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for the Kurdişh language in the Soviet period. Nowadays the alphabet based on the CyrilUc characters is
out ofuse and has been replaced bythe Latin characters forthe written language ofKurdish that is widely
applied bythe Kurds living abroad.
Underthe circumstances mentioned above, it was necessaryto change the scriptofthe origjnal translation
and replace it by an adaptation ofLatin and only after that type the new version on a computer.
As a consequence, taking into consideration new requirements, there was a pressing need to carry out
a thorough editing ofthe translated text and to adapt it to the original as well as to the Russian version, as
the papers ofthe scribal copy were so old that some places were almost illegible.
Theprocedure ofeditingthe Kurdish text impUed not onlysome textual corrections but also the alterations
made with regard to the grammatical structure, rnainlyrelating to the dialectal and phonetical forms.
The translated text ofRustaveli's poem is supplemented with a vocabulary comprised by us, providing
explanations for some expressions, personal names and place-names in Kurdish. The analysis ofJardoe
Assad's hand-weitten text showed that the translator had not made this kind ofcomments.
The presented translation ofThe Kinight in the Panther's Skin in Kurdish is a tribute not only to the
Kurdish fiction, but also to the Georgian Rustvelology generally.
It is our hope that The Knight in the Panther's Skin rendered into Kurdish by JardoeAssad will occupy
a fittingplace amongthe translations ofRustaveli's immortal epic poem in various languages.
We would Uke to recognize the help and participation ofthe staffofthe "Caucasian House" and everyone
who contributed to printing and pubhshing thisbook
PubUcation ofShotaRustaveU's The Knight in the Panther's Skin in Kurdish is avaluable gift ofhistorical
irnportance to Kurdish society.
KarimAnqos
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