Dela

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA3FTGQNLgk

The village of Dela, located within the Mabeta district of the Efrîn region, sits amidst the rugged terrain of Çiyayê Xastiya. The village overlooks the valley known variously as Geliya Circimê, Geliyê Dola, or Geliyê Zirzim. According to local oral history recounted by the village head, the settlement was established by a lineage of religious scholars and students, referred to as xuceler. These founders, specifically the Mala Hemîdî family, originally migrated from Gundê Bilêl to Gundê Hisê before eventually settling in the current location.

The name Dela is the subject of local interpretation. While the speakers acknowledge that words like "Dali" or "Dela" can imply madness in Arabic or Turkish, the villagers attribute the name to the concept of being dîndar (devout) or baqil (wise). They view their ancestors as people who were "mad" with religious love or wisdom, having dedicated themselves to studying the Quran and the sciences. Before constructing permanent stone houses, these early settlers lived seasonally in caves located at a site called Hecî Eşqer during the winter and in simple huts during the summer.

The social structure of Dela is defined by three primary families: Mala Hemîdî, Mala Ûskê, and Mala Çowê. The Mala Çowê family is noted to have migrated from Gundê Qudê. Over time, the village has seen significant migration, with many younger generations moving to Efrîn, Cindirês, and Heleb for work, leaving a smaller population of roughly 35 households primarily composed of the elderly.

Dela is historically renowned for its agriculture, particularly its walnut trees found in the valleys, as well as high quality pomegranates and vineyards in Geliyê Reza. The village is also associated with traditional craftsmanship. Apê Mihemed is a local soap maker who learned the trade from Armenians who used to tour the villages, continuing a practice that has otherwise faded. Additionally, the village features distinct stone architecture, with massive walls and arches constructed by local masons like Apê Ehmed, who spent fifty years building traditional homes using stone quarried from Efrîn.

Notable historical figures from the village include Hecî Hemûdî, a high ranking officer in the Ottoman army who fought in Yemen during World War I and later participated in the Gallipoli campaign alongside Mistefa Kemal Atatirk. He was also respected as an Islamic scholar. The village is surrounded by numerous natural landmarks, including springs like Kahniya Ziyaretê and Kaniya Korxe, and distinct hills such as Çiyayê Sor and Pozê Hêşîr.

THE VILLAGE OF DELA

1.9.2016

The village of Dela is a small village and the last village in the Mabeta district. It is one of the villages of the Dolê Valley, or Circim Valley. It is located 13 km northwest of the town of Mabeta and 31 km from the city of Efrîn.

Some say the name of the village means (Bandit or rebel).

The people of the village were initially owners of flocks and livestock. They were settled in the village of Hisê and later moved to the current village site to graze their flocks.

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The Oskê family was the first family to settle in the village, and they are from the Milan tribe.

There are 4 main families in the village:

The family of Oskê, Hemûdî, Bozo, and the family of Çayê. All families are Kurdish but not from one root.

To the east of the village are the Qorqê spring, the Reza valley, the Umê desert which has oak and terebinth trees and plants, and the village of Hecqasma.

To the south are the Dolê valley, Pozê Hejîrê, Serê Qoça, the Zorê mountain, and the village of Rûta.

To the west are the Qêmetê valley, the Xezînê valley, Yacî Eşqer, and the village of Remedana.

To the north are Serînca Dûr, Rezê Baniyê, and the village of Tirmûşa.

Yacî Eşqer is an ancient place where several families used to live, but now it has become a ruin and no one is there.

Serînca Dûr: is to the north of the village. The people of the village used to get their drinking water from it and wash their clothes there. Shepherds also watered their flocks there.

The Dolê Valley or Circim Valley is at the base of the village. In the spring and after the rains, a spring emerges there, and the water of the valley flows like a river until the end of summer. Therefore,

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the villagers plant vegetable and fruit gardens along the valley, and the surroundings become beautiful and adorned, making it a place for travel and recreation. People from all areas visit it on holidays and spend their days with joy. It is worth mentioning that the fields around the valley, which appear as a long plain, are adorned with all kinds of fruits, especially walnut trees and vineyards.

It is worth noting that many relatives of the villagers have settled in the village of Hecqasma for various reasons, and this has made the relations of the people of Dela village strong not only with their relatives but with all the residents of Hecqasma village.

The people of Dela village, like most of the villages in the Efrîn canton, make their living from agriculture, and the cultivation of olive groves is at the forefront, along with which they also own fruit trees such as walnuts, grapes, pomegranates, apricots, apples, peaches, plums, cherries, and sumac.

Along with agriculture, some families own livestock such as sheep and goats, and many families also keep chickens and rabbits.

Around 8 people go to the city of Efîn daily and work in various factories there. Due to the village's remoteness from the city of Efrîn, it has caused nearly 50 families to settle in the city of Efrîn and around 10 families in the city of Cindirêsê.

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settle, and also nearly 15 people work as employees in the institutions and bodies of the Autonomous Administration.

There is a martyr from the village named Martyr Norheq Cindirêsê.

The village commune is named Ş. Ciwan.

Ehmedê Henên: is one of the most prominent builders in the Efrîn canton. He is very skilled in building palaces and mansions, so people from all areas come to him, and he has built buildings in many places.

Osman Henan: is one of the first lawyers in the region, and one of the first people to join the Syrian Communist Party. He practiced law in the courts of Heleb and Efrîn until 2015. He is one of the first people to learn the Kurdish language and also taught his relatives and friends. He often faced obstacles and arrests from the Baath government agencies.

Hisên Bozo: is known as a theater actor and also as a director and teacher of the Kurdish language. He now works as a teacher at the Theater Institute in Efrîn.

Hec Hemûdî: in 1913, during the First World War, he fought in Yemen as a high-ranking officer in

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the Ottoman army. He was also known as a scholar of the Islamic religion. In 1915, as a great commander alongside Mistefa Kemal Ataturk in the Turkish army, he participated in the Battle of Çanakkale in Turkey.