The Qandil Mountains (Çiyayê Qendîl): Kurdistan’s Mountain Stronghold
The Qandil mountains (Çiyayê Qendîl), the remote range on the Iraq–Iran border that is Kurdistan’s great mountain refuge and the longtime stronghold of the PKK.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
Kurdish History and Resilience
Articles filed under Kurdish History and Resilience.
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.
Read article →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 →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.
Read article →Siirt (Sêrt): The Historic Kurdish City of the South-East
Siirt (Sêrt), the historic Kurdish city of south-eastern Turkey — its mix of Kurds and Arabs, its blankets and pistachios, and the shrine of Veysel Karanî.
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