Saqqez: The Kurdish City Behind ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’
- Mehmet Özdemir
- 8 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
Saqqez (Kurdish: Seqiz) is a Kurdish city in the north-west of Iran, in Kurdistan Province. A mid-sized highland city in the Zagros mountains, it is overwhelmingly Kurdish and has long been a centre of Kurdish culture and political life in Iran. Since 2022 it has been known far beyond the region as the home of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, whose death in custody sparked nationwide protests.
This is the latest entry in our geographic series profiling the cities and towns of the region — where they are, who controls them, who lives in them, and why they matter to the Kurdish story.
Quick Facts
Common Name: Saqqez (also Saghez)
Kurdish Name: Seqiz
Country: Iran — Kurdistan Province, north-west
Population: About 165,000 (2016 census); the city around 182,000 (2021)
People: Overwhelmingly Sunni Kurdish, speaking the Sorani dialect
Setting: In the Zagros highlands at about 1,470 m, on the Saqqez River
Ancient Roots: Linked to the Mannaean capital region and the Ziwiye hoard
Known Today For: Hometown of Jina (Mahsa) Amini; start of the 2022 protests
Contents
Location and Geography
Saqqez sits in the north of Iran’s Kurdistan Province, in the rugged highlands of the Zagros mountains at an altitude of around 1,470 metres. The city is built across wide plains and hills and is crossed by the Saqqez River, with the larger Zarrineh and Simineh rivers fed by streams in the surrounding country. Its mountain setting gives it a cold climate, with long, freezing winters and cool summers. It lies near the border town of Bane, around 40 kilometres away, and not far from the frontier with Iraqi Kurdistan, making it an important regional hub in the borderlands.
People and Population
Saqqez had a population of about 165,000 at the 2016 census, with later figures putting the city itself at around 182,000 and the wider county closer to 237,000. Its people are overwhelmingly Kurdish and predominantly Sunni Muslim, speaking the Sorani dialect of Kurdish. Like the rest of Kurdistan Province, the area is known for a strong sense of Kurdish identity and a rich tradition of Kurdish music, literature and political activism, even as it remains one of the less economically developed parts of Iran.
History
Saqqez is an ancient settlement with roots reaching back thousands of years. The area is associated with the Mannaeans, an early kingdom of the region, and with the famous Ziwiye hoard of ancient gold and ivory treasures found nearby. Later it was known in the medieval period as Barza, an important crossroads on trading routes. Through the centuries the city changed hands among the empires that ruled this corner of the Iranian plateau, while remaining a Kurdish town. In the modern era it became part of the wider story of Kurdish struggle in Iran, connected to figures and movements that resisted central authority.
Jina Amini and the 2022 Protests
In September 2022, Jina Amini — also known by her official name Mahsa Amini — a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, died in Tehran after being detained by Iran’s morality police over her hijab. Her funeral in Saqqez became the first flashpoint of what grew into the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadî) protest movement, which drew on a Kurdish slogan and spread across Iran and around the world. Saqqez has remained a focal point ever since, with memorials at Amini’s grave, strikes, and a heavy security presence on the anniversaries of her death.
Saqqez Today
Saqqez today is a regional city and the centre of Saqqez County, with a local economy based on agriculture, trade and services, and strong cross-border links to Iraqi Kurdistan. It is firmly under the control of the Iranian state, like the rest of Kurdistan Province. Since 2022 the city has been closely watched by the authorities, with internet shutdowns, checkpoints and arrests reported around sensitive anniversaries. At the same time it remains a vibrant centre of Kurdish cultural life, known for its music and its strong sense of identity.
Timeline of Key Events
Antiquity — The area is linked to the Mannaeans and the Ziwiye hoard.
Medieval era — Known as Barza, a crossroads on regional trade routes.
20th century — Saqqez shares in the modern history of Kurdish struggle in Iran.
2016 — Census records a population of about 165,000.
Sept 2022 — Jina (Mahsa) Amini, from Saqqez, dies in custody in Tehran.
Oct 2022 — Mass memorials at her grave; the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement spreads.
2024 — Heavy security and internet cuts around the second anniversary of her death.
Debates and Controversies
Saqqez sits at the heart of one of the most contested events in recent Iranian history. The circumstances of Jina Amini’s death are disputed: Iranian authorities maintained that she died of pre-existing medical conditions and not from being beaten, while her family, many Kurds, and international human-rights organisations rejected that account and pointed to evidence of mistreatment in custody. The protests that followed are seen very differently by different sides: the Iranian government described much of the unrest as foreign-backed agitation and a threat to security, while protesters and rights groups framed it as a popular uprising for women’s rights and against repression, met with lethal force, mass arrests and internet blackouts. For many Kurds, Saqqez also symbolises the broader grievances of Iran’s Kurdish regions over discrimination and underdevelopment. This profile sets out these competing accounts rather than adjudicating between them.
Significance for the Kurds
For Kurds, Saqqez is both an old centre of Kurdish life in Iran and, since 2022, a global symbol. The slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” originates in Kurdish, and the movement that carried Saqqez’s name around the world drew deeply on Kurdish political traditions. Alongside cities like Mahabad, Saqqez stands as a marker of Kurdish identity, resilience and protest within Iran — a small highland city whose name became attached to one of the defining moments of the era.
Related Places and Topics
Mahabad, another major Kurdish city in Iran. Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Province. The border town of Bane nearby. The wider “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the Kurdish regions of Iran (Rojhelat).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Saqqez?
Saqqez is in Kurdistan Province in the north-west of Iran, in the Zagros highlands. It is the centre of Saqqez County and lies near the border town of Bane and not far from Iraqi Kurdistan.
Is Saqqez a Kurdish city?
Yes. Saqqez is overwhelmingly Kurdish, predominantly Sunni Muslim, and its people speak the Sorani dialect of Kurdish. It is one of the main cities of Iran’s Kurdish region.
Why is Saqqez famous?
Internationally, Saqqez is best known as the hometown of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, whose death in custody in 2022 triggered the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests. It is also an ancient settlement linked to the Mannaeans and the Ziwiye hoard.
What happened in Saqqez in 2022?
Jina Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez, died after being detained by Iran’s morality police. Her funeral in the city became the first flashpoint of a protest movement that spread across Iran and drew worldwide attention.
References and Further Reading
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