Khanaqin (Xaneqîn): A Kurdish City in Iraq’s Disputed Territories
- Mero Ranyayi
- Jun 5
- 5 min read
Introduction
Khanaqin (Kurdish: Xaneqîn) is a Kurdish city in the far east of Iraq, set on the Alwand River only a few kilometres from the Iranian border. Administratively it sits inside Diyala Governorate rather than the Kurdistan Region — which places it squarely in the “disputed territories” claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.
That contested status has shaped Khanaqin’s modern history more than anything else: a Kurdish-majority city subjected to Arabization under Saddam Hussein, partly reversed after 2003, and still caught between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi state. This profile looks at its setting, its people, and the long struggle over who the city belongs to.
Key Takeaways
• Khanaqin (Kurdish: Xaneqîn) is a Kurdish-majority city in Diyala Governorate, eastern Iraq, near the Iranian border.
• It is one of the disputed territories of northern Iraq, claimed by both the Kurdistan Region and the federal government under Article 140 of the constitution.
• Its people mainly speak the Southern Kurdish dialect; the city has long been home to Arabs, Turkmen, and Christian communities too.
• Khanaqin was a target of Saddam Hussein’s Arabization campaigns, which were substantially reversed after 2003.
• The Alwand River divides the city and, with its historic bridge, is seen locally as a symbol of Khanaqin’s unity and Kurdish identity.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Xaneqîn
Country / Region: Iraq (disputed territory; claimed for Bashur)
Governorate: Diyala
River: Alwand (tributary of the Diyala)
Elevation: approximately 183 m
Population: City ~175,000; district ~350,000
Language: Mainly Southern Kurdish
Communities: Kurdish majority; Arab, Turkmen, Christian minorities
Known For: Disputed-territory status, oil, the Alwand Bridge
Border: about 8 km from Iran
Contents
Where Is Khanaqin?
Khanaqin lies in eastern Iraq, in the northeast of Diyala Governorate, about eight kilometres from the Iranian border and roughly 150 kilometres northeast of Baghdad. It stands on the Alwand, a tributary of the Diyala River that flows down from the Zagros Mountains in Iran, in a fertile, intensively farmed area at a low elevation of around 183 metres.
Its location on the main road used by Shia pilgrims travelling to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala made it an important frontier and customs town between the Ottoman and Persian worlds, a role it has held in various forms since the nineteenth century.
A Kurdish City in the Disputed Territories
Khanaqin is one of the disputed territories of northern Iraq — the belt of Kurdish-populated districts, stretching from Khanaqin through Kirkuk to Sinjar, that lie outside the formal boundary of the Kurdistan Region but are claimed by it. Article 140 of the 2005 Iraqi constitution set out a three-stage process — normalization, a census, and a referendum — to decide their status, but it has never been carried out, leaving these areas in a long limbo.
Control on the ground has shifted repeatedly. Kurdish Peshmerga held Khanaqin and much of the disputed belt until October 2017, when, following the Kurdistan independence referendum, Iraqi federal forces moved in and took over. The city’s ultimate status remains unresolved.
Arabization and Its Reversal
Under Saddam Hussein, Khanaqin was a target of the Ba’athist policy of Arabization — the forced removal of Kurds and their replacement with Arab settlers. The demographic shift was dramatic: in the 1965 census Kurds made up around 72 percent of the district and Arabs 26 percent; by the 1977 census those figures had been pushed to roughly 45 percent Kurdish and 48 percent Arab.
After the fall of the regime in 2003, tens of thousands of displaced Kurds returned and the city’s population swelled. But the reversal has never been secure: since the 2017 withdrawal of the Peshmerga, observers have warned of renewed demographic pressure on the district.
The Alwand and the Old Bridge
The Alwand River cuts straight through Khanaqin, dividing it into two halves joined by the historic Alwand Bridge — known locally as the Kopri. For the people of Khanaqin the river is more than a water source: it is regarded as a symbol of the city’s unity and of its Kurdish identity. The surrounding area is also rich in oil, and one of Iraq’s earliest refineries and pipelines was built nearby in 1927.
Khanaqin Today
Modern Khanaqin remains a Kurdish-majority city living with an unresolved political status, its administration and security repeatedly contested between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad. It is a trade centre for the surrounding farmland, a crossing point for Iranian pilgrims, and a community that has held onto a strong Kurdish identity through decades of upheaval — a small but symbolically important piece of the wider question of where Kurdistan’s borders lie.
Timeline
c. 1045 — Ibrahim Inal captures Khanaqin; the area had been under the Banu Uqayl and Annazids.
until 1850s — Khanaqin forms part of the Kurdish principality of Baban.
1847 — The Treaty of Erzurum turns Khanaqin into a significant Ottoman–Persian frontier town.
1927 — One of Iraq’s first oil refineries and pipelines is built near Khanaqin.
1965–1977 — Saddam-era Arabization sharply cuts the Kurdish share of the population.
2003 — After the fall of the regime, displaced Kurds return and the population grows.
2005 — Article 140 sets out a process to resolve the disputed territories — never fully implemented.
2017 — Iraqi federal forces take control of Khanaqin after the Kurdistan independence referendum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Khanaqin part of the Kurdistan Region?
No — administratively it is in Diyala Governorate, outside the formal Kurdistan Region, but it is a Kurdish-majority city claimed by the Region as one of the disputed territories.
What is Khanaqin’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the city is called Xaneqîn. Its people mainly speak the Southern Kurdish dialect.
What is Article 140?
A clause of Iraq’s 2005 constitution that set out normalization, a census, and a referendum to decide the status of disputed territories such as Khanaqin, Kirkuk, and Sinjar. It has not been fully implemented.
What happened to Khanaqin under Saddam Hussein?
Khanaqin was subjected to Arabization — Kurds were forced out and Arab settlers moved in — sharply reducing the Kurdish share of the population until the policy was largely reversed after 2003.
Related People, Places, and Topics
Disputed territories of northern Iraq · Kirkuk · Sinjar · Article 140 · the Alwand River · Diyala · the Baban principality · Bashur (Iraqi Kurdistan).
References and Further Reading
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