The Delal Bridge (Pira Delal): Zakho’s Ancient Span
The Delal Bridge (Pira Delal), the historic stone bridge over the Khabur at Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan — symbol of the city and home to the haunting legend of Delal.
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Uraman Takht (Hewraman Takht): Heart of the Hawraman
Uraman Takht (Hewraman Takht), the historic terraced village at the heart of Hawraman in western Iran — famed for its stepped stone houses and the ancient Pir Shalyar ceremony.
Read article →Kalar (Kelar): Capital of the Garmian
Kalar (Kelar), the Kurdish capital of the Garmian region in southern Iraqi Kurdistan — home to Sherwana Castle of the Jaff, in a land scarred by the Anfal genocide.
Read article →Palangan: The Terraced Village of the Kurdish Mountains
Palangan, the historic terraced Kurdish village in the Shaho mountains of western Iran — famed for its stepped stone houses climbing a green river gorge.
Read article →Sheikhan (Şêsan): Heartland of the Yazidis
Sheikhan (Şêsan), the Yazidi heartland of northern Iraq — home to the holy valley of Lalish and to Ba’adre, seat of the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis.
Read article →Piranshahr (Pîranşar): A Mukriyan Border City
Piranshahr (Pîranşar), the Kurdish border city of the Mukriyan in north-western Iran — a Sunni Kurdish trade gateway to Iraqi Kurdistan, marked by the kolbars and the 2022 protests.
Read article →Elazığ (Xarpêt): The City of Harput
Elazığ (Xarpêt), the eastern Turkish city below the ancient citadel of Harput — a mixed region with Kurdish and Zaza roots and links to the 1925 Sheikh Said rebellion.
Read article →Shaqlawa (Şeqlawe): A Kurdish Mountain Resort
Shaqlawa (Şeqlawe), the Kurdish mountain resort town of Iraqi Kurdistan — a green valley of orchards and springs between Safeen and Korek, with a mixed Kurdish and Christian heritage.
Read article →Sarpol-e Zahab (Serpêl): Ancient Reliefs on the Kurdish Border
Sarpol-e Zahab (Serpêl), the Kurdish city in western Iran beneath the 4,000-year-old Anubanini relief — a frontier town struck by the Iran–Iraq War and the 2017 earthquake.
Read article →Javanrud (Cuwanro): A Kurdish Town of the Kermanshah Highlands
Javanrud (Cuwanro), the Kurdish town in the Kermanshah highlands of western Iran — a Sunni Kurdish community known for its role in the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.
Read article →Baneh (Bane): Kurdish Border City of Trade and Hardship
Baneh (Bane), the Kurdish border city in the Zagros of western Iran — famed for its markets and trade, and marked by the hardship of the kolbars who cross its mountains.
Read article →Bingöl (Çewlîg): Land of a Thousand Lakes
Bingöl (Çewlîg), the Kurdish and Zaza province of eastern Turkey — the “land of a thousand lakes,” a heartland of the Zazaki language amid rugged mountains.
Read article →Qaladze (Qeladize): A Kurdish Town Bombed and Rebuilt
Qaladze (Qeladize), the Kurdish town in north-eastern Iraqi Kurdistan bombed by Iraq in 1974 and razed during Anfal — then rebuilt by its people as a symbol of endurance.
Read article →Koya (Koye): Town of Kurdish Poets and Scholars
Koya (Koye), the historic Kurdish town between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah — a centre of learning and poetry, and home of Haji Qadir Koyi, founding poet of Kurdish nationalism.
Read article →Derik (Dêrik): The North-Eastern Corner of Rojava
Derik (Dêrik / al-Malikiyah), the northeasternmost town in Syria — a mixed Kurdish and Christian town of the Jazira in Rojava, beside the Rmeilan oil fields.
Read article →Sardasht (Serdeşt): The First City Bombed with Chemical Weapons
Sardasht (Serdeşt), the Kurdish town in north-western Iran remembered as the first town bombed with chemical weapons against its civilians — by Iraq on 28 June 1987.
Read article →Barzan: Homeland of the Barzanis
Barzan, the mountain homeland of the Barzani family in Iraqi Kurdistan — birthplace of Mustafa Barzani, cradle of the KDP, and site of the 1983 disappearance of 8,000 Barzanis.
Read article →Turkish and Turkic Are Not the Same Thing Turkey Was Created in 1923
Explore the differences between Turkish and Turkic in this insightful blog post. Understand why Turkish and Turkic are not the same thing.
Read article →Syria Is Not Ancient — Syria Was Created in 1946 And Has No History, Language, or DNA
Explore how Syria was created in 1946 with no ancient history or language. Uncover the truth about Syria's origins and its modern identity.
Read article →Ranya (Ranye): Gateway of the 1991 Uprising
Ranya (Ranye), the Kurdish town beside Lake Dukan known as Derî Raperîn — “the Gateway of the Uprising” — where the 1991 Kurdish revolt against Saddam Hussein began.
Read article →Batman (êlih): The Kurdish Oil City of the South-East
Batman (êlih), the Kurdish oil city of south-eastern Turkey — a 20th-century boomtown by the Batman River, near the medieval Malabadi Bridge and ancient Hasankeyf.
Read article →Paveh (Pawe): Kurdish Town of the Hawraman Highlands
Paveh (Pawe), the Kurdish town of the Hawraman highlands in western Iran — famed for its terraced stone architecture and the UNESCO-listed cultural landscape of Uramanat.
Read article →Şırnak (Şirnex): The Kurdish City Beneath Mount Cudi
Şırnak (Şirnex), the Kurdish city in the Botan mountains of south-eastern Turkey — beneath Mount Cudi, the Quranic resting place of Noah’s Ark.
Read article →Akre (Akrê): Kurdistan’s Capital of Newroz
Akre (Akrê), the Kurdish mountain town in Iraqi Kurdistan famed for hosting the largest Newroz celebration in Kurdistan — a hillside set alight with torches each spring.
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