Body of well-known Kurdish academic, writer arrives in Kurdistan for burial

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region received the body of well-known Kurdish linguist, mathematician, and writer Jemal Nebez at Erbil International Airport on Saturday before sending it on to be buried in his hometown of Sulaimani.

Though his name is not commonly familiar to those outside the academic world, many Kurdish officials, writers, and intellectuals attended the arrival of the 85-year-old deceased Nebez, whose casket was covered with the national flag of Kurdistan.

After a brief observance, his remains began the trip to Sulaimani to be buried in a special ceremony.

A true Renaissance man, he was born on Dec. 1, 1933 in Sulaimani and eventually published dozens of books in widely varying fields. He died on Dec. 8 in Berlin after suffering from an illness.

He studied Islamic law, philosophy, theology, physics, and mathematics at the University of Baghdad in the 1950s before leaving the country in 1962 for Europe to pursue his studies in pedagogy, Iran studies, and Islamic studies. 

He attended the Universities of Munich, Würzburg, and the University of Hamburg. He also studied political science, journalism, and law at the Free University of Berlin.

“Jemal Nebez was an important scientist of our nation,” Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani previously said in a condolence statement, stressing Nebez’s role in introducing Kurds to the world.

His support for Kurdish struggles was a constant theme in his life, often calling for greater Kurdish rights in European centers over more than five decades.

Editing by John J. Catherine