Kurdish

Kurdish is a language spoken in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. It is a member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. Kurdish is the largest language in this group, with about 30 million speakers. The earliest known Kurdish literature dates back to the 16th century. The first Kurdish newspaper was published in Cairo in 1876. The first Kurdish political party was founded in Cairo in 1923. Kurdish is written in a variety of scripts, including Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic. The Latin script is used most often in Turkey, while the Cyrillic script is used in Iraq. The Arabic script is used in Iran and Syria. Kurdish has two main dialects: Kurmanji and Sorani. Kurmanji is spoken in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Sorani is spoken in Iran and Iraq. Kurdish is not an official language in any country. In Turkey, Kurdish is a recognized minority language. In Syria, Kurdish is an official language in some areas. In Iraq, Kurdish is an official language of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Kurdish culture has a rich tradition of music, dance and poetry. The Kurds have a long history of struggle for independence and self-determination.