Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan, who died on July 15, 1951 in Damascus, is known as one of the most influential figures in the contemporary history of Kurdish culture and language due to his works and activities that laid the foundations of modern Kurdish publishing and literature.

Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan was born in Istanbul in 1893. He was the grandson of Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan and the son of Amin Ali Badr Khan, one of the founders of the Kurdish Exaltation Society.He completed his primary and secondary education in Istanbul and served as an officer in the Ottoman Army on the Caucasus Front during World War I.

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, despite all his efforts to create unity among the Kurdish tribes, he failed. In 1922, he went to Germany with his brother Kamran Badr Khan, where he continued his studies in law and received a doctorate. In 1925, he first went to Cairo and shortly afterwards to Damascus, a city that was under French protection at the time.

In Syria, Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan played a very active role in establishing the Khoybun organization, alongside Kurdish intellectuals and pioneers such as Hajo Agha, Akram Cemil Pasha and Qadri Cemil Pasha.

Havar Magazine; A Celebration of the Kurdish Language

In the 1930s, Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan decided to focus his activities on the Kurdish language. He started publishing Havar magazine on May 15, 1932, together with Kurdish writers and intellectuals. For this reason, this date is commemorated today as “Kurdish Language Day.”

Havar opened a new page in the history of the Kurdish language. For the first time, the Latin alphabet of Kurdish was used alongside the Arabic alphabet. The first 23 issues of the magazine were published in both Latin and Arabic letters, but from issue 24 onwards, the magazine was published entirely in the Latin alphabet.

The alphabet that Kurds use today was first systematically used in Havar. The magazine’s contents were published mainly in the Kurmanji dialect, but it also regularly included works in the Sorani dialect and, to some extent, in Zazaki.Unlike the Kurdish publications of the Ottoman era, Havar did not publish anything in Turkish, but it did have pages in French and some Kurdish material was translated into French.

Havar was not just a magazine; many prominent Kurdish writers and intellectuals, including Kamran Badrkhan, Osman Sabri, Nureddin Zaza, Jagarkhon, and Qadrijan, flourished in its shadow. Havar published a total of 57 issues and ended its publication in 1943.

Mir Jaladat Ali Badrkhan also published an illustrated magazine called "Runahi" in Damascus in 1942, alongside Havar. Runahi was initially published as a continuation of Havar, but after Havar was closed, it continued to be published independently for a while.

The final years of his life; under the pressure of exile

Mir Jaladat Ali Badrkhan spent the final years of his life amidst hardships, economic problems, and the pressures of exile.He was engaged in farming in the village of Hajan near Damascus.

On July 15, 1951, he was buried under the rubble of a collapsed well and lost his life. The tomb of this great intellectual is located in Damascus today.

Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan expressed his attachment and sensitivity to the Kurdish language with the following statement:

“Language is the strongest fortress of our existence and identity. The freedom and future of the Kurds are tied to the protection of their language.”

Defender and intellectual of the Kurdish cause

Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan left behind a unique legacy and lasting works. At the forefront of these works are his research on the Kurdish language and grammar. Works such as "The Kurdish Alphabet", "Alphabet Pages" and "The Kurdish Alphabet Grammar" provided a solid foundation for teaching the Kurdish language. His famous book "The Kurdish Grammar", which was compiled in collaboration with Roger Lesko, as well as his research on "Kurdish Culture", are considered to be the most important foundations of Kurdish linguistics.

Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan was not only a linguist, but also a defender and intellectual of the Kurdish cause.This aspect of his personality can be clearly seen in works such as "On the Kurdish Question" (De La Question Kurde), published in French and Turkish, a historical letter to Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), and "The Hidden Face of the Fall of Edirne" (Edirne Sükûtunun İç Yüzü), which he wrote with his brother Kamran Badrkhan.

He also left behind valuable works in the fields of literature, theater, and culture. His poems, which were published in the magazine Havar and later collected as "Vara Dotme M", the play "Hewind", the work "Preface to the Prayers of the Yazidis", and his personal notes, published as "Daily Notes", form an important part of the cultural heritage of the Kurds.

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the passing of Mir Jaladat Ali Badr Khan, this great pioneer of the Kurdish language and Kurdish cause is commemorated with respect, gratitude, and love.The path he paved with his efforts continues to be a beacon for the Kurdish people.