Sînemxan Bedirxan – The Last Princess of Kurdistan Who Found Resistance in Archiving.
“Yes, they refer to me as a princess, but I’ve never received nor worn a crown in my life...” she chuckles as she takes a long sip of her freshly brewed coffee and a short drag of her cigarette. Sînemxan Bedirxan is referred to as the ‘Last Princess of Kurdistan’, a title which is derived from her noble lineage as well as being a much-loved Kurdish woman who, like members of her patriotic family has dedicated most of her life to the Kurdish cause.
It has been over 175 years since the Ottomon Empire expelled the last Kurdish Mîr - Bedirxan Beg. The legacy of the noble Bedirxan family is one that fills history books with themes of political establishments, revolts, and cultural deviances where Kurdistan is referenced. Emin Ali Bedirxan was one of Bedirxan Beg’s son's whose children Celadet Bedirxan, Süreyya Bedirxan and Kamaran Alî Bedirxan arguably continued the modern fight for the Kurdish cause on behalf of the family.
Sînemxan Bedirxan was born in Damascus on March 21st, 1938, her father Celadet Bedirxan and mother Rewşen Bedirxan were both political and academic activists. “When my father died in 1951, I was only 13. It was a very difficult time for us because he was such an influential person in our lives, but my mother was strong, she had endured so much already and she did her best to fill the absence he left in our home and community”, shared Sînemxan. The sudden loss of her father due to unexpected ill health is what Sînemxan describes as “the saddest memory” she holds on to. Without a doubt, life for her family changed drastically upon her father’s death, however it was how Rewşen Xan responded to the sudden tragedy that Sînemxan holds so dear to her memory, “My mother remains my hero, when my father died, we were so young, and she took responsibility of my sister, brother, and I so well. Yes, she was strict, in fact when we used to come back from school, if she was smiling it meant she was in a good mood, if she wasn’t we would run to our room and hide! But she was so strong, and her heart was just so pure”.
This photograph captured of Sinemxan (first left) and her family in Damascus during the 1940’s is her most cherished photo.
Multilingual in Kurdish, Arabic, English and French, Sînemxan thrived in education - both in her early years and later as an adult. The influence and significance of being linguistically enthusiastic comes as no surprise considering Sînemxan’s father Celadet founded the Kurdish Latin alphabet whilst in exile in 1931 (Bingehên gramera kurdmancî). “Some of my best years were in school, I loved learning and I saw what a difference education made to the Kurdish cause through the work of my father, I was encouraged by that…although I studied in French and Arabic, my parents would make sure my Kurdish studies remained priority”. Sînemxan studied at the French monastic school in Damascus where she graduated and continued her studies in Lebanon.
In 1959, Sînemxan married Salah Sa’dullah (an oil engineer and academic) and relocated to Kirkuk, South Kurdistan. It was also during the early 70’s that Sînemxan was elected as the president of the Kurdish Women’s Union of the Kurdistan Democratic Party for Kirkuk; she participated in delegations such as being sent to Moscow for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union in 1973. By 1974, both Sînemxan and Salah were expelled by the Ba’athist regime in Iraq for being pro-Kurdish rights activists. Resettled in Baghdad, in 1980 Sînemxan became a teacher at an international school that was affiliated with the United Nations; she would continue as an educator in French, Arabic and English in Baghdad until 1995 when she retired. Sînemxan resettled in Hawler (Erbil), South Kurdistan in 2006 where she has remained to this day. Sînemxan’s contribution to publishing and writing has earned her the position of the Honorary Chair of Kurdish PEN – a branch of the international PEN association of writers that was established in Cambridge, England in 1988. In 2014, she became the first Kurd to be awarded with the Legion of Honour medal in France; the highest French decoration that exists to date.
A life in exile, hardship, and activism aside, Sînemxan’s current day resistance lies in her archives. Her home, almost museum-like stores artefacts, documents, and photos that one would deem priceless. “Archives are so important, from the day I was born we had an archive at home!”, she exclaimed as she pointed to a box containing her father’s initial dictionary of the Kurdish language, “Both my parents taught us that archives are important for our history and one day, we mustn’t forget that we preserve our history of back then for our future generations.”
Sînemxan Bedirxan may never have worn a crown on her head for her noble lineage, but there is no existing tiara that can match the unparalleled throne of stories, books, photographs, and documents she sits on. A bold and charismatic character to be reckoned with, make no doubt that Sînemxan is a proud Kurdistani woman, and she does not entertain fickle nationalists who may undermine her pride and love for all four corners of her state-less nation – her only hope is to one day see a united and free Kurdistan.
I took the following frames during an afternoon spent with Sînemxan Bedirxan in her home, where she allowed us to explore her personal archives, interview her and, in true Kurdish hospitality did not let us leave until she had fed us lunch.
A note from Sînemxan Bedirxan on her cousin Leila Bedirxan:
“Leila’s father was my paternal uncle who was killed in 1918, he was the first Kurd to open a school located in a district of Eastern Kurdistan but due to his Austrian wife’s Jewish origin, she and their only child Leila were forced to leave and relocate to Europe. They settled in France when she was only seven years old, I believe, she soon turned to dancing classes. I met her on many occasions, and she was always so nice and very elegant. Leila was our (Kurdistan’s) first ever ballet dancer, she looked after herself so well and I would enjoy being picked up in her car and we would go eat here and there, in Paris. Unfortunately, her legs hurt her a lot the more she danced, she blamed it on not beginning her dance training when she was four or five years old. That was tragic for her, but we had such great times together.”
Scanned archives and documents from Sînemxan Bedirxan Archives:
