| Mem and Zin | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Ahmad Khani |
| Language | Kurdish language |
| Genre(s) | Historical, Romance, Tragedy |
| Publication date | 1692 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio book |
Mam and Zin (Mem û zîn) is a Kurdish classic love story written down 1692 and is considered to be the épopée of Kurdish literature. It is the most important work of Kurdish writer and poet Ahmad Khani (1651-1707). Mam and Zin is based on a true story.
For Kurds, Mam and Zin are symbols of the Kurdish people and the Kurdish country, which are separated and cannot come together.
The Mem-u Zin Mausoleum in Cizre province has become a tourist attraction.
The movie Mem û Zîn was produced in 1991 in Turkey. It was not allowed to play the story in the Kurdish language so it was first produced in Turkish. It was later translated into Kurdish.
Mam, of the "Alan" clan, and Zin, of the "Botan" clan, are two star-crossed lovers. Their union is blocked by a person named Bakr of the Bakran clan. Mam eventually dies during a complicated conspiracy by Bakr. When Zin receives the news, she also dies while mourning the death of Mam at his grave. The immense grief leads to her death and she is buried next to Mam. The news of the death of Mam and Zin, spreads quickly among the people of Jazira Botan. Then Bakr's role in the tragedy is revealed, and he takes sanctuary between the two graves. He is eventually captured and slain by the people of Jazira. A thorn bush soon grows out of Bakr’s blood, sending its roots of malice deep into the earth between the lovers’ graves, separating the two even after their death. In 2002, the Kurdistan TV satellite channel produced a dramatised series of Mam and Zin, which was recognised as one of the best-directed dramas in Kurdistan.