Zakho
Encyclopedia
Zakho is a district and a town in Northern Iraq located a few kilometers from the Iraq
i-Turkish
border
.
Zakho is a province of the Dohuk Governorate. The city has 200,000 inhabitants. It may have originally begun on a small island in the Little Khabur
which currently flows through the city. The Khabur River flows west of Zakho to form the border between Iraq and Turkey and flows into the Tigris
. The most important rivers in the district of Zakho
are: the Zeriza river, the Seerkotik river and the Little Khabur
river.
Another version maintains that the name comes from the Kurdish words "Zey- Khowin" ("river of blood"), possibly referring to the same battle.
A third opinion attributes the name to the Kurdish "Zey" (river) and "Khowak" (a curved place which blocks the water).
commented: "The appearance of Zakhu in the present day coincides in a remarkable manner with what it was described to be in the time of Xenophon."
Gertrude Bell
was convinced that Zakho was same place as the ancient town of Hasaniyeh. She also reported that the first Christian missionary to the region, the Dominican monk Poldo Soldini, was buried there in 1779. His grave was still a pilgrimage destination in the 1950s.
of their ancestors. The banks of the nearby Khabur River
are mentioned in the Bible as one of the places to which the Israelites were exiled (1 Chronicles, 5:26, 2 Kings 17:6, 2 Kings 18:11).
There were serious attacks on the Jews in 1891, when one of the synagogues was burnt down. The troubles intensified in 1892, with heavy taxes being imposed, outbreaks of looting and Jews being arrested, tortured and ransomed. Jews from Zakho were among the first to emigrate to Palestine after 1920. Most of the others relocated to Israel in the 1950s.
While the Jews of Zakhu were among the least literate in the Jewish diaspora, they had a unique and rich oral tradition, known for its legends, epics and ballads, whose heroes came from both Jewish and Muslim traditions.
is the seat of a diocese of the Chaldean Catholic Church
.
It corresponds to the ancient Diocese of Malta, formerly a suffragan of Adiabene
or Arbela
. Some Nestorian bishops are mentioned from the fifth to the seventh century (Chabot, "Synodicon orientale", 676). It was reunited with the dioceses of Akra and Amadia until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the province was divided into three dioceses: Amadia, Zakho, and Akra-Zehbar. The diocese comprises 3500 Catholics, ten resident priests, five religious of the Congregation of St. Hormisdas, fifteen parishes or stations, twenty churches and chapels, and one primary school.
Due to its strategic location and the abundance of job opportunities, Zakho has attracted many workers and job seekers from different parts of Iraq
and even from Syria
and Turkey
.
Trade with Turkey is now the major element of the economy.
Oil-drilling began in 2005.
. The bridge is made with large stones which not only adds to the aesthetic value of the bridge, but also makes it a source of many theories as to how it was built. (the stones are very large and there was no machinery available at that time).
Zakho castle lies in the city centre on the western bank of Khabir river. It served as the governor's house in the reign of the Badinan Emirate
and was extended by prince Ali Khan. It was built on the ruins of an older castle. Today, only the tower remains.
Qubad Pasha castle, situated in Zakho cemetery, is hexagonal in shape, with six windows and an entrance gate.
, notably from American cities such as Detroit, San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles,and Phoenix trace their origins to Zahko.
In 2007, the UNHCR reported that there were still 10,000 internally displaced person
s in the Zakho district as a result of the Iraq war.
established by the British and the Americans in Operation Provide Comfort
to protect the Iraqi Kurds from being massacred by Saddam Hussein
when he responded brutally to the Kurdish rebellion. Most of the inhabitants of the city had fled to the mountains. When the American forces arrived, they described the town as a ghost city.
In 2008 it was reported that the Turkish army maintained four bases in the Zakho district, under an agreement concluded with the Iraqi government in the 1990s.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i-Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
border
Ibrahim Khalil border
Ibrahim Khalil is a border crossing point between Turkey and Iraq - Kurdistan Region. In English it is known as 'Habur Gate.' Before the control point and gate there is a bridge crossing the river Khabur , which forms the natural border between Iraq and Turkey.Although it is an entry point into...
.
Zakho is a province of the Dohuk Governorate. The city has 200,000 inhabitants. It may have originally begun on a small island in the Little Khabur
Khabur (Tigris)
The Khabur is a river that begins in the Uludere district of the Şırnak Province, in the Eastern Anatolia Region in Turkey, it consists of a combination of small rivers that flow off the Bolkar mountain range south-east of Hakkâri...
which currently flows through the city. The Khabur River flows west of Zakho to form the border between Iraq and Turkey and flows into the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
. The most important rivers in the district of Zakho
Zakho District
Zakho District is one of four district that make up the Dohuk Governorate in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.The district has three sub-districts:*Shirnakhi*Rekani*Sindi*Rizgari*Guli...
are: the Zeriza river, the Seerkotik river and the Little Khabur
Khabur (Tigris)
The Khabur is a river that begins in the Uludere district of the Şırnak Province, in the Eastern Anatolia Region in Turkey, it consists of a combination of small rivers that flow off the Bolkar mountain range south-east of Hakkâri...
river.
Etymology
There are several theories concerning the derivation of the name "Zahko". Some Aramaic sources maintain that the name comes from the Aramaic "Zakhota" (victory), after the battle fought between the Romans and the Persians near the city, which resulted in a Roman victory.Another version maintains that the name comes from the Kurdish words "Zey- Khowin" ("river of blood"), possibly referring to the same battle.
A third opinion attributes the name to the Kurdish "Zey" (river) and "Khowak" (a curved place which blocks the water).
History
The town of Zakho was already known to the ancient Greeks. In 1844 the traveller William Francis AinsworthWilliam Francis Ainsworth
William Francis Ainsworth was an English surgeon, traveller, geographer and geologist, known also as a writer and editor.-Life:Ainsworth was born on 9 November 1807 at Exeter, the son of John Ainsworth of Rostherne in Cheshire, captain in the 15th and 128th regiments...
commented: "The appearance of Zakhu in the present day coincides in a remarkable manner with what it was described to be in the time of Xenophon."
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...
was convinced that Zakho was same place as the ancient town of Hasaniyeh. She also reported that the first Christian missionary to the region, the Dominican monk Poldo Soldini, was buried there in 1779. His grave was still a pilgrimage destination in the 1950s.
The Jews of Zakho
Zakho was formerly known for its synagogues and large, ancient Jewish community and was known as "The Jerusalem of Kurdistan". The Jews spoke the AramaicAramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
of their ancestors. The banks of the nearby Khabur River
Khabur (Tigris)
The Khabur is a river that begins in the Uludere district of the Şırnak Province, in the Eastern Anatolia Region in Turkey, it consists of a combination of small rivers that flow off the Bolkar mountain range south-east of Hakkâri...
are mentioned in the Bible as one of the places to which the Israelites were exiled (1 Chronicles, 5:26, 2 Kings 17:6, 2 Kings 18:11).
There were serious attacks on the Jews in 1891, when one of the synagogues was burnt down. The troubles intensified in 1892, with heavy taxes being imposed, outbreaks of looting and Jews being arrested, tortured and ransomed. Jews from Zakho were among the first to emigrate to Palestine after 1920. Most of the others relocated to Israel in the 1950s.
While the Jews of Zakhu were among the least literate in the Jewish diaspora, they had a unique and rich oral tradition, known for its legends, epics and ballads, whose heroes came from both Jewish and Muslim traditions.
The Assyrians of Zakho
ZakhoZakho (Chaldean Diocese)
Zakho was a diocese of the Chaldean Church in the second half of the 19th century and for most of the 20th century. The diocese of Zakho was merged with the Chaldean diocese of Amadiya in 1987.- Background :The diocese of Zakho was founded in 1851...
is the seat of a diocese of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
.
It corresponds to the ancient Diocese of Malta, formerly a suffragan of Adiabene
Adiabene
Adiabene was an ancient Assyrian independent kingdom in Mesopotamia, with its capital at Arbela...
or Arbela
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
. Some Nestorian bishops are mentioned from the fifth to the seventh century (Chabot, "Synodicon orientale", 676). It was reunited with the dioceses of Akra and Amadia until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the province was divided into three dioceses: Amadia, Zakho, and Akra-Zehbar. The diocese comprises 3500 Catholics, ten resident priests, five religious of the Congregation of St. Hormisdas, fifteen parishes or stations, twenty churches and chapels, and one primary school.
Recent history
Zakho has served as a checkpoint for many decades. It is a major market place with its goods and merchandise serving not only the Kurdish controlled area, but most of north and middle Iraq. Writing in 1818, Campanile described the town as a great trading centre, famous for its gallnuts as well as rice, oil, sesame, wax, lentils and many fruits.Due to its strategic location and the abundance of job opportunities, Zakho has attracted many workers and job seekers from different parts of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and even from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Trade with Turkey is now the major element of the economy.
Oil-drilling began in 2005.
Landmarks
One of Zakho's famous landmarks is the Delal BridgeDelal
Delal or Pira Delal also Pirdí Delal , informally known also as Pira Berî , is an ancient bridge in the town of Zakho, in southern Kurdistan The bridge is 114 metres long and 15.5 metres high....
. The bridge is made with large stones which not only adds to the aesthetic value of the bridge, but also makes it a source of many theories as to how it was built. (the stones are very large and there was no machinery available at that time).
Zakho castle lies in the city centre on the western bank of Khabir river. It served as the governor's house in the reign of the Badinan Emirate
Badinan Emirate
Bahdinan or Badinan was one of the more powerful and enduring Kurdish principalities. It was founded by Baha-al-Din originally from Şemzînan area in Hakkari in sometime between 13th or 14th century CE. The capital of this emirate was Amadiya for a long time.It was centered in the town of Amadiya...
and was extended by prince Ali Khan. It was built on the ruins of an older castle. Today, only the tower remains.
Qubad Pasha castle, situated in Zakho cemetery, is hexagonal in shape, with six windows and an entrance gate.
Population displacements
Many Assyrians/Chaldeans living in the diasporaDiaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, notably from American cities such as Detroit, San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles,and Phoenix trace their origins to Zahko.
In 2007, the UNHCR reported that there were still 10,000 internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s in the Zakho district as a result of the Iraq war.
Safe Haven
In 1991 Zakho was the centre of the safe havenSafe haven
Safe haven may refer to:* Safe harbor, a harbor or haven which provides safety from weather or attack, or an analogous situation* Safe Havens, a syndicated comic strip drawn by cartoonist Bill Holbrook...
established by the British and the Americans in Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...
to protect the Iraqi Kurds from being massacred by Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
when he responded brutally to the Kurdish rebellion. Most of the inhabitants of the city had fled to the mountains. When the American forces arrived, they described the town as a ghost city.
Military bases
When the American Army closed its military base in Zakho in 1996, it evacuated several thousand Kurds who had had connections for the base and who feared reprisals. Many of them were given asylum in the USA. According to McDowall, this constituted a sudden and brutal brain-drain, with Zakho losing many of its most educated citizens.In 2008 it was reported that the Turkish army maintained four bases in the Zakho district, under an agreement concluded with the Iraqi government in the 1990s.