Simko became the leader of the Shekak tribe in 1905 after the death of his elder brother
Jafar Agha. Simko was married to the daughter of Seyyed Taha, the grandson of
Sheikh Ubeydullah, who was also a Kurdish nationalist who was actively campaigning for the unification of
Iranian Kurdistan and
Turkish Kurdistan in an independent state.
Kurdish nationalism was first introduced to
Iranian Kurds during the reign of
Abdul Hamid II, where the
Ottoman Empire made several attempts to annex
Iranian Kurdistan while encouraging nationalism to convince Iranian Kurds to the rest of the Kurds, who lived in the Ottoman Empire. The
Young Turk Revolution did not change the policy. The Ottomans briefly controlled Iranian Kurdistan on two occasions, in 1906 and
World War I. In 1906, the Ottomans captured
Mahabad relatively easily due to the Kurds being
Sunni. In 1908, a group of Kurdish nationalists approached the Russian consulate in
Urmia and asked for assistance in expelling the Ottomans. Simko was the most prominent figure who approached the consulate. The presence of Ottoman troops in Iranian Kurdistan had challenged the powerful status of Simko, while the Kurds were divided into Pro-Ottoman and Anti-Ottoman factions. Simko visited the Russian consulate in Urmia again in 1911 and visited Russia in 1912. Simko attacked the Ottomans and caused significant damage.
Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov often gave Simko rank promotions, which the Ottomans protested to
Sergey Sazonov, but achieved nothing as the Russian consul in
Van stated that Simko "is someone that we need and we should support him, since his hatred toward the Turks is without limit. And that benefits us." In the
Persian Constitutional Revolution, Simko turned against the Constitutionalists, who were largely urban Azeris, and without being invited, sent 300 horsemen to join Iqbal al-Saltaneh, the governor of Maku, against the anjuman of Khoy. Simko was rewarded with the position of sub-governor of
Qotur District, which the central government confirmed despite Simko's constant raids. Prior to 1913, Simko sided with pro-Ottoman and anti-Russian Azerbaijanis, although he delivered one of them, who sought refuge with him, to Russia in 1913, after which the Russians convinced the other Shikak leaders to pledge allegiance to Simko. In 1913, Simko and
Abdurrezak Bedirkhan established the first Kurdish school in Iran in Maku and asked the Russian Vice-Consul Chirkov in Urmia for support, which he gave. Simko gathered 29 children aged between 8 and 10, and assigned 40 of his men as guards. Simko had personally handwritten a letter of gratitude to the Russian Czar. In 1914, they attempted to open another school in Khoy but were opposed by the Iranian government. Abdurrezak Bedirkhan notably supported the Cyrillicisation of the Kurdish alphabet and saw Russian influence as better than Arabic, Turkish, or Persian. Simko and Bedirkhan fell out after Bedirkhan wanted to turn the newly established cultural house into an anti-Ottoman pro-Russian political party, with Simko opposing, claiming that killing a few Ottoman soldiers would not benefit the Kurds as much as the school would. In March 1914, Simko Shikak participated in the
Bitlis uprising against the Ottomans, having sent support westwards to the Kurdish rebels. In May 1914, he attended a meeting with
Abdürrezzak Bedir Khan. In
World War I, the Russians were expelled from the region after the Ottomans captured Urmia and Tabriz in December 1914. Simko then became an Ottoman ally and massacred hundreds of Armenians and Assyrians. However, when the Ottomans requested help against the British, Simko refused. The Russians returned shortly after and briefly imprisoned Simko in
Tbilisi, after which he returned to Iran, again a Russian ally. When the Russians withdrew in 1917, Simko became a British ally, which meant having to tolerate Assyrians and Armenians, whom he despised. He frequently changed sides as he was willing to ally with anyone who benefitted the Kurds. However, Simko was paranoid and believed that the Assyrians wanted to establish a state in Kurdish lands and ethnically cleanse the Kurds. The alliance did not last long, as Simko invited
Shimun XIX Benyamin, the secular and religious leader of the Assyrians, for negotiations in March 1918, where Mar Shimun and the majority of his delegation were killed and butchered. Simko sided with the Ottomans when they invaded Iran in summer 1918. Several historians, as well as Lady Surma, the sister or Mar Shimun, claimed that the Iranian government had organized the assassination of Mar Shimun, with Simko only having acted as the executioner. Others claimed that the Ottomans had paid him to kill Mar Shimun. However, there is no evidence that support these claims. Jointly with the
Ottoman Army he organized the massacre in
Haftevan in February 1915 during which 700–800
Armenians and
Assyrians were murdered. During the Ottoman withdrawal from the South Caucasus after World War I, many ethnic Kurdish soldiers and officers deserted from the Ottoman army and joined Simko, inspired by his nationalist goals. Despite deserting, they had brought the Ottoman equipment with them to Iran. They were paid generously by Simko and formed the bulk of the Kurdish rebels in Iran. There were British and Iranian suspicions that a large contingent loyal to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had supported Simko, proof of those suspicions was never found. There were Kurdish nationalists from Turkey who joined Simko. According to British travelogue CJ Edmonds who interviewed Simko in 1922, Simko hated Turks more than Persians. ic verse, and the central text reads "کردستان سربخوە" (). In 1918, the
Simko Shikak revolt began, aimed at establishing an independent Kurdish state. Nearing the 1920s, Simko grew increasingly nationalist. However, Simko was primarily considered a tribal leader, as he lived in a time when Kurds primarily gave their allegiance to their tribe and had no concept of unity for a national cause. Simko lacked administration, which made him less successful than his contemporaries
Mohammad Khiabani and
Mirza Kuchik Khan. Simko was a pioneer of Kurdish nationalism and was among the first to attempt to unite Kurds of various tribal affiliation for a national cause. His failure was primarily due to the lack of nationalism among Kurds. However, Kurdish nationalism rapidly grew during the
Pahlavi era in Iran, which also coincided with the Kemalist era in Turkey where Kurdish nationalism was also growing. Eventually,
Qazi Muhammad successfully united various Kurdish tribes and established the
Republic of Mahabad. Qazi Muhammad's father was a close friend of Simko and accompanied him throughout the battles. Before the Republic of Mahabad, Simko had made Mahabad his capital. Many of the veterans of the Simko Shikak revolt participated in the Republic of Mahabad, including
Amar Khan Shikak who succeeded Simko as tribe leader. During the
Battle of Charah, after the murder of Mar Shimun, the
Assyrians under the command of
Malik Khoshaba and
Petros Elia of Baz attacked the
fortress in Charah in which Simko was decisively defeated and fled to Khoy. The deputy governor of Azerbaijan, Mokarram-ol-Molk, devised a plan to assassinate Simko with a gift box that had a bomb inside. In May 1919, the bomb was assembled by an Armenian expert in Khoy and sent to Simko disguised as a package of
confections. When the package reached Simko, his young son brought it inside, believing it was a gift. Simko immediately knew what it was and threw it far away as he tightly grabbed his son and got on the floor. They both survived, although the bombing killed Simko's younger brother, Ali Agha Shikak, as well as many Kurdish troops. Simko vowed revenge and began taxing non-Kurds living between Salmas and Khoy and intensifying the attacks on Assyrian and Azerbaijani communities. Simko demanded that whoever sent the package be handed over. Although Mokarram-ol-Molk was the one who planned it, he blamed it on three people who had no part in it but were disliked by both the Iranian government and Simko. One of the accused men was Jahangir Mirza, a Qajar prince who owned many schools in Khoy. One of the schools, named Cyrus, was captured by Simko after he killed Mar Shimun. Simko lived in the school for a period of time, and on one occasion, Jahangir Mirza attempted to evict Simko from the school but failed. Simko felt humiliated and continued to hold resentment. In June, the three men were escorted to Simko by thirteen
Qaradaghi tribesmen. The three men and all the Qaradaghi tribesmen had their limbs cut off and were thrown from the roof of Simko's palace. He targeted the Qaradaghi tribesmen as revenge for his brother Jafar Agha, who was killed by a Qaradaghi chief in 1905. By summer 1918, Simko had established his authority in the region west of
Lake Urmia. In 1919, Simko sent a letter to the British civil commissioner of Iraq, demanding Kurdish independence. Also in 1919, Yusuf Adl Mukarram ul-Molk, the governor of Iranian Azerbaijan, devised a plot to kill Simko by sending him a present with a bomb hidden in it. At this time, government in
Tehran tried to reach an agreement with Simko on the basis of limited Kurdish
autonomy. Simko and his tribe, well-known as robbers and plunderers, specifically targeted Assyrian and Azerbaijani communities. In 1919, Simko gave refuge to the family of Mahmud Barzinji when they fled to Iran. In December 1919, the multi-ethnic parts of West Azerbaijan province were extremely dangerous and riddled with ethnic violence. The cities of
Salmas,
Urmia, and
Khoy, all made up of Kurds, Azerbaijanis, and Assyrians, saw the worst of tensions. The Kurds had the advantage, and there were telegrams of pleas from Azerbaijanis and Assyrians who grew increasingly worried. Later, Simko Shikak announced his planned invasion of
Lakestan, namely
Soltan Ahmad and
Qarah Qeshlaq, both of which were inhabited entirely by ethnic
Azerbaijanis. Lakestan is near Salmas, and its residents were either cattle breeders, farmers, or chiefs. In Lakestan, around 8,700 Azerbaijani locals prepared to confront Simko, although over 340 did not have weapons. In the telegram that survivors of Lakestan sent to Tabriz, they claimed that 3,500 Azerbaijanis had died, with 2,000 of them being directly killed by Simko and the other 1,500 of them being frozen to death while trying to escape. The events created a strong shock in Tabriz. The Iranian Army later deployed to Lakestan and retook the region. In nearby settlements, during and after the Lakestan massacres, Kurds clashed with Azerbaijanis and Assyrians. Immediately after, Simko led the invasion of
Urmia, where the Kurds captured the city and massacred Assyrians and Azerbaijanis. The
Afshar tribe submitted to Simko Shikak and his authority. In 1920, Simko told an American missionary "here I am living at the top of my mountain, my people eating grass, and no one about us but the false Russians, the false Turks and the false Persians. How can my voice reach Paris? You must carry my appeal. We need help and we look especially to America." On October 7, 1921, Simko led the invasion of Mahabad, where 200 Iranian soldiers were killed and 150 were injured, and the city fell under Kurdish control. Afterwards, Simko's men entered the hospitals in the city and cut the throats of the wounded Iranian soldiers seeking treatment. Simko then advanced towards Iranian forces led by Qaradaghi tribe leader Amir Arshad. After the humiliation at Mahabad, the Iranian prime minister, Qavam al-Saltaneh, had ordered the governor of Azerbaijan to support Amir Arshad, also known as Sam Khan, who was a Qaradaghi tribal leader of the
Hajialilu tribe, as the commander of a new force created to defeat Simko. In autumn 1920, the Hajialilu tribe gave refuge to Armenian fighters fleeing the Ottoman Empire, significantly increasing the weaponry of Amir Arshad. The Iranian government aimed to use a "loyal" tribal leader to fight a "disloyal" one. By late October 1921, the Qaradaghi tribesmen and the Iranian gendarmerie were at Sharafkhaneh and Khoy, respectively, and planned to push towards Salmas, the stronghold of Simko. However, Simko was aware, and had actually surprised Amir Arshad in
Alma Saray,
Tasuj. The Qaradaghi tribesmen were stunned and instantly fled, losing 200 men. Amir Arshad himself had panicked and fled before being killed by his own fighters. After defeating the Qaradaghi tribesmen, Simko defeated the Iranian gendarmerie led by Swedish Colonel Lundberg, which retreated to Khoy. Immediately after, Simko and the Turkish government cut ties and armed clashes broke out between them. Furthermore, American missionaries were also robbed and killed. After capturing Mahabad, Simko added "Partisan of the Independence of Kurdistan" to his signature and began publishing a newspaper in Kurdish and Persian. It was unknown whether the newspaper was called Kurd or Independent Kurdistan. He made Mahabad his capital. As early as October 20, M. Saunders, the British intelligence attache in Iran, wrote that Mahabad was not under the control of Simko but under local Kurds who were more willing to cooperate with the Iranian government. Afterwards, the Iranian government captured the city until Simko captured it again. Control over the city repeatedly changed until the Iranian government captured it in August 1922. Simko had organized a strong Kurdish army which was much stronger than Iranian government forces. Since the central government could not control his activities, he continued to expand the area under his control and by 1922, cities of
Baneh and
Sardasht were under his administration. In the
Battle of Sari Taj in 1922, Simko's forces could not resist the Iranian Army's onslaught in the region of
Salmas and were finally defeated and the castle of Chari was occupied. The strength of the Iranian Army force dispatched against Simko was 10,000 soldiers. In 1922, Turkey assisted the Iranian army against Simko. After the defeat of Simko,
Reza Shah began a repressive campaign toward non-
Persian minorities. On January 8, 1923, Simko visited the
Kingdom of Kurdistan and met with
Mahmud Barzanji. Simko was welcomed with a military parade, and the day of his visit was made a national holiday. After Reza Khan came to power in 1921, he began a campaign against Simko and all other tribal leaders across Iran. By 1924, Simko, severely weakened, had surrendered and was pardoned by
Reza Khan. When Reza Khan became
Reza Shah in 1925, Simko pledged eternal loyalty to him and the
Iranian state. Turkey was concerned about Simko joining the Sheikh Said revolt with Iranian support. When Simko captured Miandoab and Sayinqaleh, he boosted the morale of the Kurdish tribes, who began joining him in large numbers, and he called on the Lurs to join the revolt as well. Several Luri tribes did connect with Simko. After Simko was defeated in 1922 and fled to Iraq, the Kurdish and Luri tribes which supported Simko were deported to other parts of Iran. In 1926, Simko allied with the
Herki and
Begzada tribes, regained leadership of the Shekak tribe, and began another revolt. Shortly after,
Iranian forces were dispatched from
Urmia,
Sharafkhaneh and
Khoy, and defeated Simko. Simko fled to the Turkish frontier where he was arrested. After his release, he returned to Iran. Simko, having lost much power and influence, took minor part in the 1928-1929 revolt led by Mullah Khalil of the Mangur tribe in Mahabad against Reza Shah, which had Kurdish nationalist motives and was triggered by Reza Shah banning the hijab. The revolt was suppressed. It was known that Simko died in
Oshnaviyeh on June 21, 1930, although there were two conflicting reports, with one claiming that he was killed in battle with Iranian forces, and another claiming that he was killed unsuspectingly as he was sitting with Iranian officials in negotiations, similarly to how his brother Jafar Agha was killed, and to how he killed Mar Shimun. soldier with the corpse of Simko Shikak ==Legacy==