Çêqilme

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Fa0ln4hUI

The village of Çeqelme is located in the Raco district of the Efrîn region within Çiyayê Kurmênc. It is an ancient settlement founded four to five hundred years ago by a man named Hesen Têr. Originally, the inhabitants lived near a spring called Kaniya Etê before relocating to the current village site, which was initially named after its founder. The modern name Çeqelme originated during an Osmanî military campaign led by the Pasha of Egypt, Mihemed Elî Paşa. According to local legend, after intense fighting, a village woman offered the exhausted soldiers a mixture of ayran and yogurt. This heavy drink made the soldiers and their horses sermast or intensely sleepy. Surprised by this effect, the Pasha called the place Çiqilma, which eventually evolved into Çeqelme. Decades later, the Arab Baath regime arabized the name to Celqeme.

Çeqelme has a profound history of rebellion and resilience. During the Osmanî era, the village was burned to the ground three times due to its fierce refusal to submit to outside authority. This legacy of resistance continued into the French mandate period. A group of about eight local men, led by Seydê Dîkê, sabotaged a French military train in the Geliyê Tîran valley. The train derailed, resulting in heavy casualties for the occupying forces. Additionally, the village faced aggression from Mîrê Mîran because of its political alliance with Şêx Îsmaîl. Due to this rich history of political engagement, Çeqelme is recognized as a hub for Kurdish politicians and intellectuals, including notable figures like Cemîl Ehmed Seydo and Îsmaîl Mihemed.

Socially, the village is small, comprising roughly twenty houses and around seventy residents today. The population primarily belongs to two tribes: the Şêxan and the Hêvidî. The prominent families include Bekirê Dêdo and Seydê Çeqelme from the Şêxan tribe, as well as the Ezede family from the Hêvidî tribe. Over the years, many residents migrated to nearby areas such as Şêx Bilo, Raco, and the city of Efrîn to escape conflict or seek better livelihoods.

The physical landscape of the village is marked by several significant landmarks and shrines. The Qestel was a major central spring shaded by a massive plane tree known as Darê Çinar. For generations, it served as a vital water source for massive flocks of sheep and a gathering place for people from nine surrounding villages, including Kûra, Dîkê, and Bahdîna. Unfortunately, modern water pumping has caused the Qestel to dry up entirely. Right next to it sits the Sûqî, a communal stone mortar where villagers spent weeks pounding wheat to make bulgur while singing traditional songs and hosting large communal meals.

The village is surrounded by sacred sites, including Ziyaretgeha Ebû Bekir on a mountain to the north, Ziyaretgeha Qere Doxan to the east which also serves as the village cemetery, and Ziyaretgeha Kurê situated in the southern lands of Rîşa Heskê. To the west lie the plains of Deşta Bîra û Sip and the well of Bîra Elûtê, while the ruins of an older settlement, Xerabeyên Zînkê, sit to the east. Today, the remaining villagers maintain their deep connection to the land by cultivating olive groves and preserving the enduring spirit of their ancestors.

THE VILLAGE OF ÇÊQILME

25.11.2016

The village of Çêqilme is affiliated with the Reco district of the Efrîn canton. It is located 8 km east of the city of Reco and 30 km north of the city of Efrîn.

The village of Çêqilme is between the two mountains of Hawar and Bilêl. It is a small but very ancient village. The village was previously known by the name ((Hesen Têr)), who was considered the founder of the village. But after a while, the Ottomans named it ((Çêqilme)), or in the Kurdish language ((unstrained whey that is made from yogurt)).

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It is worth noting that the village of Çêqilme has been subjected to destruction and burning 3 times by the Ottomans, and this itself is the main reason for the village not expanding and growing.

A resistance movement against the French began, in which nearly 8 people from the village of Çêqilme, under the leadership of Seydê Dîkê, carried out an action against their train in the Tîran valley, and as a result, the train derailed and many soldiers died.

During the era of the Mirûdan, the village also faced attacks from the Mirûdan, because at that time the village was associated with Şêx Simela, who at the same time was an opponent of the Mirûdan.

There are 3 families in the village:

The family of Bekirê Bedo and Seydê Çêqilme, who are both from one family and from the Şêxî tribe, and the family of Ezetê Hevîdî, who is from the Hevîdî tribe.

There are 20 houses and nearly 700 people living in the village, but due to the many wars that occurred in the village, many families migrated to different areas. Some of those families migrated to the villages of Şêx Bila, Reco, and the city of Efrîn.

To the north of the village are the shrine of Ebo Bekir and the Bilêl mountain. To the east are the village of Qêsim and the shrine of Qere Doxan, which is also the cemetery of the village of Dîkê. To the south are the ridge of Hiskê, the land of Zeviyê, and the shrine of Kurê. To the southwest,

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are the village of Şêx Bila, and to the west are the plain of Bîrê Ûsib, the well of Elûtê, and the villages of Kwîra and Hec Xelîl.

The ruin of Zênkê is to the east of the village. It was previously an ancient village, but now it has become a ruin.

The people of the village make their living from agriculture, from cultivating olive groves. Along with agriculture, some families also own livestock such as sheep and goats and sell their products in the markets of Reco and Efrîn.

There is a primary school named after the martyr Ehmed which is shared between the two villages of Çêqilme and Kwîra. The village commune is named after the martyr Cûdî.

Cemîlê Ehmed Seydo and Ismaîl Mihemed are both ancient politicians who have contributed a great deal of effort and work to the Kurdish National movement. Therefore, the village of Çêqilme is known as a center for politicians and intellectuals, and its history and resistance against the Ottoman and French occupiers are witnesses to this truth.