Jwamer Aga

Jwamer Aga (Sorani Kurdish: جوامێر ئاغای هه‌مه‌وه‌ند), was the head of the Kurdish tribe of Hamawand during the late nineteenth century Ottoman era and was a Kurdish nobleman and aristocrat. Jwamer was made the ruler of Zuhab and the Qasr-e Shirin district after the overthrow of its hereditary ruling family the Bajalan.^[1] Jwamer which means one who is descended from nobility or is noble.^[2] He was born in 1815 in a Palace of his own family called Shirin Palace, which was located in the village of Ali Mansouri, a territory of Hamawand. He was executed by martyr in Qasr-e-Shirin in 1887 due to which he died at the age of 72.

Jwamer received the title Khan from Massoud Mirza Zell-e Soltan, the son of Naser Al-Din Shah Qajar. In addition, he became Sarhang, the Guardian of the Frontier for the most critical routes. He was remunerated with 6,000 Nassirian coins for his role as the Guardian of the Frontier.

However, he was subsequently criticised by the British lieutenant Maunsell, who deemed the appointment an absurdity, citing the theory of surrounding a thief to draw back a thief. Nevertheless, he proved to be an effective and timely source of security. He was commended for his 'appropriate' behaviour after being reprimanded. He progressed from the rank of Colonel to that of Brigadier General. He constructed a palace in Qasr-e Shirin, where he resided with his sons Hama Khan, Hama Sherif and Hama Reshid. He also undertook the reconstruction of the city and the establishment of new markets. His palace was destroyed and his land was left behind when he was executed. Faqe Qadri Hamawand, the ruler of Chamchamal and Baziani, was also a member of the nobility of Hamawand. It is evident that he had familial connections; he departed the country during a period of exile and left his estate behind. The value of his land was approximately 58,450 piastres. The government proceeded to sell the aforementioned land. Faqe was exiled to Libya in Benghazi, where he probably died in 1890. Jwamer Aga and his sons were exiled and beheaded by the Jaffs after the Ottomans and Qajars opposed him six years later. This occurred following his appointment as ruler of Zuhab and the Qasr-e Shirin district by the Shah of Iran in 1881. Prior to this, the Jaffs and Hamawands had been engaged in a long-standing conflict.^[3] Jwamer held the Persian forces at Qasr-e Shirin for two months.^[4]

George Nathaniel Curzon, notes that Jwamer was invited to a meeting with Tehran's emissary, where he was slain. He was reprimanded during the meeting for his 'rebellious' behaviour.^[5]

While the Ottomans offered their support to the Jafs and pursued the Hamawands, on the Iranian side, the governor of Kermanshah, Nasr al-Mulk, having received news of the unrest, took steps to prepare an army with the intention of confronting Jwamer Agha and capturing him. This was due to the fact that the Hamawands were previously fugitives and were believed to be responsible for the murder of Malik Niaz Khan. It is said that, upon realising that he was unable to face the Iranian army, Jwamer Agha was left with no alternative but to offer an apology and request refuge. Nasr al-Mulk, in return, is said to have agreed to provide him with asylum and allow him to stay in Kermanshah, on the understanding that he would go to Prince Zilal-Sultan in Isfahan. It seems that, if the prince did not object to Jwamer's stay in Kermanshah, he would be permitted to do so. Meanwhile,

According to a report sent to Istanbul by an Ottoman agent in the Iranian army, Nasr al-Mulk, because the Ottomans had sheltered Sheikh Ubaidullah and had not handed him over to Iran, it seems that he guaranteed the Hamawands they would not be surrendered to the Ottomans.^[6]

Former KDP Secretary General Ibrahim Ahmad named the main character in his famed nationalistic novel Jani Gal in reference to Jwamer.^[7] A village was also named in his honour in the northernmost part of the Kifri district in the Diyala Province. Jwamer is considered an early Kurdish nationalist figure by the citizens of the Kurdistan Region. In 1958, his family was considered by the French to belong to the noblesse, the nobility of a foreign country.^[8]

• Ehsan Yar-Shater Encyclopaedia Iranica Bibliotheca Persica Press, 2003 ISBN 978-0-939214-75-4
• Cecil John Edmonds "Kurds, Turks, and Arabs: politics, travel, and research in north-eastern Iraq, 1919-1925" Oxford University Press, 1957 ISBN 978-0-404-18960-0
• Yona Sabar "A Jewish Neo-Aramaic dictionary" Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2002 ISBN 3-447-04557-4÷
• The Kurdish Tribes in The Ottoman-IRANIAN RELATIONS (1876-1914)
• "Kurdistan and the Kurds" [W56] (122/111)*
• Kurdish Nationalism on Stage - Mari R. Rostami - 2019
• Notes On Tribes of Southern Kurdistan - Soane - 1918
• L'Afrique et l'Asie - Paris Université, Centre de Hautes Études Administratives sur l'Afrique et de l'Asie Modernes