The Prominent Spatial Behaviors of Kurds in the Policing History of Khalkhal: A Focus on Consequences

Today, under the influence of many internal and external factors, the ethnic minority groups tend to adopt different behavioral patterns from the central ethnic group and even the peripheral majority group and show new spatial and political behaviors. This research aims to outline the spatial behavior of the Khalkhal Kurds towards the surrounding majority group. More specifically, the study seeks to investigate the most prominent role of the Kurds in the policing history of the Khalkhal region and tries to find out the variables likely to have had a role in this process. The study is descriptive-analytic in nature. The data have been gathered through library documents and reliable historical sources as well as interviews. The research population includes the Kurdish-speaking settlements in Khalkhal. The findings show that the most prominent spatial behavior of the Kurds can be attributed to the fact that they gained power during the Qajar period. It could also be ascribed to the interaction and confrontations with the central government and the twenty-year rule over the region. This issue has been exploited by foreign colonial powers, especially Tsarist Russia, to prevent the unity of the people in the region. The results show that if the demands of ethnic minorities are not met, Khalkhal Kurds, under likely influence of numerous internal and external factors, are prone to serious social, political and, consequently, security challenges for the region and even the country.