SHERWANA
CASTLE
![](640px-Castle_Sherwana_&_Heme_pasha.jpg)
Sherwana
Castle
Sherwana
Castle, also known as Shirwanah Castle, is located in Kalar, Kurdistan,
Iraq. Sherwana Castle is the ancestral home of the Jaff family.
History
:
It was built by Mohamed Pasha Jaff, Kurdish king named by the Ottomans
Empire in the 1800s. After the Mamluk Vali of Baghdad, Suleiaman
Pasha, dealt a crushing defeat to the Persian occupation of Abbas
Mirza Qajar of Northern Mesopotamia, and put to flight the Babans
in 1850, Mohamed Pasha Jaff along with the Jaff nomads were allowed
to dwell in the Shahrizor unharassed by the Ottomans or Persians
in any way. A golden age began for the Jaff as they became a major
power in all the region.
Their
nomadic caravans were allowed pasture from Khanaqin and Qizil Rubat
to Panjwin in the Shahrizor region of Kurdistan. In these regions
Mohammed Pasha Jaff from his position of power began to crack down
on all of his enemies from the Pro Baban Jaff under Aziz Beg Jaff,
who was the son of Kai Khasrow Beg Jaff to the rival tribe of the
Hemevand, who were anti Ottoman and anti everything. He would erect
a fortress on the banks of the Shirwan river to guard against all
of these foes in 1866.
This
fortress is now known as the Shirwana fortress. In 1868, he would
be appointed by the Mamluk Vali Suliaman Pasha of Baghdad. The Jaff's
rivals, Hamavands, would go to the Caucasus and fight under for
the Russians against the Ottomans. The Russians would arm them and
send them back to agitate the Shahrizor and create anarchy.
Osman
Pasha Jaff's son, would be given the residence of the fortress,
as his father concerned himself with the affairs of Gulanbar and
Halabja, Mohammed Ali Beg Jaff. During World War I the Jaff and
the Kurds would fall into obscurity as most of the war took place
in the South between the Ottomans and British, fighting a back forth
battle around Kut, which the Ottomans would deal the British their
worst defeat during the war. The British would finally get the upper
hand through other fronts, the Palestine front especially. The Ottomans
would sign the Treaty of Mudros in 1917. The British would then
occupy Mesopotamia, and the Ottoman Empire would cease to exist.
During the British Occupation much of the Kurdish population would
revolt under Sheikh Mustafa Barzani, whose power base was in Suliamania
in 1918, 1922-1924, including segments of the Jaff tribe. The British
would end up destroying many Palaces and Fortresses built by the
Kurds. Sherwana Castle was the exception, since the Brits had good
relations with the Jaff.
Exterior
:
The Sherwana Castle sits on top of a mound two stories high, and
has eight cases of nine steps each leading up to the entrance. The
entrance is under a grand arched window with two narrow arched windows
and two arched windows on each side. On each side of these are three
more narrow long arched windows and three windows at the top. The
back entrance is similar, with four narrow long windows on each
side and four small windows at the top. Each of the four towers
at the corners has three windows on all sides. The top one of these
has no glass, to enable rifles to be placed on those positions.
The roof of the castle has a building on top with four sides. There
are six windows on each side and two windows on its corners, which
protrude out in a hexagon shape. The roof of this building has a
Persian appearance with wavy crenallations.
Interior
:
The inside has a monochromatic white appearance. The rooms are compartmentalized
with many arches in which to put vases and tea sets. There are three
stories with the second story containing lounge rooms by the grand
windows above the entrances, which overlook all of Kalar. The top
building contains mainly storage rooms.[citation needed]
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwana_Castle