Chapter 9
OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS
THE ethnic diversity of seventh-century Iraq was increased by the
presence of several smaller groups: Kurds, Syrians, Greeks, Turks,
Indians, and Africans. Except for the Kurds, these people were im-
ported as labor or as soldiers, but they all contributed to the cultural
syncretism of Iraq during this period.
KURDS
Kurds were the only smaller ethnic group native to Iraq. As with
the Persians, their presence along the northeastern edge of Iraq was
merely an extension of their presence in western Iran. All of the non-
Persian, tribal, pastoral, Iranian groups in the foothills and mountains
of the Zagros range along the eastern fringes of Iraq were called Kurds
at that time.^1 Their presence was usually made known through conflict,
as thieves and bandits, with their neighbors or by making common
cause with other rural forces against some central authority. During
the conquest, the Kurds of Fars attacked Hurmuziin from the rear
while he was defending Khuzistan against the Muslims in 639. But
five years later, they and other local people joined the revolt of Bayriiz
in Khuzistan. These rebels were met and defeated by the Basran army
under Abii Miisii between Nahr Tira and Manadhir on the border of
Iraq and Khuzistan. In 658 the Kurds in the mountains of Ramhurmuz
on the borders of Fars and Khuzistan joined the Khiirijl revolt of al-
Khirrit ibn Riishid. All of the dissatisfied local elements formed al-
Khirrit's left flank: local people, riffraff (Ar. 'ulUj), those who wanted
to "break" the kharaj, and their Kurdish followers. In the engagement
they fought against government forces, three hundred of the 'ulUj and
Kurds were killed. The Kurds of Fars also joined Ibn al-Ash'ath after
he was driven out of Iraq in 702.2
The main concentration of Kurds was further north. They lived in
the mountains of western Media (the Jabal) and southern Azerbayjan
and the valleys of the tributaries flowing into the Tigris, from Hulwan
1 Mas'iidi (Muru;, n, 251) includes Lurs among the "Kurdish" tribes of the Jibal.
2 Bosworth, Szstiin, p. 61; Tabari, Ta'rzkh, I, 2543, 2708-9, 3432.