Stephen Mansfield: Author of The Miracle of the Kurds
Stephen Mansfield, American author of The Miracle of the Kurds, brought the modern Kurdish story to Western readers and was honoured by Rudaw.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
The archive
Hoşap Castle: A Kurdish Prince’s Eagle’s Nest
Hoşap Castle, the dramatic 17th-century fortress near Van — built in 1643 by the Kurdish Mahmudi prince Sarı Süleyman, a splendid monument of the age of the Kurdish emirates.
Read article →Shanidar Cave: Where Neanderthals Sleep
Shanidar Cave, the famous prehistoric site in the Bradost mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan — where Neanderthal remains and the ‘flower burial’ reshaped our understanding of these ancient humans.
Read article →Bekhal Waterfall: A Mountain Spring of Kurdistan
Bekhal, a famous spring-fed waterfall in the mountains near Rawandiz in Iraqi Kurdistan — flowing year-round, with cafes built over the rushing water, one of the region’s favourite summer retreats.
Read article →Gali Ali Beg: Kurdistan’s Famous Waterfall
Gali Ali Beg, the most famous waterfall in Iraqi Kurdistan — a cascade in the Rawanduz gorge country near Rawandiz, once pictured on the Iraqi banknote and a beloved natural icon of the region.
Read article →Saint Thaddeus Monastery: The Black Church of the Borderlands
Saint Thaddeus Monastery, the Qara Kelisa or Black Church, an ancient Armenian monastery in north-western Iran — a UNESCO pilgrimage site and part of the multi-faith heritage of the wider region.
Read article →Sherwana Castle: A Kurdish Princely Seat
Sherwana Castle, the historic Jaff-dynasty castle at Kalar in Iraqi Kurdistan — a rare surviving Kurdish princely residence of the Garmian region, now restored as a museum.
Read article →The Kirkuk Citadel: Ancient Heart of the City
The Kirkuk Citadel, the ancient settlement mound at the heart of Kirkuk — inhabited for thousands of years above the Khasa river, the historic soul of a multi-ethnic city in northern Iraq.
Read article →The Halabja Monument: A Memorial of Remembrance
The Halabja Monument, the memorial in Halabja to the thousands of Kurdish civilians killed in the 1988 chemical attack — a place of mourning, remembrance, and resilience.
Read article →Korek Mountain: A Peak Above the Gorge
Korek Mountain, the high peak and cable-car resort above the Rawanduz gorge in Iraqi Kurdistan — snow-capped in winter, cool in summer, and one of the region’s most popular destinations.
Read article →The Anubanini Relief: A Carving From the Dawn of History
The Anubanini relief, an ancient rock carving at Sarpol-e Zahab in Iranian Kurdistan — made over 4,000 years ago by the Lullubi, showing a king before a goddess, among the oldest reliefs of the region.
Read article →The Rawanduz Gorge: A Canyon in the Mountains
The Rawanduz Gorge, the dramatic river canyon in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan below Rawandiz — a wonder of sheer cliffs, waterfalls, and the famous Hamilton Road.
Read article →The Walls of Diyarbakır: Black Ramparts of Amed
The Walls of Diyarbakır, the great black basalt ramparts around the old city of Amed — among the longest and best-preserved ancient city walls in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read article →Mar Mattai: An Ancient Monastery on the Mountain
Mar Mattai, the ancient Syriac Orthodox monastery on Mount Alfaf above the Nineveh Plains — founded around 363, among the oldest monasteries in the world and famed for its Syriac manuscripts.
Read article →Ecbatana: The Ancient Capital of the Medes
Ecbatana (Hegmataneh), the ancient capital of the Medes beneath modern Hamadan — a great capital of the Iranian world tied to the Median heritage many Kurds look back to.
Read article →Nineveh: The Great Assyrian Capital
Nineveh, the great capital of the Assyrian empire on the Tigris by Mosul — famed for its lamassu guardians and the library of Ashurbanipal, and destroyed in 612 BC by a coalition including the Medes.
Read article →Dara: The Ancient Fortress City of the Frontier
Dara, the ancient Roman-Byzantine fortress city near Mardin — built in the 6th century against Persia, with vast cisterns, a dam, rock-cut tombs, and the famous 530 AD Battle of Dara.
Read article →The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır: Ulu Cami of Amed
The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır (Ulu Cami / Mizgefta Mezin) — one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, in the walled old city of Amed, famous for its courtyard of reused ancient columns.
Read article →Mor Yakup: An Ancient Church at Nusaybin
The Church of Mar Jacob (Mor Yakup) at Nusaybin — one of the oldest churches in the world, founded in the early 4th century by Jacob of Nisibis and tied to the famed School of Nisibis.
Read article →Halfeti: The Sunken Town on the Euphrates
Halfeti, the half-submerged town on the Euphrates in Şanlıurfa — where a dam drowned part of the old town and a sunken minaret rises from the water, famous too for its rare black rose.
Read article →Arsameia: A Sanctuary of the Commagene Kings
Arsameia, the Commagene hilltop sanctuary near Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman — with its famous relief of a king and Heracles, a long Greek inscription, and a mysterious rock tunnel.
Read article →Balıklıgöl: The Sacred Pool of Şanlıurfa
Balıklıgöl, the sacred pool of fish in Şanlıurfa — revered in tradition as the place of the prophet Abraham, ringed by historic mosques and gardens and a major place of pilgrimage.
Read article →The Hevsel Gardens: Ancient Green by the Tigris
The Hevsel Gardens, the ancient green fields along the Tigris below the walls of Diyarbakır — cultivated for thousands of years, a haven for birds, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read article →Deyrulzafaran: The Saffron Monastery of Mardin
Deyrulzafaran, the “Saffron Monastery” near Mardin — an ancient Syriac Orthodox monastery that was for centuries the seat of the patriarchs, built in golden stone on a far older sacred site.
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