The Legacy of Hesen Zîrek and His Preservation of Kurdish Musical Heritage
- Arda Bora Karahan
- Aug 12
- 3 min read
Written by Kerem Muldur
Hesen Zîrek is a legendary Kurdish singer renowned for his pivotal role in preserving and modernizing Kurdish music. Zîrek authored over 1,000 songs in several languages, including Sorani and Kurmanji Kurdish, Turkish, Azeri, and Persian. He was also known for creating lyrics and melodies on the spot, or freestyling.
Hesen Zîrek was born into a low-income household in Iran’s Kurdish city, Bukan, on November 29, 1921. His father passed away when he was 5 years old, leading his mother to remarry. This led Hesen to leave school to take care of himself at a very early age. Illiterate and poor, he started working around age 8-9. Around age 12, he started singing to entertain his village, and by age 13, he was traveling across Northern Iran to perform in restaurants and gatherings.
In 1953, at the age of 27, Hesen moved to Baghdad and recorded songs with the Kurdish section of Radio Baghdad, which helped spread his fame. When the Iraqi revolution took place in 1958, Hesen was expelled from Iraq and relocated to Tehran, where he found a new radio station to record songs with, Tehran Radio, as well as love; he met his new wife, Mediya Zandi, and also had two daughters. In the 1960s, he worked with Kermanshah Radio, living between Iraq and northern Iraq. In 1967, he was pushed out of Iraq by political pressures from the Iraqi regime because he often displayed nationalist themes in his music. This caused him to move to Saqqez, Iran, where he lived for the rest of his life. He kept recording music until he passed away due to late-stage cancer on 16 June 1972. He was later buried on Mount Nalishkêne near Bukan, his birthplace, a symbolic site for Kurdish culture.
Zîrek’s music mostly included themes like love, longing, homeland, resistance, and cultural pride. His music reflected the Kurdish struggles and identity, displaying his love for his nation. Even though he was politically suppressed for his music, he was determined to convey his people’s cries. His music was a way of preserving culture in suppressive times, serving as acts of resistance. His music also had a distinct storytelling style, characterized by improvisation, which helped his music stand out as heartfelt and up-to-date.
Zîrek had a profound impact on successor Kurdish artists. His ability to mix Kurdish folk music with contemporary themes set a crucial precedent for future generations. Also, by helping preserve Kurdish music, he inspired a whole new generation of Kurdish artists to spread their work. Contemporary Kurdish musicians like Adnan Karim and Ali Merdan often cite Hesen Zîrek as a source of inspiration, further displaying his influence.
There have been various commemorations and tributes regarding Hesen Zîrek’s life. For example, in August 2024, the Directorate of Culture and Art in Soran, located in Erbil, organized a concert dedicated to Zîrek’s work and legacy. Also, Zîrek’s burial site has been turned into a cultural landmark, which continues to inform visitors about Zîrek and Kurdish Culture today.
His music has also managed to stay relevant and is still played in many Kurdish radio stations such as Govend FM and TRT Radyo Kurdî. Additionally, many of his recordings, such as Kizholay Kurdistani and Shaw, have been remastered and released on several platforms.
Hesen Zîrek has played a vital role in preserving Kurdish music culture and has remained a renowned and highly-skilled artist for decades, whose music will continue to be passed down through generations. He is a cornerstone of Kurdish culture who was not afraid to be the voice of his people, even though others were trying to prevent him from doing so.
References:
“Remembering Hasan Zirak 52 years after his death”, 964media, 2024 https://en.964media.com/21453
“Hassan Zirak: A living and an Eternal Voice”, Kurdshop, 2024 https://kurdshop.net/en/famous-kurdish-persons/3807
“Celebrating an icon of Kurdish music; Hasan Zirak’s anniversary”, Rudaw, 2016 https://www.rudaw.net/english/culture/26062016
“Hassan Zirak”, Prabook, n.d.
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