noted example.
Nevertheless, sheikhs continue to exist, even in Turkey, where they had gone underground after 1925. Indeed, after the institution of competitive politics in Turkey in 1950, some sheikhs emerged as important vote getters, especially for the Democrat Party of Adnan Menderes. Sheikh Salahaddin of Khizan, who became a member of the Turkish parliament, was a prime example. His sonKamran Inanwas an influential politician in Turkey for many years.

  1. sheikh—sheikh translation noun Sheikhstrong is used after these nouns oil...Collocations dictionary
  2. sheikh—sheikh translationSynonyms and related wordsDalai Lama Holy Roman Emperor Inca Kaiser Muslim rulers Prinz abdal ardri atheling bey cacique caesar cham crown prince czar d...Moby Thesaurus
  3. sheikh—sheikh translation [Swahili Word]u sheikh [Swahili Plural]u masheikh [English Word]u chief [English Plural]u chiefs [Part of Speech]u noun [Class]u an [Swahili Word]u she...Swahili-english dictionary
  4. sheikh—[ek]шейхшейх глава рода старейшина общинышейхсердцеед неотразимый мужчина...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  5. sheikh—sl. неотразимый мужчина шейх...Англо-русский дополнительный словарь
  6. sheikh—n шейх...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  7. sheikh—n sl sheik n q.v....Англо-русский словарь непристойных выражений
  8. sheikh—араб. сущ. тж. sheik а шейх в Аравии титул правителя и лицо носящее этот титул б шейх глава рода старейшина общины шейх представитель высшего мусульманского духовенства...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  9. sheikh—n...Англо-русский словарь политической терминологии
  10. sheikh—n...Англо-украинский словарь
  11. sheikh—шейх...Англо-украинский юридический словарь
  12. sheikh—шейх...Англо-український словник
  13. sheikh—шейх...Англо-український юридичний словник
  14. sheik(h)—[ek] n. шейх глава рода у арабов представитель высшего духовенства шейх у мусульман. амер. сл. неотразимый мужчинаhe is a sheikh among young ladies перед ним ни одна де...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  15. sheik(h)—[ek] n. шейх глава рода у арабов представитель высшего духовенства шейх у мусульман. амер. сл. неотразимый мужчинаhe is a sheikh among young ladies перед ним ни одна де...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  16. sheikh—sheikhgt шейх глава рода у арабовgt представитель высшего духовенства шейх у мусульманgt _ам. _сл. неотразимый мужчина_Exhe is a sheikh among young ladies перед ним ни од...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  17. sheik(h)—sheikh [ek] ni . шейх глава рода у арабовi представитель высшего духовенства шейх у мусульманi . амер. сл. iнеотразимый мужчина he is a sheikh among young ladies перед...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  18. sheik(h)—ek n . шейх глава рода у арабовem представитель высшего духовенства шейх у мусульманem . амер. сл. emнеотразимый мужчина he is a sheikh among young ladies перед ним...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  19. sheikh—ma см.em shaha...Суахили-русский словарь