Lady Adela

Lady Adela
Ruler of the Jaff Tribe
Lady Adela (center), ruler of Halabja, meeting with British officers in 1919.
Native nameعديلة خانم
Other titlesKhan-Bahadur
BornAdela Khanem
c. 1847
Died1924
Noble family
Sahibqeran family

Jaff Family

Lady Adela Jaff or Adela Khanem, called the Princess of the Brave by the British was a Kurdish ruler of the Jaff tribe and one of the first famous woman leaders in the history of Kurdistan. The Jaff tribe is the biggest tribe in Kurdistan and is native to the Zagros area, which is divided between Iran and Iraq. Adela Khanem was of the famous aristocratic Sahibqeran family, who intermarried with the tribal chiefs of Jaff. Lady Adela exerted great influence in the affairs of Jaff tribe in the Sharazor plain. The Brits appointed her the title “Lady” due to the restoration of trade and law in the region and succeeded in saving the lives of hundreds of British soldiers.