News Center- Rehme Tawfeq Mahmoud, known as Rehme Xan, was born in 1898, in Sulaymaniyah. Her mother was Xezal Abdullah Ebdulezîz and her father Tawfeq Mahmoud Hamza or Pîremêrd (Kurdish) was a Kurdish poet, writer, novelist, and journalist. Her father always influenced her in preserving the Kurdish culture and the tradition of the Kurdish media and he asked her to maintain the tradition of the Kurdish media before he died.

In 1898, Pîremêrd went to Istanbul and stayed in Istanbul for a long time. Xezal Abdullah Ebdulezîz stayed in Sulaymaniyah with her two children. Although sending children to school was not easy at that time, she managed to send her children to school and became a role model in the city.

The great Kurdish poet Pîremêrd

While talking about the Kurdish Journalism Day, we should also talk about the life of Kurdish poet Pîremêrd, who was a Kurdish poet, writer, novelist, and journalist. “The New Year’s day is today. Newroz is back. An ancient Kurdish festival with joy and verdure” says the Newroz poem of the great Kurdish poet. This poem was turned into a song with the same name. In 1924, he returned to Sulaymaniyah. In 1926, he became the editor of the Kurdish newspaper Jîyan and in 1932 he was promoted to the post of Manager. In 1938, he changed the name of the newspaper to Jîn and continued publishing it until 1950.

Writer Rehme Xan

Growing up in an intellectual family, Rehme Xan went to school and had knowledge about her period. She wrote articles for newspapers and was a writer. She married Mistefa Ahmet at a young age and the couple had two daughters and two sons. The names of their children were Fatma, Perwîn, Faîq, and Ahmet.

She turned her pain into power

Her father Pîremêrd died on June 19, 1950. The screams of Rehme Xan were heard all around the city and all people of Sulaymaniyah learned that her father was passed away. Then, she lost her sister and husband. Despite the pain, she turned her pain into power and became the publisher of the Jin Newspaper. Thus, she became the cornerstone of Kurdish women's journalism. In order to bring Jin Newspaper to a better point, her children also worked for the newspaper. Thanks to her efforts, all people could reach the newspaper.

Rehme Xan continued to work for the newspaper until she died in 1977. She was buried in Girdê Mame Yaran, an old area for Newroz celebrations.