Abdurrahman Sharafkandi: Kurdish Poet, Linguist, and Translator of World Literature
- Mehmet Özdemir
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
Who Was Abdurrahman Sharafkandi?
Abdurrahman Sharafkandi — known by his pen name Hazhar ('thousand springs' in Kurdish) — was a Kurdish Iranian poet and linguist born in 1921 in Sharafkand near Mahabad in the Kurdish region of Iran. He is best known for two achievements: compiling the Hazhar Kurdish-Persian dictionary — the most comprehensive and authoritative Kurdish-Persian dictionary ever produced — and translating Shakespeare's plays into Sorani Kurdish, pioneering the translation of world literature into Kurdish.
His dictionary — known simply as the Hazhar dictionary — is a landmark of Kurdish lexicography, providing systematic definitions and explanations in Persian for thousands of Kurdish words across multiple dialects. It has been the standard reference for Kurdish-Persian translation and for Sorani Kurdish vocabulary for decades.
His translations of Shakespeare — including Hamlet and other plays — demonstrated that Kurdish was a language capable of carrying the greatest literary works of any tradition, and that the Kurdish reader deserved access to world literature in their own tongue. These translations were acts of cultural assertion as well as literary achievement.
Key Takeaways
• Abdurrahman Sharafkandi (1921-1986), pen name Hazhar, compiled the most authoritative Kurdish-Persian dictionary.
• He translated Shakespeare into Sorani Kurdish — pioneering world literature translation into Kurdish.
• He was born near Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan.
• His dictionary is still the standard reference for Kurdish-Persian lexicography.
• He represents the Kurdish tradition of linguistic and literary scholarship at its most ambitious.
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Early Life and Origins
Abdurrahman Sharafkandi was born in 1921 in Sharafkand — a village near Mahabad in the Kurdish region of western Iran that gave him his family name. He pursued Kurdish and Persian language education and developed the linguistic expertise that would allow him to produce his monumental dictionary.
He took the pen name Hazhar — meaning 'thousand springs' in Kurdish — a name that captures the richness and freshness he sought to bring to Kurdish literary and linguistic life.
Historical Context
Iranian Kurdistan in the mid-20th century was shaped by the brief flourishing and then suppression of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad (1946). After the republic's suppression, Kurdish cultural expression in Iran continued under difficult conditions. Scholars like Sharafkandi worked to sustain Kurdish linguistic and literary life despite official discouragement.
Major Achievements and Contributions
Hazhar Kurdish-Persian Dictionary
The Hazhar dictionary — Sharafkandi's comprehensive Kurdish-Persian lexicographic work — is his most enduring scholarly achievement. Providing systematic Persian definitions for thousands of Sorani Kurdish words, it has been the standard reference for Kurdish-Persian translation for decades.
The dictionary's comprehensiveness, accuracy, and scholarly rigour make it a landmark of Kurdish lexicography — comparable in its field to the major dictionaries of other languages. It remains an essential tool for anyone working with Sorani Kurdish texts.
Translating Shakespeare into Kurdish
Sharafkandi's translations of Shakespeare's plays into Sorani Kurdish — including Hamlet — were pioneering acts of literary translation that demonstrated Kurdish's capacity to carry the greatest works of world literature. By translating Shakespeare, he asserted that Kurdish readers deserved access to world literature in their own language and that Kurdish was fully capable of the literary demands such translation requires.
Timeline and Key Events
Debates, Controversies, and Historical Questions
His Kurdish identity and his scholarly achievements are not disputed. The Hazhar dictionary's authority in Kurdish lexicography is universally acknowledged.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
Abdurrahman Sharafkandi's legacy is the dictionary that bears his pen name and the Shakespeare translations that opened world literature to Kurdish readers. He is one of the most important Kurdish linguistic and literary scholars of the 20th century, and his dictionary remains in use today.
Kurdish History Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Abdurrahman Sharafkandi?
Abdurrahman Sharafkandi (1921-1986), pen name Hazhar, was a Kurdish Iranian poet and linguist who compiled the most authoritative Kurdish-Persian dictionary and translated Shakespeare into Sorani Kurdish.
What is the Hazhar dictionary?
The Hazhar dictionary is Sharafkandi's comprehensive Kurdish-Persian lexicographic work — the most authoritative Kurdish-Persian dictionary ever compiled, still the standard reference for Kurdish-Persian translation.
Was Abdurrahman Sharafkandi Kurdish?
Yes. He was born in Sharafkand near Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan and devoted his career to Kurdish linguistic and literary scholarship.
References and Further Reading
Wikipedia contributors. 'Abdurrahman Sharafkandi.' Wikipedia. Accessed 2025.
Wikipedia contributors. 'List of Kurds.' Wikipedia. Accessed 2025.
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