The image shows Sheikh Bābā Saʿīd Barzanǧī (sitting) with his followers/derwishes (as he was a Sheikh of the Qaderiyya order). He was hanged in 1914 in Kahrīze by the Ottomans on the charge of having cooperated with Russian forces and offering support to Christians. Born in the village of Ġous̲ābād ca. 1856 (I found two conflicting birth years, corrections welcome), he was educated by his father, Sheikh Ismāʿīl Ṣadr al-Dīn, and received his further religious education by master Pīrebāb in the village of Aṭmīš, whereafter he continued his studies in Cairo, Bagdad and Kashmir, especially in the field of medicine and mysticism. He is known for his charity towards the sick, orphans and the poor, for which he specially created two local care institutions. He is also the author of several works, including two divans of mystical poetry, and works on medicine. His remains were burried in the village of Ġous̲ābād. Image: At this moment, no details about the original photographer, the exact date of the photograph nor where it was taken are available to me. I am thankful for all additional information. The copyrights fully belong to the Mala Kord Museum in Sanandaj, where I took this image in March 2017, and to whom I pay my sincerest respects.
Sources of biographical information: Wikipedia and a Facebook-page where details of his biography have been shared from Fereydoon Hakimzades (still unpublished?) book named “The Renowned of Mukriyan”.
Please note: For now, this post about an early photograph is still a draft or perhaps more an idea for a research topic. In the course of time, it will be expanded into a blog post that traces the background story of the photograph.
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