"كردستان والأكراد" [ظ‎‎١‎٦] (١٢٢/٣٢)

30
1,000 horsemen, under the command of Khalil ibn Ibrahim Pasha; this
force suffered severely from the gunfire of the Bulgarians and was broken
up.* When the late paramount chief died, prior to the outbreak of the
European War, the political influence of the tribe passed into the hands
of his sons, of whom Mahmud became paramount chief. These sons, who
now reside at Veranshehr, were bribed by the Committee of Union and
Progress during the war to contribute a body of 2,000 cavalry to the
Turkish Caucasus Army, and another of 1,000 cavalry to supervise the
deportations of Armenians from Mardin, Tell Ermin, Nisibin, and Urfah.
Mahmud Bey ibn Ibrahim Pasha, the most influential aghd in i
Kurdistan at the present time, is a rather slight and delicate man, aged
about 30 years, with a fine face and dignified manners. He has a keen
sense of humour; he can neither read nor write, to his own great regret,
but is intelligent and progressive; he is building in his capital, Veranshehr,
a house for himself, public baths, a ca/e-club, a large khan, and a mosque;
he has planted extensive gardens and is now working out a scheme of
irrigation for the country. He is eager to build schools and to introduce
teachers. He has built a number of villages round the capital and settled
them with farmers in order to develop the land. He is of a religious
disposition, but not narrow or fanatical ; his father brought in Roman
Catholics to Veranshehr and built for them a church, which the Turks
afterwards destroyed. He seems to be genuinely a lover of peace, but
withal ambitious and desirous to be looked upon as a public benefactor.
He is, however, to be described as laudator temporis acti, for he prefers
patriarchal customs in private life and is a martinet for tribal traditions.
He is now bitterly opposed to the Turks and is disposed to be friendly to
the British, so far as such an attitude is consistent with the nationalist
aspirations of his people.
The picture of Mahmud drawn by Major Noel does not entirely
harmonise with that given above. He writes
“ The impression that I ha,ve gained here is a disappointing one.
When Sir Mark Sykes visited Ibrahim Pasha in 1906, he speaks of his
wonderfully accurate knowledge of the affairs of Europe, of the consistent
and liberal policy he had adopted, of how, during his five days’ sojourn, J
affairs were continually being carried on in the great tent. Horsemen
* That their attitude towards the Ottoman Government was at the least uncertain,
is illustrated by the story that the Milli Kurds allied themselves with the Karakechili,
Ketkan, and Barazi in 1913, with the intention of declaring their independence, if
Constantinople should fall into the hands of the Bulgarians. The plan was frustrated
by the failure of the Bulgarians to seize the capital; but a false report of its fall
brought out‘Abd-ul-Qadir ibn Derae, chief of the Karakechili, with his followers;
having plundered Birijik, he crossed the Euphrates but was forced to retire, as he
received no support from his allies. Having to explain these events to the authorities
at Aleppo, he declared that he was leading volunteers io the assistance of Turkey.
The Government took him at his word and sent him, together with his force, to assist
in holding the Bulair lines. They were found to be useless in the lines and were sent
back home,, where they arrived laden with booty from Thrace.