Mastoureh Ardalan

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Mah Sharaf Khanom Mastoureh Ardalan or Mastura Ardalan (Mestûrey Erdelan in Kurdish ) (1805 –1848) was an Iranian Kurdish poet and writer. She was born in Senna (Sanandaj) in north-western Iran and deceased in Sulaymaniyah in present-day north-eastern Iraq. She was a member of the feudal aristocracy in the court of the Ardalan principality centered in Senna. She studied Kurdish, Arabic and Persian under the supervision of her father, Abolhasan Beig Qadiri. Her husband, Khasraw Khani Ardalan was the ruler of the principality. Her husband's death, leaves the principality vulnerable to outside interference. When the Qajar state conquered the Ardalan territory in 19th century, she and her family left for the Baban principality centered in Sulaymaniyah. Her son, Reza Qulikhan, the successor to Khasraw Khan, was imprisoned by the Qajars.

[edit] Works

She wrote several books of poetry, history and literature. She mainly wrote in the Hawrami or Gorani dialect of Kurdish and in Persian. She was a poet and said to be the only woman historiographer of the Middle East until the end of the nineteenth century. She wrote a book about the history of the Kurdish Ardalan dynasty. She also had a collection of poems, which has been published in recent years. Her 200th birthday, was celebrated recently in a festival in Hewler (Erbil), in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, where her statue was unveiled in a ceremony. Moreover a conference was held on the works of Mastoureh in Irbil from December 11 to 15, 2005. Over one hundred scientific and cultural figures from across the world attended the congress in Iraqi Kurdistan, in which thirty articles in Kurdish, Persian, English, and Arabic were presented about the life and works of Mastoureh Ardalan. In addition, several works by Mah Sharaf Khanum were published by the organizers in Persian and Kurdish during the congress.