The Mystical Dervishes of Kurdistan | Disappearing World | TRACKS
A community of Kurds lives close to the border between Iran and Iraq.
Many of the inhabitants of the community are Qadiri Dervishes - followers of an ecstatic mystical cult of Islam. They practice unusual manifestations of faith like having electricity passed through their bodies, eating glass, handling poisonous snakes and skewering their faces and follow their leader Sheikh Hussein - the person who they believe is a manifestation of Allah.
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it’s amazing how this one video covers most of the things that I need it to know about the Kurdish culture, beautiful people and probably deserves their own Country❤
*_This is the Dervish culture, merely a percent of the full Kurdish culture._*
Never, they belong to Iran
@@IranianImmortal just like the great Medes, never belongs to the Persians.
@@MadKingOfMadaya yes I know, there's probably more stuff that someone can take from the Kurdish culture, at the end this is just a small location in Kurdistan.
Stop being delusional Kurds were not Medes they were always part of Iran and will be for ever. Expect some surprises in Erbil soon ;)@@Berxwedan.
Biji Kurd u Kurdistan 💛❤️💚💛❤️
It is incredible how in every single place, there's always some people who are choosing the mystical way of their own culture, they gather and prove traditional loyalty. I admire the beauty of those places and the high level of skill the people have in all their works.
This channel is very good , excellent documentaries!! Love them !!
Thank you very much for your upload. It is always great to learn how culture flourishes throughout the world.
Kurdish and proud 💚❤💛
I'm from Kurdistan
Me to 😊
Mnish
@Level ARE3RA What?
Beloved, this movie was recorded at least 50 years ago. This is Kurdistan, the land of religions and history and the diversity of thoughts and ideas. Friends who criticize the behavior and attitude of the Kurds at that time are wrong, in this history life has been almost the same in all remote villages of the world. This is part of the culture of a nation that has been filmed from the perspective of Sufism and has been a successful director. Kurdistan is the cradle of history and culture with simple people Hospitable, committed, believing in humanity and respect for others, brought civilization from cities and villages to cities. A completely natural and historical trend. Apart from the Kurdish religion, they have been openly oppressed by Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria over the past century, and this has been the reason why they have not been able to make much progress. But now we see that, like the developed and modern countries in Iraqi Kurdistan, they have formed a semi-independent government and become a model for the Middle East (with all the problems that exist). Thanks to all the friends who released this film and showed a small part of the rural agriculture and animal husbandry culture of Kurdistan, as well as the beliefs of the sheikhs and dervishes that can be seen in all religions and denominations, although this is debatable.
Well, thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was just watching a dangerous and destructive cult.
So true, well explained friend!
Thank you so much for this explanation.
and sorry its not the land of religions what religion started in Kurdistan ?? nothing you mean its the lands of occults that is what really started there
Bologna!
These rituals are very interesting, because I think they’re a relic of the pre-Islamic past of Kurds and other Iranian people. Probably a remainder of some ancient religion like Zoroastrianism that has survived to this day because they incorporated it into Islam. There are still hundreds of holy shrines throughout Kurdistan that Muslim Kurds go to visit, but in fact these shrines may be older than Islam itself. Also a remainder from our Zoroastrian past.
Who tf cares about Zoroastrianism islam rules now and it'll always be alhamdulilla
this is shamanism
クルド人の中にはヤズディやアハレハック等の密教があるので中東でイチバン古代の宗教の習慣を残していると思います。
Not iranian stdu
This has nothing to do with Zoroastrianism Its supposed to be Sufism because that's what they call it but it's not Sufism either
Is it just me or are some of these are genuinely handsome?
Kurds are very beautiful.
Yes, many were very handsome..most were. Very unusual in a general population in Australia
This documentary is at least 55 years old. I can see the Iranian police personnel wearing their imperial police uniform. Sufism is a branch of Islam that is not popular in Kurdistan anymore. Kurds are a diverse religious nation. Kurds are Christians, Jews, Ezidis, Yrsans, Zoroastrians, Kakayes, Arkawazis and many other. Kurds do not like to be classified as a religious entity, they however want to be recognized as Kurds only. Kurds are Kurds regardless of religion and dialect. I have seen documentaries around the world with religious and cultural rituals exceedingly more extreme than what we witnessed. I love Kurdish people and owe them a gratitude for defeating ISIS. Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria are butchers of innocent Kurdish lives.
Well said & well observed Indeed
Powerful and moving video: thank-you.
Gday from Australia. Thankyou for another interesting video. Xx🖖💚❤
Gday Australia Time to end the medical tyranny in your country for a "so called virus " that has an .006 death rate and a 99.9 percent recovery rate be well 8 safe
We need a Kurdistan flag emoji
This documentary was made decades ago and bought by TRACKS, legal rights and all. And here we are, enjoying these archived and forgotten works of art.
This is probably from early 80's. Coz no one from outside have been aloud to make a documentary like this in rurale Iran since. (U know the history,revolusjon,wars,america). Very interesting film. Thnx
Sociolist Irak..
This world is not disappearing. It is very much kicking and alive.
This video shows members of the Qadiriye brotherhood, which has congregational sites in 91 countries. The video was shot in the border village of Bashmak, Iran, at the time when Saddam Hussein was president of Iraq (1979-2001) and when the USSR did still exist (before 1991), so in the 1980s.
are there other documentaries about the Kurdish community in Iraq/Iran and their culture?
There are many in Iraq, not much in Iran since the 80’s. I don’t have links to them, but if I do find them I’ll be sure to send them to you.
This documentary doesn't show the real context of these practices. The objective here is clearly to present these people as "exotic orientals", who do strange rituals and have bizarre costumes. Of course, there are different kinds of Sufism, some forms are very primitive closer to the practices of fakirs, Vudu priests, and the protestant savages in the U.S. white belt ( like the Mormons and baptist) who drink snake venom to prove their faith. But there's also extremely refine forms of thought and mysticism in Islam, think of Rumi, Farid Uddim Attar, Omar Kayyam, Sohravardi etc.
Mormons aren't Protestant.
To learn more about the cultural and historical context, read the book 'Agha, shaikh and state', by Martin van Bruinessen. And for the religious context, 'Soefisme, een levende traditie', by Ashgar Seyyed-Ghorab.
I remember my grandfather used to do these rituals, peace be upon him and other Kurds whom believed in these values.
42:58 The pain tolerance level is Over 9000!
And i hear someone telling him Matirse means dont be scared 😭
Ever had a piercing? Totally normal and bearable level of pain for an ordinary person
There is no pain. It's all done by demons (Jin) that why if the sheik doesn't give permission they can't do it. Do some research. My uncle used to eat glass ,watches , piercing through our his body then he left the cult.
All these comments… Sufi is not a religion, it is love. Sufi is Zen, Zen is Sufi. They are not religious but spiritual beings. Lovers and warriors.
Sufism is part og islam
This is a corrupted version of Sufism actually
Would be useful if you put dates on these documentaries. This is obviously from the 90s or earlier given it has USSR on the map. While still interesting, a lot can change in 20-30 years.
Filmed in early '74
@@epowellrobOh wow 😮
Love from an alevi
Biji kurd u kurdistan ❤ roj baş🥰
When was that recorded?
Episode " Dervishes of Kurdistan " Disappearing World, That was aired Nov 27, 1973.
When was this film made, please?
@49:20 I used to visit this place in 60s during summer time
How old was you then
Kurdish Kurdistan
Thank-you*
What year this film is been recorded please?
خوا ئەزانێ😂
How TF did I get here?
KZhead
I'm kurdish and this stuff is about to disappear completely ........ kurds are now much stronger Muslims .
Kurdistan is a mosaic of faiths, this documentary ostensibly about the Qadiri Kurds is actually about the little known Kaka'i faith which has an outward appearance of being Qadiri order Sufis.
Right on it !! Wow !!
@@kazhagarmiyani8181 Hi Kazha, are you Kaka'i/Yaresan/Yarsani?
@@elchasai these people are not yarsani
@@ryana5437 are you certain of this?
@@elchasai yes
Can I ask about the exact year that this movie made in it, please
Must be before 1978.
Kurd 4 Life
6:27 : Sheikh Hosein born in 1882 and passed away in 1938. USSR born was from 1922 to 1991. The guy look like in his 30th so the video should be close to 1922. I confirm everyone in the video is already here with me.
”Here with me” loooool
Sound and color didn’t exist in 1930s.
This is obviously some old footage and not HD as claimed. Interesting though and hair rousingly archaic. Astonishing what religious fanatics will do to themselves. The status of their woman is deplorable.
When are they going to start whirling
Yeah, this is not Islam. In fact its the opposite.
It is islam, face it the only muslims that dont do self harm is sunnis
People ask when did this video was recorded i have no idea but these Dervishes still exist and do the same thing They don’t feel pain
See, it's in Iran, aka rojhelatê Kurdistanê. When the bus with women comes they are not covered, second, the uniform of the military guy looks shah era Iran and third, wearing tie is prohibited in current Iran regime. Conclusion: it must be before the Khomeini time, Khomeini came to Iran in 1978.
That true..
Yes, that true. My grandfather was a dervish😌
0:17 This map is wrong, if in the future Kurdistan becomes an independent state, its territory may be the territory of the current Kurdistan Autonomy.
the original land of kurds is kurdistan and everyone knows what i mean
It's a map where Kurds live, it's not a state map but a population map.
and historically that region highlighted which spans four countries is called Kurdistan.
God that documentary very very old.ı know it
Say his real name - Ninurta
The place where the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) dwelled and preached still exists and the customs and methods of Islamic practice is there to follow and abide to. Thus do not practice weird, unnecessary, deviant and practices not performed by the prophet or his sahaba contrary to the Holy Quran or the Hadeeths.
26:58 🤌🏻😍
Xwedê qehra xwe li we bike.Ev ne ol e. Hûn muşrîk in.
Bila herkes bi dînê xwe bijî. Bijî Kurdistan.
Hêdî baju
It is interest How they present wrong Kurdistan maps like other orientalists without knowing Kurds are exist from Mersin to Khorasan and From Kars to plains of Baghdad.
They are trying to belittle Kurds in anyways they can
kurdstan کوردستان❤❤❤❤
70s? Women around the Middle East were stritcly veiled only in the 80s.
گەلی کورد نەخوێندەوارن , پایتەختی هەر چوار پارچە رێگا نادەن خوێندەواری بڵاو ببێتەوە. بۆیە ئەم گەلە ئاوا سەرگەردانە, گەر هەر مرۆڤێکی ئەم نەتەوەیە خوێندەوار بێ, تاکی گەلی کورد رۆشنبیر دەبێ.
The guy at 29:00 seems to have a demon.
کی کوردە؟
Min
Eating glass I don't want to disrespect their religion but being in trance and doing this is voodoo
Islam doesn’t teach that
@@Faisal-sf1gh what they doing is not light so therefore it's a form of darkness.
Even in their prayers they are saying something ive never heard before
@@chandsunil I am highly spiritual. I came from a very powerful shamanic lineage. I do give messages without going in trance.this is my gift.i recognized that their are different roads leading to god .but please explain to me what kind of spirit of light is willing to put their host in jeopardy in other to prove it a form of loyalty to god or spirit. Now who I am. I am a shaman medium from a royal lineage. Which practices ancient healing.
And don't forget I wasn't responding to the religion I was responding to the ceremony. Their a difference. Educate ur self spiritual
I don't think Allah will believe one's devotion more if they ate glass or electrocuted themselves...amazing culture, but self harming in the name of religion sucks
Facts
Hey it actually isnt and wasnt about harming yourself in the name of religion. Its to prove you have the power to do it because you have such faith, tbh its a f*cking miracle these men put skewers through their jaws and didnt bleed out😁
Shia Muslims do the same during Ashura, and so do Catholics flagellating themselves in Spain, Sicily and the Philippines, or Orthodox monks chastiding themselves.
Where david blaine gets his tricks from then skin peircing and glass eating...
Exact
Blaine is a nobody compared to these guys.
How the Arabs fooled us the Kurds with this utter nonsense to put it mildly
With respect, please reveal Kurdistan to the world, the Kurdish nation is peaceful
its 60s or 70s??
The 80s
Traditional spiritual They Repeatedly say allah Until somebody bewitch
No "bewitching" when one engages in dhikr.
This was filmed 1973.
These are real Muslim who fellow Sufi Islam and follow Shaik called Imam Ahmed Rafie There different Shaik like naqshbandi Shaik qadari. But now we have Whabi’s and deobandi
They are Shias
@@tabraiz72 No they are ahlul sunnah
9:40
its part of my culture to hate children molesters can you respect and accept that ?
I was liking it until the child's cheek piercing part came. I think it is ridiculous to mutilate a good body given by God.
@Nekes12 Well, if they are happy with it, who am I to object? I think you are right.
The whole point is their not “mutilating” their body, the whole point in doing this is to prove that they have such power to pierce themselves in the name of their faith without releasing blood👍🏼
They seem to be not mutilated ....working as usual without any injury just the next day .
The amount of abuse in this clip is beyond comprehension. Anyone who can be exploited, is. I am sincerely praying for the children& women, the elderly, the sick, the challenged, and last but not least for the innocent animals, My.. My.. My.. May Hashem have mercy on their/our Souls. 🙏
That's rich coming from someone who's cult cuts little boys weenies and slurps the bleeding wounds
Kurds were the first jews in the world.
I don't believe the narrator or his translations. I also don't believe the story he is telling either. I would accuse the non-Kurdish men of incitement. I bet the Englishmen here were also doing magic.
Putting that much weight on a donkey is abuse
they should put it on u then
I know it seems weird for me to say but they are trained that way
I wonder what is left of them these days? Not much i bet.
Same I doubt it
There are many of them still .
This tradition still continues in my hometown!
@@Pangolier where are you from?
@@kazhagarmiyani8181 Paveh!
We have that in Christianity. Called Protestant Pentecostals.
literally 😂
I’m i Kurdish Muslim from south Kurdstan that part you mean and these video very old i 🤔 think my people not listen to sheikh they’re doing to many crazy things in past we are just believe my Allah and that’s all for us any darwesh or any shiek doing any things today nobody’s Believe them any more that video 20 to 30 years old so please don’t blame Muslim people in my country 😛
from which city in Kurdistan are you?
Do not do what Our Prophets and his companions did not do in worshipping to Allah.
Why dose he smoke cigarettes 🚬 Idk why are people kissing his hands and why is he making so much money I might be wrong for saying this but I swear Allah is the only god and no one should be worship
One of the millions of ways of being a practising Muslim.
But most of them are wrong the only right way is following the path of the prophet
Thanks But what about the Palestinians, Rohingya Muslims and kashmiries who are disappearing from the map......? Will you show their prospective. ....?
@Uncle Ruckus I'm sure after all this incident what happens to you will say them if you let me go or spare me i will forget about rapes of my family members, killings and occupation of my home. I will forget everything .But let me go at least I'm alive . i will stay footpath if you do this then do it again.
Ypu can male
sufism is not a cult whats with that description have you not done your research properly??? Why are you spreading misinformation?
کوردییەکەیان چەند پاراو و بێ گرێیە ، ئیستاش گوێ بۆ کوردانی ڕۆژهەڵات بگرە زمانی ئاخاوتنیان لێوان لێوە لە وشەی فارسی بەجۆرێک ئاوازی زمانە کوردییەکەشیان گۆڕاوە .
this is so not documentary at all!
These people are conflating their tribal traditions with Islam. Islam does not prescribe or promote self-flagellation at all. (The same goes for the treatment of the women.)
Yeah dont speak abt a religion you dont know anything about, there are different types of muslims with different morals and beliefs. Im pretty sure the only sub religion in islam that doesnt recommend self harm is sunnis
Some of their practices are kinda disturbing and i feel the spirits who wish this do not come from God
So a producer go to a man with some kind of influence on some nomad tribes offer him like what 10k to make him this material so that guy takes advantage of those ignorant nomads that clearly live a simple life and the guy take advantage of their ignorance and their need of money just to smear us Muslims and our Religion and its teachings wish have nothing to do with what i have just watched
Why would go want you to inflict pain on yourself? Why would God want a child to pierce his cheek with a metal rod. The spirit behind all this isn't God, it's demonic. So evil.
روستای "بایوه" شهرستان مریوان استان کردستان
💞اللهمَّ💞🍀صَلِّ🍀ْعلُى🍀 سِـيِّدٍنِأّ💥مٌحُمٌد🌺 َأّلَوٌصّـفُ🌺 وٌأّلَوٌحًيِّ💞وٌأّلَرسِـأّلَةّّ💞وٌأّلَحًکْمًةِّّ🍀🌺وَعلىُ🌺آلَهّ 💞ِ وٌصّـحًبًهَّّ💞🍀وٌسِـلَمً🍀ِّتٌـسِـلَيِّمًا🌺🍀🍁 🌿🌺اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد🌿🌺 الدر الانور والياقوت الابهر🌿🌺 نور الله الأزهر وسر الله الاكبر🌿🌺 بعدد مافي علمك من العدد 🌿🌺بكل طرفه عين من الازل الى الابد 🌿🌺وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليما🌺🌿
Greetings This is part of some subculture in Islam but that doesn't mean as you mention every Muslim in every corner of the world pray the same i thing this which you represent isn't a dhiker (meditation) is recommended to be done in individual and this is for me feel shame how some people in Dervish community wanna present Islam in this way by putting themselves into trans and saying I am doing Dhiker. Best regards
Get it right Kurdish people are not originally muslim.
True
Im alevi kurd
@@infraredimmortalerth are u not Muslim
@@hype2335the Kurds were originally yezidis but now I guess the majority of us are sunni Muslims and some are Shia Muslims
@@Anw221 BS .. uezidis are not kurds .. they are brown gypsies who came later
Cruelty on thoes animals the seik should see they don't get burden so much, God wants all creatures cared for most strange.
Have to be honest I found some of their customs disturbing to my sensibilities of way of devotion to a living being. True I'm iggnorent of the customs and religious beliefs, only that they are Dervish Kurds Muslims, a branch of Islam. ✊ ☘️
now Kurds claimed they were muslims before mohammad 😂 and this is their situation til 90s with shamanism and first humanoid tribal barbaric practices
I am a muslim have been for 20 years this is not islam i have read quran more than 10 times this is something ppl created from themselves we do mot do anything that Allah did not command we do not do anything that the prophet Muhammad SAW did not do and he didnt do this please any non muslims please do not believe this is true islam this is what is known as bida'h or innovations in islam ppl added this and command it from themselves it is a great sin.....
(ﷺ)
bidah has types, dhikr is not bidah, however anything in contravention of the Sharia is clearly sinful.
So you've read the quran 10 times and don't have any problems with taking non-believer women as s3x s1aves?
Cult
Dervishs why the do this
Great stuff but I believe it's child abuse to get them so far into a state whereby they stick knifes into there bodies...shameful and primitive.
It isnt “child abuse” todd, lmfao dont speak on a religion you dont know jackshit abt. If you want me to explain why just reply to this comment. Thanks
Dont worry they will grow up everyone was a children once
@@gate_keeper3186bro Sufi is haram where in the Quran did it say to do these stuff it’s a shame with it still happens till dis day
This film for1972-1976
An incredible unique cult.
Muhammad PBWH did not do this
Satanic ritual
Yes i think too
I don’t blame you seeing this might suprise you
From your narrow point of view
Satan is you not them. They are hurting them self rather than hurting other people. Without having knowledge the people like you labelled all ancient belief systems as satan but you are following their rituals in the name of Islam: such as 5 times prayer a day. Learn a bit about your own before vilifying others.
Some of that was pretty extreme. I hope none of them does something really crazy, like flying some airliners into the World Trade Centers or the Pentagon. It could happen!
No Kurds took part in that though, and certainly no darweshs for that matter, so your joke doesn’t make any sense
@@Spinosaurus44 I wasn't joking.
@@dbx1233 well then you’re simply wrong because you have false expectations of a group of people that had nothing to do with jihadists and extremists, they’re just practicing their own thing in their little community without hurting anyone.
@@Spinosaurus44 How would you know anything about their little community? Just curious.
@@dbx1233 my great grandmother was part of their community, and so even to this day my grandmother knows a lot of them and sometimes tells me about them, the stories she heard from her mother.
Kinda like the Islamic Pentacostals