The Portrayal of the Kurds in Classical Arabic Poetry

After the spread of Islam and its acceptance by different ethnic groups, the Islamic culture became the basis for mutual respect among peoples and nations, and Arabic poetry started promoting brotherhood in faith instead of tribal arrogance. However, when the Islamic society and the Arab world gradually moved away from the Islamic anti-discrimination sources, followed by the reappearance of pre-Islamic tribal prejudices, especially in the Abbasid period, some sects like Shu'ubiyya started defaming the Arabs as a reaction to the injustice of the kings called Caliphs. In the same way, some Arab fanatics started humiliating other Islamic nations such as Iranians and Kurds. Of course, the share of the Kurds was more than double; on the one hand, due to being Iranian, they had to pay for what Iranian Shu'ubiyya did, and on the other hand, because they were believed to be the descendants of the "Medes", they were humiliated by some Persian fanatics. So, “how Kurds have been portrayed in the classical Arabic poetry?” is the question which the researcher, using a descriptive-analytical method, tries to answer in the present study. In fact, some various aspects of the images of Kurds in the classical Arabic poetry like how Kurdish figures have been praised or criticized, and their race and lineage have been investigated. The results show that a significant number of such images, under the influence of the conflict between Shu'ubiyya and Arabs, portray negative and superstitious images of Kurds. In some other works, some influential Kurdish figures have been admired and praised but their lineage and race have been changed intentionally. In a few cases, we can find a true image of Kurds. Expansion of mutual communications, general knowledge enhancement, regional disputes, and similar status of Kurds with other nations in the middle east are among the main causes of this positive portrait of Kurds.