Kirkuk city

Geography

Situated in northern Iraq, Kirkuk is located between the Zagros Mountains in the northeast, the Lower Zab and Tigris rivers in the west, the Hamreen Mountains in the south, and the Sirwan (or Diyala) river in the southwest. Kirkuk is also approximately 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Baghdad. The governorate is relatively small, covering 9,679 km2, or 2.2% of Iraq. Iraq’s northeastern highlands begin in southern Kirkuk and extend towards the Iraqi borders with Iran and Turkey. Much of Kirkuk is characterized as arable land. Agriculture provides essential sustenance and income for most of the governorate’s residents. In 2007, about 572,080 residents lived in Kirkuk city, the capital, according to World Food Programme estimates. The other three districts of Kirkuk are Daquq, Al-Hawiga and Dibis.

Historical Overview

Kirkuk’s archaeological remains date back 5,000 years and Kirkuk is allegedly the oldest site of continuous human occupation in modern day Iraq. Kirkuk has historically been considered an area of significant commercial opportunity, located at a crossroads of trade between Iran, Turkey and Syria. Accordingly, Kirkuk was the site of frequent battles between the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Median empires and other successive empires that wished to gain hegemony in this strategic zone. Islam reached the area in the 7th century AD. 2 Kurds were the predominant ethnic group in present day Kirkuk until the late 20th century, but a number of minorities have also inhabited the area for hundreds of years. The Turkmen began migrating to Kirkuk during the Umayyad and Abbasid eras, and have comprised a significant ethnic minority since about 1055. Arabs and Assyrians also constituted small minorities in this multi-ethnic area. Kirkuk experienced another wave of Turkmen migration when it became part of the Mosul Wilayet in the Ottoman Empire. Kurds in the Mosul Wilayet initiated some militant and political steps towards establishing more autonomy for the Kurdish Ottoman entity but these efforts were interrupted when the British forces entered in 1918. Representatives of Kirkuk opposed integration of the Ottoman Wilayet into Mesopotamia. Despite this objection, an official decree from the League of Nations included Kirkuk in the British Mandate of Mesopotamia in 1924.

Culture

The three largest ethnicities in Kirkuk are Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen. Despite some ethnic tension, particularly in recent years, there is not a lot of separation bet ween different ethnicities. Therefore, many traditions and habits are mixed and integrated between the various ethnicities; it is not always easy to classify or separate distinctive cultural patterns in Kirkuk based on any set of criteria. Moreover, each ethnicity has cultural divisions and variation based on urban and rural differences. The follow descriptions are generalized, and meant to provide a basic overview of Kirkuk’s cultural diversity. Arab villagers are mainly located in the areas of Al-Hwajeh, Al-Riyadh, and Zabbin Kirkuk. They traditionally wear the dishdasha, jaffya and kall. Rural and urban Arabs have a reputation for generosity and hospitality. One of their main meals is the habeat, a special meat dish. Kurdish villagers are mainly located in the following areas: Chuan, Kara Anger, Debs, Lilan, Khalo Bazian and Salih. They traditionally wear a Kurdish uniform, which includes a shyrwal and kat. The most famous Kurdish meals are sawu (bulgur), kishkeh and tarkhineh. The most significant holiday for the Kurds is the Feast of Norouz, which occurs on the 21st of March each year; it is considered the Kurdish New Year. The Turkman villagers are generally located in the region of Taza. Some of their most popular meals include dolmeh and biryani.