Baneh (Bane): Kurdish Border City of Trade and Hardship
Baneh (Bane), the Kurdish border city in the Zagros of western Iran — famed for its markets and trade, and marked by the hardship of the kolbars who cross its mountains.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
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Bingöl (Çewlîg): Land of a Thousand Lakes
Bingöl (Çewlîg), the Kurdish and Zaza province of eastern Turkey — the “land of a thousand lakes,” a heartland of the Zazaki language amid rugged mountains.
Read article →Qaladze (Qeladize): A Kurdish Town Bombed and Rebuilt
Qaladze (Qeladize), the Kurdish town in north-eastern Iraqi Kurdistan bombed by Iraq in 1974 and razed during Anfal — then rebuilt by its people as a symbol of endurance.
Read article →Koya (Koye): Town of Kurdish Poets and Scholars
Koya (Koye), the historic Kurdish town between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah — a centre of learning and poetry, and home of Haji Qadir Koyi, founding poet of Kurdish nationalism.
Read article →Derik (Dêrik): The North-Eastern Corner of Rojava
Derik (Dêrik / al-Malikiyah), the northeasternmost town in Syria — a mixed Kurdish and Christian town of the Jazira in Rojava, beside the Rmeilan oil fields.
Read article →Sardasht (Serdeşt): The First City Bombed with Chemical Weapons
Sardasht (Serdeşt), the Kurdish town in north-western Iran remembered as the first town bombed with chemical weapons against its civilians — by Iraq on 28 June 1987.
Read article →Barzan: Homeland of the Barzanis
Barzan, the mountain homeland of the Barzani family in Iraqi Kurdistan — birthplace of Mustafa Barzani, cradle of the KDP, and site of the 1983 disappearance of 8,000 Barzanis.
Read article →Turkish and Turkic Are Not the Same Thing Turkey Was Created in 1923
Explore the differences between Turkish and Turkic in this insightful blog post. Understand why Turkish and Turkic are not the same thing.
Read article →Syria Is Not Ancient — Syria Was Created in 1946 And Has No History, Language, or DNA
Explore how Syria was created in 1946 with no ancient history or language. Uncover the truth about Syria's origins and its modern identity.
Read article →Ranya (Ranye): Gateway of the 1991 Uprising
Ranya (Ranye), the Kurdish town beside Lake Dukan known as Derî Raperîn — “the Gateway of the Uprising” — where the 1991 Kurdish revolt against Saddam Hussein began.
Read article →Batman (êlih): The Kurdish Oil City of the South-East
Batman (êlih), the Kurdish oil city of south-eastern Turkey — a 20th-century boomtown by the Batman River, near the medieval Malabadi Bridge and ancient Hasankeyf.
Read article →Paveh (Pawe): Kurdish Town of the Hawraman Highlands
Paveh (Pawe), the Kurdish town of the Hawraman highlands in western Iran — famed for its terraced stone architecture and the UNESCO-listed cultural landscape of Uramanat.
Read article →Şırnak (Şirnex): The Kurdish City Beneath Mount Cudi
Şırnak (Şirnex), the Kurdish city in the Botan mountains of south-eastern Turkey — beneath Mount Cudi, the Quranic resting place of Noah’s Ark.
Read article →Akre (Akrê): Kurdistan’s Capital of Newroz
Akre (Akrê), the Kurdish mountain town in Iraqi Kurdistan famed for hosting the largest Newroz celebration in Kurdistan — a hillside set alight with torches each spring.
Read article →Siirt (Sêrt): The Historic Kurdish City of the South-East
Siirt (Sêrt), the historic Kurdish city of south-eastern Turkey — its mix of Kurds and Arabs, its blankets and pistachios, and the shrine of Veysel Karanî.
Read article →Hasakah (Hesîçe): Heart of the Jazira in Rojava
Hasakah (Hesîçe), the largest city of the Jazira in north-east Syria — a mixed Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian city at the heart of Rojava and the war against ISIS.
Read article →Ağrı (Agirî): Mount Ararat and the Ararat Rebellion
Ağrı (Agirî), the Kurdish province of Mount Ararat — Çiyayê Agirî — home to the 1930 Ararat Rebellion and the tomb of Ehmedê Xanî, poet of Mem û Zîn.
Read article →Hakkari (Colemêrg): The Kurdish Mountain City and Emirate
Hakkari (Colemêrg), the Kurdish mountain city and former emirate in the far south-east of Turkey — its Cilo peaks, its Kurdish and Assyrian past, and its highland identity.
Read article →Cizre (Cizîr): Capital of Bohtan and City of Mem û Zîn
Cizre (Cizîr), the Tigris town that was capital of the Bohtan emirate and the setting of Mem û Zîn — a heartland of Kurdish history and literature.
Read article →Afrin (Efrîn): The Kurdish Olive Country of Rojava
Afrin (Efrîn), the Kurdish city and olive country of north-west Rojava in Syria — its people, the ancient Ain Dara temple, and the 2018 occupation and displacement.
Read article →Kermanshah (Kirmaşan): The Great Kurdish City of Rojhelat
Kermanshah (Kirmaşan), the largest Kurdish city of Rojhelat in western Iran — its Southern Kurdish people, the Taq-e Bostan reliefs, and the Bisotun inscription.
Read article →Khanaqin (Xaneqîn): A Kurdish City in Iraq’s Disputed Territories
Khanaqin (Xaneqîn), a Kurdish-majority city in Iraq’s disputed territories near the Iranian border — its Arabization under Saddam, the Alwand River, and Article 140.
Read article →Duhok (Dihok): Kurdish Capital of the Badinan Region
Duhok (Dihok), capital of Duhok Governorate and heart of the Badinan region in Iraqi Kurdistan — its mountains, peoples, history, and role as a city of refuge.
Read article →Van (Wan): Kurdish City of Lake Van and Ancient Tushpa
Van (Wan), the Kurdish city on Lake Van’s eastern shore in eastern Turkey — ancient Tushpa and Urartu, Van Castle, the Armenian past, and the Van cat.
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