Lice (Licê): A Mountain Town of Diyarbakır
- Mehmet Özdemir
- Jun 6
- 4 min read
Introduction
Lice (Kurdish: Licê) is a Kurdish town in the north-east of Diyarbakır Province in south-eastern Turkey, set in rugged hill country where the Diyarbakır plain rises toward the mountains of Bingöl. A town of farmers and herders in a hard, beautiful landscape, Lice has a name well known in the modern Kurdish story — marked both by a devastating earthquake and by the turbulent recent history of the region.
Tucked into the hills on the edge of the plain, Lice is a small town that has seen more than its share of history. This profile looks at its setting, its past, and its endurance.
Key Takeaways
• Lice (Kurdish: Licê) is a Kurdish town in the north-east of Diyarbakır Province in Turkey.
• It lies in hill country where the plain rises toward the Bingöl mountains.
• A catastrophic earthquake struck Lice in 1975, killing thousands.
• The town and district are well known in modern Kurdish history.
• Lice remains a farming and herding community in a rugged landscape.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Licê
Name (Turkish): Lice
Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur)
Province: Diyarbakır
Setting: Hill country toward the Bingöl mountains
Economy: Farming and herding
1975: Struck by a devastating earthquake
Character: A historic Kurdish mountain town
Contents
Where Is Lice?
Lice lies in the north-east of Diyarbakır Province, where the great plain of Diyarbakır gives way to the foothills of the mountains that climb toward Bingöl, not far from the country around Silvan. It is a town of the hills, set among ridges, streams, and woods, on the rugged northern edge of the province.
A Town in the Hills
Lice is a highland town, its life shaped by the steep and stony country around it. Farming, orchards, and the herding of sheep and goats have long been the mainstays of the district, whose scattered villages sit among the folds of the hills. The landscape is green and lovely in spring and harsh in winter, and the relative isolation of the mountains has given Lice and its villages a strong, traditional, deeply rooted Kurdish character.
The 1975 Earthquake
Lice is remembered across Turkey for the terrible earthquake of September 1975, when a powerful tremor struck the town and its district. Much of Lice was destroyed and thousands of people were killed, in one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit the region in the twentieth century. The disaster left a deep scar, and the town had to be largely rebuilt in the years that followed — a painful chapter of loss and recovery that still lives in local memory.
A Place in Modern History
Lice and its surrounding villages also occupy a notable place in the modern political history of the Kurdish southeast. The district has been closely associated with the events and movements of recent decades, and like much of the region it was caught up in the long conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish fighters, with periods of hardship, displacement, and tension affecting the town and its people. These events are part of the wider, often difficult story of the southeast, and they have given Lice a prominence beyond its size.
Lice Today
Today Lice is a quiet Kurdish town in the hills of Diyarbakır Province, rebuilt after the earthquake and carrying on the farming and herding life of its district. It has known disaster and upheaval, yet its communities endure in their mountain setting. Lice remains a small but resilient town on the rugged northern edge of the Diyarbakır country.
Timeline
historically — Lice develops as a Kurdish town in the hills of north-eastern Diyarbakır.
1975 — A devastating earthquake destroys much of Lice and kills thousands.
later 20th c. — The district figures prominently in the modern history of the southeast.
recent decades — Lice experiences the hardships of the regional conflict.
today — Lice is a rebuilt, resilient mountain town in Diyarbakır Province.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lice’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the town is known as Licê.
Where is Lice?
Lice is a town in the north-east of Diyarbakır Province in south-eastern Turkey, in the hills toward the Bingöl mountains.
What happened in the 1975 Lice earthquake?
In September 1975 a powerful earthquake struck Lice, destroying much of the town and killing thousands of people; it was one of the deadliest of the era in the region.
What is Lice known for?
Lice is known for its mountain setting, the catastrophic 1975 earthquake, and its prominent place in the modern history of the Kurdish southeast.
Related People, Places, and Topics
The 1975 earthquake · the Diyarbakır highlands · the Kurdish southeast · Diyarbakır · Bingöl · Silvan.
References and Further Reading
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