Historically, Kurdistan, situated between the ancient empires of Babylonia and Persia, has consistently been a flash point for warring regional powers. It was subjugated by the Roman general Pompey in 60 BCE and remained a Roman province/protectorate until 384 CE. Following the collapse of Roman influence, Kurdistan was ruled over by the Sassanid Empire until its defeat at the hands of the successors of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, father of Islam and first Caliph (which translate to English as "commander of the faithful.")
Interestingly, the historical fact that delineates Sunni from Shi'a Muslim stems from their divergent beliefs as to the rightful successor to Muhammad and the Caliphate. Sunni Muslims believe that the second, and thus rightful, Caliph was Abu Bakr a contemporary and disciple of Muhammad. Following Muhammad's death in 632 CE, Abu Bakr succeeded him as Caliph. Shi'a Muslims believe that Abu Bakr usurped the Caliph position from Mohammed's rightful successor, his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib, who eventually ruled as the Fifth Caliph until his assassination in 661 CE, allegedly at the hand of one of his former follower's who had left Ali after his negotiation with Muawiyah, the leader of a rival faction.
Following Ali's death, Muawiyah, descended from the same lineage as Muhammad and Ali, seized power and formed the Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyad Caliphate ruled over Kurdistan and, at its height, ruled lands stretching from Spain and North Africa in the West to Afghanistan to the East. In 750 CE, the Umayyad Caliphate was deposed by the Abbasid dynasty, which moved the capital of the Caliphate from Damascus to Baghdad.
The Abbasid Caliphate prospered until the time of the First Crusade launched in 1095. In 1099, the Crusaders laid siege to and eventually took the city of Jerusalem, site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to have been built upon the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. The Christian forces held Jerusalem and established the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, which endured for less than one hundred years. In 1187 , Jerusalem was beseiged and taken (as depicted in the recent film Kingdom of Heaven) by the army of Saladin, a man of Kursish descent and founder of the Ayyubid Caliphate, successor to Abbasid dynasty.
The Ayyubids were weakened by the death of Saladin in 1193 and later lost much of their power over Kurdistan to Mongol invaders, who sacked Baghdad in 1258. Following the fall of the Ayyubids, Kurdistan eventually came under the power of the Safavid dynasty (a Shi'a empire, centered in modern Iran, dating from the 13th century). However, Kurdistan would soon be torn apart again, this time by the Ottomans, a Sunni Muslim dynasty born in Turkey around 1300 CE. The Ottomans, armed with muskets and artillery, easily defeated the horse-mounted, sword-bearing cavalry of Safavids at the Battle of Chaldira in 1514, thus pushing the Safvids eastward to the modern-day border of Turkey and Iran. The defeat had remarkable effects on the Safavids dynasty (and, consequently, modern-day Iran) as they systematically coerced the inhabitants of their lands to convert to Shi'a Islam.
The Ottomans, on the other hand, greatly expanded their power over the next three hundred years, at one time controlling territory that included portions of Northern Africa, Southeast Europe and the majority of the Middle East (map of territory is here). The Ottoman Empire, also known (at least currently) as the Last Caliphate, survived until its defeat and by the Allies in World War I. The Allies subsequently partitioned the lands of the Ottoman Empire, setting many of the the borders of modern Middle East and, in doing so, arguably engendered much of the chaos and distrust that exists there today.
Interestingly, the historical fact that delineates Sunni from Shi'a Muslim stems from their divergent beliefs as to the rightful successor to Muhammad and the Caliphate. Sunni Muslims believe that the second, and thus rightful, Caliph was Abu Bakr a contemporary and disciple of Muhammad. Following Muhammad's death in 632 CE, Abu Bakr succeeded him as Caliph. Shi'a Muslims believe that Abu Bakr usurped the Caliph position from Mohammed's rightful successor, his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib, who eventually ruled as the Fifth Caliph until his assassination in 661 CE, allegedly at the hand of one of his former follower's who had left Ali after his negotiation with Muawiyah, the leader of a rival faction.
Following Ali's death, Muawiyah, descended from the same lineage as Muhammad and Ali, seized power and formed the Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyad Caliphate ruled over Kurdistan and, at its height, ruled lands stretching from Spain and North Africa in the West to Afghanistan to the East. In 750 CE, the Umayyad Caliphate was deposed by the Abbasid dynasty, which moved the capital of the Caliphate from Damascus to Baghdad.
The Abbasid Caliphate prospered until the time of the First Crusade launched in 1095. In 1099, the Crusaders laid siege to and eventually took the city of Jerusalem, site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to have been built upon the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. The Christian forces held Jerusalem and established the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, which endured for less than one hundred years. In 1187 , Jerusalem was beseiged and taken (as depicted in the recent film Kingdom of Heaven) by the army of Saladin, a man of Kursish descent and founder of the Ayyubid Caliphate, successor to Abbasid dynasty.
The Ayyubids were weakened by the death of Saladin in 1193 and later lost much of their power over Kurdistan to Mongol invaders, who sacked Baghdad in 1258. Following the fall of the Ayyubids, Kurdistan eventually came under the power of the Safavid dynasty (a Shi'a empire, centered in modern Iran, dating from the 13th century). However, Kurdistan would soon be torn apart again, this time by the Ottomans, a Sunni Muslim dynasty born in Turkey around 1300 CE. The Ottomans, armed with muskets and artillery, easily defeated the horse-mounted, sword-bearing cavalry of Safavids at the Battle of Chaldira in 1514, thus pushing the Safvids eastward to the modern-day border of Turkey and Iran. The defeat had remarkable effects on the Safavids dynasty (and, consequently, modern-day Iran) as they systematically coerced the inhabitants of their lands to convert to Shi'a Islam.
The Ottomans, on the other hand, greatly expanded their power over the next three hundred years, at one time controlling territory that included portions of Northern Africa, Southeast Europe and the majority of the Middle East (map of territory is here). The Ottoman Empire, also known (at least currently) as the Last Caliphate, survived until its defeat and by the Allies in World War I. The Allies subsequently partitioned the lands of the Ottoman Empire, setting many of the the borders of modern Middle East and, in doing so, arguably engendered much of the chaos and distrust that exists there today.
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