Shanidar Cave: Where Neanderthals Sleep
Shanidar Cave, the famous prehistoric site in the Bradost mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan — where Neanderthal remains and the ‘flower burial’ reshaped our understanding of these ancient humans.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
The archive
Bekhal Waterfall: A Mountain Spring of Kurdistan
Bekhal, a famous spring-fed waterfall in the mountains near Rawandiz in Iraqi Kurdistan — flowing year-round, with cafes built over the rushing water, one of the region’s favourite summer retreats.
Read article →Gali Ali Beg: Kurdistan’s Famous Waterfall
Gali Ali Beg, the most famous waterfall in Iraqi Kurdistan — a cascade in the Rawanduz gorge country near Rawandiz, once pictured on the Iraqi banknote and a beloved natural icon of the region.
Read article →Saint Thaddeus Monastery: The Black Church of the Borderlands
Saint Thaddeus Monastery, the Qara Kelisa or Black Church, an ancient Armenian monastery in north-western Iran — a UNESCO pilgrimage site and part of the multi-faith heritage of the wider region.
Read article →Sherwana Castle: A Kurdish Princely Seat
Sherwana Castle, the historic Jaff-dynasty castle at Kalar in Iraqi Kurdistan — a rare surviving Kurdish princely residence of the Garmian region, now restored as a museum.
Read article →The Kirkuk Citadel: Ancient Heart of the City
The Kirkuk Citadel, the ancient settlement mound at the heart of Kirkuk — inhabited for thousands of years above the Khasa river, the historic soul of a multi-ethnic city in northern Iraq.
Read article →The Halabja Monument: A Memorial of Remembrance
The Halabja Monument, the memorial in Halabja to the thousands of Kurdish civilians killed in the 1988 chemical attack — a place of mourning, remembrance, and resilience.
Read article →Korek Mountain: A Peak Above the Gorge
Korek Mountain, the high peak and cable-car resort above the Rawanduz gorge in Iraqi Kurdistan — snow-capped in winter, cool in summer, and one of the region’s most popular destinations.
Read article →The Anubanini Relief: A Carving From the Dawn of History
The Anubanini relief, an ancient rock carving at Sarpol-e Zahab in Iranian Kurdistan — made over 4,000 years ago by the Lullubi, showing a king before a goddess, among the oldest reliefs of the region.
Read article →The Rawanduz Gorge: A Canyon in the Mountains
The Rawanduz Gorge, the dramatic river canyon in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan below Rawandiz — a wonder of sheer cliffs, waterfalls, and the famous Hamilton Road.
Read article →The Walls of Diyarbakır: Black Ramparts of Amed
The Walls of Diyarbakır, the great black basalt ramparts around the old city of Amed — among the longest and best-preserved ancient city walls in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read article →Mar Mattai: An Ancient Monastery on the Mountain
Mar Mattai, the ancient Syriac Orthodox monastery on Mount Alfaf above the Nineveh Plains — founded around 363, among the oldest monasteries in the world and famed for its Syriac manuscripts.
Read article →Ecbatana: The Ancient Capital of the Medes
Ecbatana (Hegmataneh), the ancient capital of the Medes beneath modern Hamadan — a great capital of the Iranian world tied to the Median heritage many Kurds look back to.
Read article →Nineveh: The Great Assyrian Capital
Nineveh, the great capital of the Assyrian empire on the Tigris by Mosul — famed for its lamassu guardians and the library of Ashurbanipal, and destroyed in 612 BC by a coalition including the Medes.
Read article →Dara: The Ancient Fortress City of the Frontier
Dara, the ancient Roman-Byzantine fortress city near Mardin — built in the 6th century against Persia, with vast cisterns, a dam, rock-cut tombs, and the famous 530 AD Battle of Dara.
Read article →The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır: Ulu Cami of Amed
The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır (Ulu Cami / Mizgefta Mezin) — one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, in the walled old city of Amed, famous for its courtyard of reused ancient columns.
Read article →Mor Yakup: An Ancient Church at Nusaybin
The Church of Mar Jacob (Mor Yakup) at Nusaybin — one of the oldest churches in the world, founded in the early 4th century by Jacob of Nisibis and tied to the famed School of Nisibis.
Read article →Halfeti: The Sunken Town on the Euphrates
Halfeti, the half-submerged town on the Euphrates in Şanlıurfa — where a dam drowned part of the old town and a sunken minaret rises from the water, famous too for its rare black rose.
Read article →Arsameia: A Sanctuary of the Commagene Kings
Arsameia, the Commagene hilltop sanctuary near Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman — with its famous relief of a king and Heracles, a long Greek inscription, and a mysterious rock tunnel.
Read article →Balıklıgöl: The Sacred Pool of Şanlıurfa
Balıklıgöl, the sacred pool of fish in Şanlıurfa — revered in tradition as the place of the prophet Abraham, ringed by historic mosques and gardens and a major place of pilgrimage.
Read article →The Hevsel Gardens: Ancient Green by the Tigris
The Hevsel Gardens, the ancient green fields along the Tigris below the walls of Diyarbakır — cultivated for thousands of years, a haven for birds, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read article →Deyrulzafaran: The Saffron Monastery of Mardin
Deyrulzafaran, the “Saffron Monastery” near Mardin — an ancient Syriac Orthodox monastery that was for centuries the seat of the patriarchs, built in golden stone on a far older sacred site.
Read article →The Cendere Bridge: A Roman Arch Near Mount Nemrut
The Cendere Bridge, a Roman stone arch in Adıyaman built nearly 1,800 years ago near Mount Nemrut — among the largest Roman arches ever raised, and still standing today.
Read article →Rumkale: The Fortress Above the Euphrates
Rumkale, the “Roman castle” on a cliff promontory above the Euphrates — a near-impregnable fortress and former Armenian church seat, now rising above a reservoir near Halfeti.
Read article →