Kerkük Prison Ballad

Kerkük Zindanı is a folk song regarded as a reflection in the collective memory of the Iraqi Turks of one of the most traumatic events in their recent history: the July 14 1959 Kirkuk Massacre. The work holds cultural significance as both a historical testimony and a symbol that has reached broad audiences through modern interpretations of Turkish folk music.

Historical Background: The July 14 1959 Kirkuk Massacre

The first anniversary celebrations of the proclamation of the republic in Iraq became a turning point in Kirkuk, where ethnic and ideological tensions erupted into violence. On July 14 1959, tensions arose in the Hassa Suyu district between a procession composed of communist and Kurdish groups and local Turks holding their own celebrations. Shortly afterward, a Kurdish militia group of approximately 60 people armed with clubs arrived at the scene.^【1】 When the procession reached the entrance of the July 14 Café, owned by Turks, a confrontation ensued; after gunfire erupted from an unknown location, soldiers and HDG members took up their weapons.

Numerous Turks were killed during the events, and it was reported that bodies were dragged through the streets and that 70 Turkish-owned businesses were looted.^【2】 At the same time, some armed groups moved toward police stations to seize weapons and then launched attacks on areas densely populated by Turks, fueled by inciting rhetoric claiming that “Turks had killed our Kurdish brothers.”^【3】

On July 15, the violence intensified. Some military units deployed to restore order allegedly opened fire on Turkish neighborhoods and buildings from the direction of the Kale fortress. People seeking refuge at the headquarters of the divisional command were dragged away and murdered.^【4】

Testimonies describe how some victims were displayed after being killed, while others were buried alive.^【5】 Furthermore, the targeting of prominent members of the Turkish community indicates that the event was not merely an attack resulting in loss of life, but a deliberate act of collective violence intended to instill fear and leave a deep mark on the collective memory.

Estimates of the death toll vary. Official records state that 32 people were killed, but other accounts suggest a higher number and claim that approximately 50 Turkish notables (some of whom were buried alive) also lost their lives. There are also reports of individuals who went missing or are believed to have been mass buried.^【6】 Consequently, the events of July 14 1959 have become entrenched in the memory of the Kirkuk Turkmen not merely as a clash, but as a massacre, loss and social destruction.

Composition and Origin of the Folk Song

The lyricist of the song, Fahrettin Ergeç, was forced to emigrate to Türkiye after the massacre and expressed his anguish in a poem titled “Kerkük Zindanı.” This poem later became a folk song and emerged as one of the symbols of the Iraqi Turkmen identity struggle.

The song remained banned for many years and only reached the Turkish public through Cem Karaca’s 1999 rendition, after which it gained widespread recognition.^【7】

Kerkük Zindanı (Repertükül)

Kerkük Zindanı

They threw me into the prison of Kirkuk

They added me to the herd of the oppressed

They scorched me with fire, mother, on one side of me

What crime, what sin did I commit that they burned me?

Mothers who fled from Turkmen villages

Have neither homes nor hearths left

My cry of the oppressed shakes the dome of the sky

Surely one day years will smile upon us too^【8】

Kerkük Zindanı (Repertükül)

Formal and Musical Characteristics

The song’s repertory number is 522. The lyricist is Fahrettin Ergeç. The folk song belongs to the Kürdî modal series. The final note and ending tone is La. Its rhythm is 2/4. The lowest note is Sol and the highest note is La, giving it a vocal range of nine notes.

Cultural Significance

The folk song carries the historical trauma and identity struggle of the Iraqi Turks as a form of musical memory. It has also gained importance within Türkiye’s folk music and protest music traditions as a voice of resistance against oppression. Through Cem Karaca’s interpretation, the song merged elements of Anatolian folk literature with an Anatolian rock sensibility, becoming both a historical document and an artistic medium of expression.