Gülistan Azak

 

MARAŞ – A Kurdish woman from Maraş Fate Reş was one of legendary women in the Kurdish history. Her niece Elif Fate Reş (90) told of her and said, “Fate Reş is the symbol of the Kurdish Kızılbaş (Redheads) women from Maraş.”

 

Fate Reş (Black Fatma) is one of the most known among the leading Kurdish women and she is also known for her courage and stance. Her niece Elif Fate Reş (96) talked about her and she said, “She is the symbol of our Kızılbaş women. She was a brave warrior fighting against the enemy. Her photographs at home are family inheritance for us.”

 

“The Kurdish princess, who is commander of the army, was mentioned a lot. But according to reports received from Istanbul, the name of this princess is Kara Fatma (Black Fatma). She collected 500 voluntary soldiers and she fought against enemy as their commander,” wrote the El Vakai el-Mısriye Newspaper on November 4, 1877 in its issue numbered 730.  This commander Kurdish woman, who died in the end of 1800s, was introduced by European newspapers as “Kurdish princess”, “Kara Fatma from Kurdistan” and “The Kurdish Amazon” in that period.

 

However, official historians introduced Black Fatma as a Turkish. But the world press like British the Illustrated London News, French Illustration, Jornal Universal and Le Tour de Monde, German Globus and Swedish Svenska Familj-Journalen newpapers wrote about her, “Kurdish amazon is in Istanbul”, “Kurdish princess fights” and “Kurdish Hero Kurdish Fatma”.

 

The article written by The Illustrated London News on June 24, 1854, said where Fatma was from as follows; “Kara Fatma is from a Kurdish city Maraş.”

 

‘She was loved among the people for her courage’

 

Elif Fate Reş, who grew up with the heroism of Fate Reş, said “She resisted against Russian expansionism and imperialism between 1853 and 1856 and she was known as ’Kurdish warrior’. The people loved her for her resistance and stance. Fate Reş is the symbol of our Kızılbaş women. She was a brave warrior fighting against the enemy. Her photographs at home are family inheritance for us. I am proud of her.”