Hakkari (Colemêrg): The Kurdish Mountain City and Emirate
- Mehmet Özdemir
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
Hakkari (Kurdish: Colemêrg) is a Kurdish city set high in the mountains of the far south-east of Turkey, where the country meets Iraq and Iran. Capital of the province that bears its name, it lies among some of the highest and most rugged peaks in the land — a remote, fiercely beautiful corner of the region Kurds call Bakur.
Hakkari was once the seat of one of the great Kurdish emirates, and its mountains were for centuries a shared homeland of Kurds and Assyrian Christians. This profile looks at its dramatic setting, the Hakkari emirate, the peoples of its highlands, and the Kurdish city it is today.
Key Takeaways
• Hakkari (Kurdish: Colemêrg) is a Kurdish-majority mountain city and province in the extreme south-east of Turkey.
• It sits among the Cilo mountains, home to some of the highest peaks and only glaciers in Turkey.
• It was the seat of the Hakkari emirate, one of the major Kurdish principalities.
• Its mountains were long a homeland of the Assyrian Church of the East, until the upheavals of the First World War.
• Remote and rugged, Hakkari remains one of the most strongly Kurdish regions in Turkey.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Colemêrg
Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur / Northern Kurdistan)
Province: Hakkari
Setting: Cilo mountains, near the Iraq and Iran borders
Population: city around 60,000–80,000
People: Kurdish majority
Historic Role: Seat of the Hakkari emirate
Known For: High mountains, glaciers, and Kurdish highland culture
Contents
Where Is Hakkari?
Hakkari lies in the south-easternmost corner of Turkey, a high mountain province bordering both Iraq and Iran. The city sits among the Cilo and Sat ranges — part of the great arc of the Zagros — which include Mount Cilo (Reşko), at over 4,000 metres one of the highest summits in Turkey, and the country’s only true glaciers. Winters are long and severe, and many valleys are cut off by snow for months at a time.
This remoteness has defined Hakkari throughout its history. Hard to reach and harder to govern from afar, its mountains gave shelter and a strong sense of independence to the peoples who made them home.
The Hakkari Emirate
For centuries Hakkari was the centre of a powerful Kurdish emirate, ruled by a long-established dynasty that controlled the surrounding mountains under nominal Ottoman or Persian overlordship. Like the other great Kurdish principalities — Bohtan, Bitlis, Soran, Baban — the Hakkari emirate enjoyed real autonomy until the nineteenth century, when the Ottoman drive to centralise the empire brought the age of the emirates to an end and Hakkari was absorbed into direct Ottoman administration.
Mountains of Kurds and Assyrians
The Hakkari highlands were for many centuries a shared homeland. Alongside their Kurdish neighbours lived the independent mountain tribes of the Assyrian Church of the East, whose patriarch resided at Qudshanis (Koçanis) near Hakkari. These Assyrian communities formed one of the oldest Christian populations on earth.
That long coexistence was shattered during the First World War, when the Assyrians of Hakkari were caught up in the wider massacres and forced flight of 1915 and were largely killed or driven from their mountain homes. In the aftermath the region became overwhelmingly Kurdish, as it remains today — though the ruined churches and villages of the high valleys still bear witness to its older, mixed past.
A Highland Heart of Kurdistan
Hakkari’s mountains lie at the heart of the old Kurdish world, a landscape of pastoral life, tribal confederations, and a rich tradition of song and story. The region has given its name to the famous Hakkari bronzes, ancient carved stelae discovered here, and its rugged scenery and distinctive Kurdish culture have made it a powerful symbol of the highland soul of Kurdistan.
Hakkari Today
Modern Hakkari remains one of the most strongly Kurdish provinces in Turkey, and one of the most isolated. Its position on the Iraqi and Iranian borders placed it for decades on the front line of the conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdish movement, which weighed heavily on its towns and villages. Yet the province is increasingly known too for its extraordinary mountains — the Cilo glaciers and peaks drawing a growing number of trekkers — and for a Kurdish highland identity that the centuries have not worn away.
Timeline
Medieval era — Hakkari emerges as the seat of a powerful Kurdish emirate in the mountains.
pre-19th c. — Kurds and the Assyrian Church of the East share the Hakkari highlands.
mid-19th c. — The Ottomans dismantle the Hakkari emirate and impose direct rule.
1915 — The Assyrians of Hakkari are killed or driven out amid the upheavals of the First World War.
20th c. — The region becomes overwhelmingly Kurdish and remains remote and mountainous.
recent decades — Hakkari is affected by the Turkish–Kurdish conflict and, lately, by mountain tourism.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hakkari a Kurdish city?
Yes. Hakkari is a Kurdish-majority city and one of the most strongly Kurdish provinces in Turkey.
What is Hakkari’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the city is called Colemêrg.
What was the Hakkari emirate?
A major Kurdish principality centred on Hakkari that governed the surrounding mountains with real autonomy until the Ottomans abolished it in the nineteenth century.
Who were the Assyrians of Hakkari?
Independent mountain tribes of the Assyrian Church of the East who lived in the Hakkari highlands for centuries until they were killed or expelled during the First World War.
Related People, Places, and Topics
Hakkari emirate · the Cilo mountains · Cizre · Van · the Assyrian Church of the East · Bakur (Northern Kurdistan).
References and Further Reading
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