Sinjar: The Yazidi Homeland and the 2014 Genocide
- Mero Ranyayi
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
Sinjar (Kurdish: Şingal, also Shingal) is a town and district in north-western Iraq, at the foot of the Sinjar Mountains near the Syrian border. It is the historic homeland of the Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking religious minority, and is best known today as the site of the 2014 genocide carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS). More than a decade on, it remains a contested, only partly rebuilt district where many of its people are still displaced.
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: Sinjar
Kurdish Name: Şingal (Shingal)
Country: Iraq — Nineveh Governorate, north-west
Population: District about 166,000 (2003 census); many still displaced
People: Historically Yazidi-majority, with Sunni and Shia Arabs and others
Setting: At the foot of the Sinjar Mountains, near the Syrian border
Status: A disputed territory; under nominal Iraqi federal control
Known For: The 2014 ISIS genocide against the Yazidis
Contents
Location and Geography
Sinjar lies in the far north-west of Iraq, in Nineveh Governorate, just south of the long ridge of the Sinjar Mountains and close to the border with Syria. The mountains — a breached anticline running roughly 100 kilometres east to west, rising to around 1,460 metres — are sacred to the Yazidis and have served as a refuge in times of danger throughout history. The district sits on the arid plains of Upper Mesopotamia, between Mosul to the east and the Syrian Jazira to the west, making it a strategic crossroads and a bridge between Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish areas.
People and Population
The Sinjar District recorded about 166,000 people in the 2003 census, and the population was historically a Yazidi majority alongside Sunni and Shia Arab communities and, in the wider region, Christians. The Yazidis are an ancient Kurdish-speaking religious community whose faith draws on very old traditions of the region. After 2014, the demography was shattered: tens of thousands fled, large numbers were killed or enslaved, and around 200,000 Yazidis remained displaced years later, many in camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Return has been slow and partial, so the district’s present population is far below its former level.
History
Sinjar has been inhabited for millennia and has long been associated with the Yazidis, who regard the surrounding mountains as sacred. Over the centuries the community suffered repeated waves of persecution under various rulers, and the modern town grew as the centre of the Yazidi heartland in Iraq. From 2003 until 2014, Sinjar was administered within the orbit of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and was home to Yazidis, Christians and Muslims living side by side. That order collapsed in the summer of 2014.
The 2014 Genocide
In August 2014, ISIS swept into Sinjar as Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew, leaving the largely unarmed Yazidi population exposed. The militants carried out a systematic campaign that the United Nations and many governments have recognised as genocide: thousands of Yazidi men were killed, and thousands of women and children were abducted and enslaved. Tens of thousands fled up Sinjar Mountain, where they were besieged without food or water, prompting international airstrikes and an emergency rescue effort. Many were rescued along corridors opened with the help of Syrian Kurdish fighters. The scale of loss — with thousands killed, more than six thousand enslaved, and thousands still missing years later — made Sinjar a byword for one of the worst atrocities of the twenty-first century.
Sinjar Today
Sinjar was retaken from ISIS in stages in 2015, and forces aligned with the Iraqi federal government formally took over the district in 2017. On paper it is under Iraqi federal control, but in practice it is one of Iraq’s most militarised and contested areas, with a patchwork of armed groups — the Iraqi army, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), local Yazidi units such as the YBS linked to the PKK, and KRG-aligned forces all present or competing for influence. A 2020 “Sinjar Agreement” between Baghdad and Erbil aimed to restore normal administration and security, but its implementation has stalled, and reconstruction has been slow. As a result, much of the district remains damaged, services are limited, and a large share of its people are still displaced.
Timeline of Key Events
Antiquity — Sinjar is a long-settled centre of the Yazidi homeland.
2003–14 — Sinjar is administered within the KRG’s orbit; mixed communities live together.
Aug 2014 — ISIS overruns Sinjar; the genocide against the Yazidis begins.
2015 — Kurdish and allied forces retake Sinjar in stages.
2017 — Iraqi federal forces take control of the district.
2020 — The Sinjar Agreement is signed between Baghdad and Erbil.
2024–26 — Thousands remain missing; return and reconstruction stay limited.
Debates and Controversies
Sinjar is contested on almost every level. The 2014 withdrawal of Peshmerga forces remains deeply divisive: many Yazidis feel they were abandoned, while the KRG has argued its lightly armed forces were overwhelmed — a dispute that still shapes Yazidi attitudes toward Kurdish parties. Control of the district is fought over by the Iraqi state, the PMF, PKK-linked Yazidi groups and the KRG, each with its own backers, and neighbouring Turkey has carried out airstrikes against PKK-linked targets there, sometimes killing local fighters or civilians. There are also painful internal tensions, including reported revenge acts against some Sunni Arabs accused of collaborating with ISIS. Yazidis themselves debate questions of identity, security and whether return to Sinjar is realistic or safe. This profile lays out these competing perspectives rather than resolving them.
Significance for the Kurds
For Yazidis and many Kurds, Sinjar is a place of both ancient belonging and profound trauma — the heartland of the Yazidi people and the site of a genocide that the world recognised too late. It has become a powerful symbol of the vulnerability of minorities in the region and of the unresolved status of the disputed territories between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region. The story of Sinjar — survival on a sacred mountain, the fight against ISIS, and the long, unfinished struggle to return home — is now an inseparable part of the modern Kurdish and Yazidi experience.
Related Places and Topics
Mosul, the nearby city ISIS captured in 2014.
Qamishli and the Syrian Kurdish areas across the border, whose fighters helped open an escape corridor. The wider Yazidi community, the disputed territories of northern Iraq, and the fight against ISIS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sinjar?
Sinjar is in north-western Iraq, in Nineveh Governorate, at the foot of the Sinjar Mountains near the Syrian border, between Mosul and the Syrian Jazira.
Who are the Yazidis of Sinjar?
The Yazidis are an ancient Kurdish-speaking religious minority who regard the Sinjar Mountains as sacred. Sinjar has long been the heartland of the Yazidi community in Iraq.
What happened in Sinjar in 2014?
In August 2014, ISIS overran Sinjar and carried out a genocide against the Yazidis — killing thousands of men, enslaving thousands of women and children, and besieging tens of thousands who fled to the mountain. The United Nations has recognised these acts as genocide.
Who controls Sinjar now?
Sinjar is officially under Iraqi federal control but remains heavily contested, with the Iraqi army, the PMF, PKK-linked Yazidi units and KRG-aligned forces all present. A 2020 agreement to normalise its administration has not been fully implemented.
References and Further Reading
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