Melayê Cizîrî Celebrated as Pillar of Kurdish Civilization at Major International Symposium

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Fourth International “Melayê Cizîrî” Symposium opened this weekend in the historic district of Cizre (Cizîra Botan), bringing together prominent academics, cultural figures, and regional leaders to honor one of the most influential minds in Kurdish intellectual history.

The annual gathering, held at the Didiman Cizre Hotel, once again highlighted Cizîrî’s enduring influence as a philosopher, mystic, linguist, and literary giant whose work continues to shape Kurdish cultural identity centuries after his death.

This year’s event drew increased attention across the region, marked by the attendance of President Masoud Barzani, whose presence underscored the poet’s unifying role in Kurdish heritage.

Melayê Cizîrî (1570–1640) is regarded as one of the foundational architects of classical Kurdish literature. His works — blending mysticism, metaphysics, philosophy, and poetic innovation — established the intellectual framework that later Kurdish writers and Sufi scholars built upon.

Cizîrî’s mastery of four languages — Kurdish, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish — placed him among the most sophisticated thinkers of his era, enabling him to engage with multiple literary and philosophical traditions.

Scholars at the symposium emphasized several defining pillars of his legacy:

1. Philosophical Depth

Cizîrî fused Islamic mysticism with rational metaphysics, producing a corpus that explores existence, fate, unity, and divine love.

2. Sufi Mysticism

His verse reflects the highest stages of Sufi thought, particularly Fana fillah (annihilation in God), a concept symbolizing unity and transcendent truth.

3. Linguistic Mastery

Experts highlighted that Cizîrî’s poetry helped elevate Kurmanji Kurdish to a refined literary medium, influencing centuries of poets, including Feqiyê Teyran and Ahmad Khani.

4. Cultural Identity

Through his writings, Cizîrî preserved and expanded Kurdish philosophical identity during periods of intense political and cultural transformation.

Large banners reading “Welcome to Cizre Botan” were displayed across the city welcoming President Barzani as thousands attended lectures, poetry readings, and scholarly sessions dedicated to interpreting Cizîrî’s works.

Cizre, long considered the heart of Kurdish mysticism and classical scholarship, has become the natural home of this international event.

Although the symposium centered entirely on Cizîrî, one of its most anticipated moments was the keynote address by President Masoud Barzani, who delivered one of the most comprehensive tributes to the poet in contemporary political memory.

President Barzani opened his remarks by calling the day “deeply meaningful,” emphasizing that Cizîrî’s intellectual brilliance is a shared treasure of the Kurdish people.

President Barzani revealed that Cizîrî’s poetry was historically recited in the Barzan tekke under Mawlana Sheikh Ahmed Barzani, demonstrating the deep spiritual link between the poet’s Sufi teachings and the Barzani religious tradition.

He quoted several of Cizîrî’s philosophical verses—on unity, fate, wisdom, and human potential—using the poet’s own metaphors to explain his intellectual heritage.

While the event coincided with ongoing regional developments, including Türkiye’s renewed peace initiatives and Barzani’s diplomatic presence, speakers stressed that the symposium’s focus remained cultural and intellectual.

Participants consistently returned to the core theme:
Melayê Cizîrî is not only a poet of the past but a philosopher whose thought remains essential to Kurdish identity today.

The annual Cizîrî symposium has become one of the most important cultural gatherings in the region, part of a broader revival aimed at restoring Kurdish classical scholarship to its historical prominence.

The event concluded with a collective call to expand academic study of classical Kurdish thinkers in universities across Kurdistan and the diaspora.

The Fourth International “Melayê Cizîrî” Symposium reaffirmed Cizîrî’s status not only as a literary icon but as a defining pillar of Kurdish civilization — a figure whose wisdom, philosophical insight, and poetic mastery still illuminate Kurdish thought today.

President Barzani’s participation added symbolic weight, but the heart of the gathering remained firmly with Melayê Cizîrî himself, whose legacy continues to unite scholars, artists, and cultural leaders across the Kurdish world.