Dildar (poet)


Yûnis Reuf known as Dildar, was a Kurdish poet and political activist, best known as the author of the Kurdish national anthem.

Early life and his studies

He was born on 20 February 1918 in the town of Koya Koy Sanjaq located in the Mosul Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. In his youth, he began attending school in Ranya. After finishing high school in Kirkuk, he moved to Baghdad, where he studied in Law School.

Law work and Political Activism

Law

He began his career as a lawyer, mainly defending the poor, farmers, and defending the Kurdish issues in general.

Political Activism

He joined the newly formed Hewa Party in 1938, which became "The first Kurdish organisation legally recognized, that seeks a united and free Kurdistan". Dildar relocated to Rojhelat Kurdistan to join the revolution led by Qazi Muhammad against the government of Iran, which led to his infamous arrest in Iran.

Prison and Death

Ey Reqîb

After being arrested, he was sent to prison in Iran, where he wrote "Ey reqîb" meaning "Oh Enemy", in 1938, referencing the prison guards, and expressing that the Kurds are alive and will not back down from fighting for free Kurdistan. His expression of frustration and direct confrontation with the occupants states of larger Kurdistan made his simple poet a symbol in the Kurds cause for freedom.

Death and Legacy

Dildar died young at the age of 3‌1 of a heart disease in 1948. However, he lived to see his poem "Ey Reqîb" being adopted as the Kurdish national anthem. Ey Reqîb was first played and sung in 1946 on the proclamation of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad. Today the song is played as the official regional anthem of Iraqi Kurdistan.