republic · Anatolia and the Levant

Republic of Ararat

1927 CE – 1930 CE · capital Kurd Ava

A Kurdish self-proclaimed republic around Mount Ararat, crushed by Turkey in 1930.

Origins

After the failure of the Sheikh Said rebellion of 1925, Kurdish nationalists founded the Xoybun league in 1927. That year, in October, it proclaimed a Kurdish republic in the region of Mount Ararat, near the borders with Iran and the Soviet Union, with Ihsan Nuri Pasha as military commander and the tribal leader Ibrahim Heski as civil governor.

Rule and society

The republic was a rebel administration based in the mountain villages, with its centre at Kurd Ava, relying on tribal fighters and support from Kurdish exiles. Its control was limited to the Ararat massif and surrounding valleys.

Decline and legacy

Turkey launched major campaigns in 1930, accompanied by mass killings in the Zilan valley. Turkish forces, operating close to and across the Iranian border, encircled the rebels, who were defeated by autumn 1930. Turkey and Iran adjusted their border in 1932, giving Turkey the slopes of Little Ararat.

Lineage

Republic of Turkey 1923 CE – presentRepublic of Ararat

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Ararat. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-ararat
MLA
“Republic of Ararat.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-ararat. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Ararat.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-ararat.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Ararat’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-ararat (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻