A rare painting of a Kurdish Kochar tribe, 1800

This is a rare painting of a Kurdish Kochar tribe — the koçer, the nomads. It is dated to the 18th century and was painted by E. Riwiento in 1800.

A caption at the bottom of the print reads, in German: „Nomadenführer der Kurden am Abhange bei Mosul. Nach dem Gemälde von E. Riwiento.“ — “Nomad leaders of the Kurds on the slope near Mosul, after the painting by E. Riwiento.” It places the scene near Mosul.

Who the Kochar are

Kochar — in Kurdish, Koçer — means the nomads: the people of the road, the tent, and the zozan (summer pastures). For centuries they moved with their herds between the plains and the mountains, carrying home on their backs.

Why it matters to us

The Berzeri are a babik of the Miran (Kocher Miran), from Kocer near Derik and the villages along the border. A painting of the Kochar is a record of the world this family comes from.

A painting, not a photograph

The artist, E. Riwiento, painted this in 1800 — long before any camera reached these lands. That makes it rarer still: a hand-made record of a people who wrote their history in movement, not on paper.