The Treaty of Saadabad (1937): When the States That Divided Kurdistan United Against the Kurds
- Mero Ranyayi
- May 24
- 6 min read
Introduction
On 8 July 1937, the four states that had divided Kurdistan between them — Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, joined by Afghanistan — signed a non-aggression pact at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran. The Treaty of Saadabad (also known as the Saadabad Pact) committed its signatories to mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, abstention from aggression against one another, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. On the surface, it was a routine interwar diplomatic agreement. Beneath the surface, it was something far more sinister for the Kurdish people: a pact of mutual cooperation between the three states that ruled Kurdistan, designed in part to suppress Kurdish separatism and prevent Kurdish movements from operating across their shared borders.
For Kurdish history, the Treaty of Saadabad represents a new and terrifying phase: the moment when the states that had partitioned Kurdistan stopped fighting each other over Kurdish territory and started cooperating to control the Kurdish people within it. Previous treaties had divided Kurdistan between empires. The Saadabad Pact united those empires — now nation-states — against the Kurds themselves. It was the first regional security alliance specifically designed, in part, to contain Kurdish national aspirations.
Contents
What Was the Treaty of Saadabad?
The Treaty of Saadabad was a non-aggression pact signed on 8 July 1937 at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran by Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It lasted for five years and committed its signatories to perpetual peace and friendship, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and consultation in the event of threats from external powers. The treaty was structured in ten articles and included provisions for annual meetings of foreign ministers.
The pact was sometimes called the ‘Oriental Entente’ and was the first major regional security alliance among Muslim nations in the Middle East. It was promoted by Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah and strongly supported by Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Iranian Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi. Britain was influential behind the scenes, seeking to strengthen its influence in the Near and Middle East and to use this new grouping as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and growing German and Italian interest in the region.
Key Takeaways
• Three of the four signatories — Turkey, Iran, and Iraq — were the states that had partitioned Kurdistan. Their joint commitment to non-interference and border security was, in practice, a commitment to suppress Kurdish cross-border movements and separatism.
• The pact came during a period of intense Kurdish repression — Turkey had just crushed the Dersim rebellion (1937–1938), Iran was forcibly settling Kurdish nomadic tribes, and Iraq was consolidating Arab control over Kurdish regions.
• The ‘non-interference’ clause meant that each state could suppress its Kurdish population without fear that a neighbouring state would support Kurdish rebels — eliminating the cross-border sanctuaries that Kurdish movements had always relied upon.
• The Saadabad Pact set the template for future anti-Kurdish cooperation between Turkey, Iran, and Iraq — a pattern that would continue through the Baghdad Pact (1955), the Algiers Agreement (1975), and into the present day.
Quick Facts
Treaty: Treaty of Saadabad (Saadabad Pact / Oriental Entente) Date: 8 July 1937 (ratified 25 June 1938) Signatories: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan Type: Non-aggression pact and regional security alliance Duration: Five years (initial term) Key Provisions: Non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, mutual respect for sovereignty and borders, consultation against external threats Kurdish Dimension: Joint cooperation between Turkey, Iran, and Iraq to combat Kurdish separatism and prevent cross-border Kurdish movements Context: Dersim rebellion in Turkey (1937–1938); forced settlement of Kurdish tribes in Iran; consolidation of Arab rule in Iraqi Kurdistan Legacy: Template for future anti-Kurdish cooperation; predecessor to the Baghdad Pact (1955)
Historical Context: The 1930s — A Decade of Kurdish Suppression
The 1930s were one of the darkest decades in Kurdish history. In Turkey, Atatürk’s government had crushed the Sheikh Said rebellion (1925) and the Ararat rebellion (1927–1930), and was preparing the devastating assault on Dersim (1937–1938) that would involve mass killings, forced deportations, and the destruction of Kurdish communities. The Turkish state denied Kurdish identity entirely, banning the Kurdish language and calling Kurds ‘Mountain Turks.’
In Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi pursued a policy of forced sedentarisation, compelling Kurdish nomadic tribes to abandon their traditional lifestyles and settle in government-controlled areas. Kurdish political expression was suppressed, and the central government extended its control into Kurdish regions that had previously enjoyed a degree of autonomy. In Iraq, the newly independent Kingdom (formally independent since 1932) was consolidating Arab control over Kurdish-populated regions, ignoring the autonomy promises of the Christmas Declaration (1922) and suppressing Kurdish political movements.
The common thread was clear: all three states that ruled Kurdish territory were engaged in active suppression of Kurdish identity, autonomy, and political organisation. The Treaty of Saadabad gave this suppression a diplomatic framework, ensuring that each state could act against its Kurdish population without interference from its neighbours.
The Kurdish Dimension: A Pact Against Kurdish Freedom
The Treaty of Saadabad’s non-interference clause was, in Kurdish terms, a mutual guarantee of impunity. Each signatory agreed not to interfere in the others’ internal affairs — which meant that Turkey could crush the Dersim rebellion without Iran or Iraq offering sanctuary to Kurdish refugees. Iran could forcibly settle Kurdish tribes without Turkey or Iraq supporting Kurdish resistance. Iraq could suppress Kurdish political movements without Kurdish fighters finding safe haven across the border.
This was devastating for Kurdish resistance. Throughout Kurdish history, the cross-border nature of Kurdistan had been both a curse and a resource. While imperial borders divided the Kurdish people, the mountains that straddled those borders had always offered refuge. Kurdish fighters could retreat across a border when pursued by one state, finding temporary safety in a neighbouring state’s territory. The Saadabad Pact sought to close this escape route by ensuring that all three states cooperated against Kurdish movements.
The timing of the treaty is particularly telling. It was signed in July 1937 — the same year as the Dersim massacre in Turkey, one of the most horrific episodes of anti-Kurdish violence in the 20th century. Turkish forces killed thousands of Kurdish civilians, deported tens of thousands more, and destroyed entire communities. The Saadabad Pact ensured that neighbouring states looked the other way while this happened. The pact’s ‘non-interference’ was, for the Kurds of Dersim, a death sentence.
Timeline of Key Events
1925 — Sheikh Said rebellion crushed in Turkey; Kurdish identity banned.
1927–1930 — Ararat rebellion in Turkey; Republic of Ararat declared and destroyed.
1932 — Iraq achieves formal independence; Kurdish autonomy promises remain unfulfilled.
1935 — Initial negotiations for the Saadabad Pact begin in Geneva.
8 July 1937 — Treaty of Saadabad signed at Saadabad Palace, Tehran.
1937–1938 — Dersim rebellion and massacre in Turkey; thousands of Kurds killed and deported.
25 June 1938 — Treaty ratified and enters into force.
1955 — Baghdad Pact signed; continues the pattern of regional anti-Kurdish cooperation.
Legacy and Significance for Kurdish History
The Treaty of Saadabad marked a fundamental shift in the Kurdish struggle. Previous treaties had divided Kurdistan between competing empires. The Saadabad Pact united the states that ruled Kurdistan in a common project: the suppression of Kurdish national aspirations. Where the Kurds had once been able to exploit rivalries between neighbouring powers — playing Ottoman against Safavid, or Iraq against Iran — the Saadabad Pact sought to eliminate this space by ensuring that all three states cooperated against Kurdish movements.
This pattern of trilateral anti-Kurdish cooperation would continue throughout the 20th century. The Baghdad Pact (1955) brought Turkey and Iraq together under a Western-backed security umbrella. The Algiers Agreement (1975) between Iraq and Iran explicitly sacrificed Kurdish autonomy for the normalisation of Iraqi-Iranian relations. Even today, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria regularly cooperate on Kurdish security issues — a direct continuation of the logic established at Saadabad.
There is a bitter irony in the Saadabad Pact. The Iraqi government that signed it was led by Bakr Sidqi, a Kurdish military officer, and his prime minister Hikmat Sulayman, a Turkmen. The fact that even a Kurdish-origin Iraqi leader participated in a pact designed to suppress Kurdish movements illustrates the complexity of Kurdish political life under the nation-state system: Kurdish individuals could rise within state structures, but Kurdish national aspirations remained systematically suppressed by those same structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Treaty of Saadabad?
A non-aggression pact signed on 8 July 1937 by Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran. It committed signatories to non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual respect for borders. For the Kurds, it was a pact of mutual cooperation between the three states that ruled Kurdistan, designed in part to suppress Kurdish separatism.
How did the Saadabad Pact affect the Kurds?
The pact’s non-interference clause ensured that Turkey, Iran, and Iraq could each suppress their Kurdish populations without neighbouring states offering sanctuary or support to Kurdish rebels. It eliminated the cross-border safe havens that Kurdish movements had historically relied upon and was signed during a period of intense anti-Kurdish violence, including the Dersim massacre.
Did the Saadabad Pact set a precedent for anti-Kurdish cooperation?
Yes. The pact established the template for trilateral anti-Kurdish cooperation between Turkey, Iran, and Iraq that continued through the Baghdad Pact (1955), the Algiers Agreement (1975), and into the present day. The logic of Saadabad — states cooperating to contain Kurdish movements — remains a defining feature of Middle Eastern security politics.
References and Further Reading
McDowall, D., A Modern History of the Kurds, I.B. Tauris, 2004.
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