Sheikh Said

Sheikh Said
Şêx Seîd
Sheikh Said in 1925
Born
Said Kasim

c.1865
Hınıs or Palu, Ottoman Empire
Died29 June 1925(1925-06-29) (aged 59–60)
Diyarbakır, Turkey
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Known forPolitical revolutionary and spiritual leader of the first major Kurdish rebellion since the founding of the Turkish Republic
Parents
  • Sheikh Mehmud Fevzi (father)
  • Gulê Xanim (mother)
Rebellious leader
AllegianceAzadî  Society for the Rise of Kurdistan
BranchAzadî Battalion
RankReligious leader
Battles / warsSheikh Said Rebellion

Sheikh Said (Kirmanjki: Şêx Seîd; c.1865 – 29 June 1925) was a Zaza Kurd religious leader, one of the leading sheikhs of the Naqshbandi order and the head of the Sheikh Said rebellion.

He was born around 1865 in Hınıs or Palu, into an influential family of the Naqshbandi order, where his grandfather was an influential sheikh. Sheikh Said studied religious sciences at the madrasa led by his father Sheikh Mahmud Fevzi as well from several Islamic scholars in the region. Later he was involved in the local tekke set up by his grandfather Sheikh Ali. His grandfather was a respected leader of the religious community and his grave was visited by thousands of pilgrims. He became the head of the religious community after his father Sheikh Mahmud died. In 1907 he toured the neighboring provinces in the east and he established contacts with officers from the Hamidiye cavalry.