Şırnak (Şirnex): The Kurdish City Beneath Mount Cudi
- Mehmet Özdemir
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
Şırnak (Kurdish: Şirnex) is a Kurdish city and province in the far south-east of Turkey, set high in the mountains of the historic Botan region near the borders with Iraq and Syria. It lies in the shadow of Mount Cudi — Çiyayê Cûdî — the great peak that Islamic tradition names as the resting place of Noah’s Ark, neighbour to Cizre and the old land of the Bohtan emirate.
A young provincial capital in one of the most rugged corners of Kurdistan, Şırnak has also been one of the places most marked by the modern Kurdish conflict. This profile looks at its mountains, its history, and its place in the Kurdish south-east.
Key Takeaways
• Şırnak (Kurdish: Şirnex) is a Kurdish-majority city and province in the far south-east of Turkey.
• It sits high in the mountains of the historic Botan (Bohtan) region, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders.
• It lies beneath Mount Cudi, named in Islamic tradition as the resting place of Noah’s Ark.
• Şırnak became a provincial capital only in 1990 and is one of Turkey’s highest provincial cities.
• The province has been heavily affected by the Turkey–PKK conflict, including destruction in the 1990s and 2015–2016.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Şirnex
Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur / Northern Kurdistan)
Province: Şırnak
Historic Region: Botan (Bohtan)
Landmark: Mount Cudi (Çiyayê Cûdî)
People: Kurdish majority
Became a Province: 1990
Setting: High mountains near the Iraqi and Syrian borders
Contents
Where Is Şırnak?
Şırnak lies in the extreme south-east of Turkey, in a knot of high mountains where the country meets Iraq and Syria. The city itself sits at well over a thousand metres, making it one of the highest provincial capitals in Turkey, surrounded by steep ridges and deep valleys. Its province includes the border towns of Silopi, Uludere, and Beytüşşebap, as well as the historic town of Cizre on the Tigris.
This is a hard, dramatic landscape of long winters and rugged terrain, long a refuge and a stronghold in the mountains of the Kurdish south-east.
Mount Cudi and Noah’s Ark
Towering over the region is Mount Cudi (Cudi Dağı; in Kurdish Çiyayê Cûdî), one of the most storied mountains in the Near East. In Islamic tradition, and in the Quran itself, it is Cudi — not Ararat — that is named as the place where Noah’s Ark came to rest after the flood. For centuries the mountain has drawn pilgrims and legends, and it remains the defining natural and spiritual landmark of Şırnak.
The Land of Botan
Şırnak lies at the heart of the historic region of Botan, or Bohtan — the land of the powerful Kurdish emirate once centred on nearby Cizre, ruled in the nineteenth century by the famous Bedirxan family. This is also the country of the Botan dialect and of deep Kurdish tribal tradition, bordering the mountains of Hakkari. To be from Şırnak is to come from one of the oldest Kurdish heartlands.
Şırnak and the Modern Conflict
Few places have felt the modern Kurdish conflict more sharply than Şırnak. The city and province were a major theatre of the fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK, and Şırnak city suffered heavy destruction during the 1990s. The region returned to the headlines in the 2010s: the Roboski (Uludere) airstrike of 2011 killed dozens of Kurdish civilians near the border, and renewed urban fighting in 2015–2016 brought long curfews and further devastation to towns across the province.
These events have left deep scars, and Şırnak remains closely associated in Kurdish memory with the costs of that long conflict.
Şırnak Today
Today Şırnak is a rebuilt and growing Kurdish provincial city, still wrapped in its mountains and still watched over by Mount Cudi. It remains a place defined by its extraordinary setting and its layered history — ancient legend, the old land of Botan, and the hard memory of recent decades all meeting in one rugged corner of Kurdistan.
Timeline
antiquity — Mount Cudi is revered as the resting place of Noah’s Ark in regional and Islamic tradition.
19th c. — The region of Botan, centred on nearby Cizre, is a major Kurdish emirate under the Bedirxans.
1990 — Şırnak is made a separate provincial capital.
1990s — Şırnak suffers heavy destruction during the Turkey–PKK conflict.
2011 — The Roboski (Uludere) airstrike kills dozens of Kurdish civilians in the province.
2015–2016 — Renewed urban fighting and curfews bring further devastation to the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Şırnak a Kurdish city?
Yes. Şırnak is a Kurdish-majority city and province in the far south-east of Turkey, in the historic Botan region.
What is Şırnak’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the city is called Şirnex.
Why is Mount Cudi important?
Mount Cudi, which towers over Şırnak, is named in Islamic tradition and the Quran as the place where Noah’s Ark came to rest — making it one of the most sacred mountains in the region.
What is the Botan region?
Botan (Bohtan) is a historic Kurdish region of the south-east, centred on Cizre, that was home to a powerful nineteenth-century Kurdish emirate under the Bedirxan family.
Related People, Places, and Topics
Mount Cudi · the Botan (Bohtan) emirate · the Bedirxans · Cizre · Hakkari · Bakur (Northern Kurdistan).
References and Further Reading
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