See Kurdistan
Waterfalls, mountains, rolling green hills...enjoy
beautiful images of Kurdistan in this
online slideshow.
Where is Kurdistan?
The region known as Kurdistan spans several countries.
The light colored areas on this map show the areas the
Kurds live.
See map
Learn More
For anyone interested in the situation of Kurds
in northern Iraq,
Office of the Iraq Programme is an essential
resource.
Get the latest news, security council
resolutions, reports of the Secretary-General,
details on the enhanced distribution plan and
the Secretary-General's 90-day report.
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A Kurdish Hero
Integral to the history of the Kurds is the role of
Mullah Mustapha Barzani. Find out more about this
beloved Kurdish leader.
Discover Barzani
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Who Are the Kurds?
A Unique People
The Kurds are a distinct ethnic group of Indo-European
descent that inhabit a region including parts of
present-day Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and the former
USSR.
Kurds were promised autonomy in the Treaty of Sevres
(1920) but the treaty was never ratified. Instead,
a peace treaty between the allies and Turkey, Treaty of
Lausanne (1923), was adopted which did not mention any
rights for Kurds. Kurds were not mentioned in any
subsequent international document until the UN Security
Council Resolution 688 was passed in April 1991.
Historical Documents
1-
Treaty of Sevres 1920
2- Treaty of Sevres
(Kurdistan section)
3- The King-Crane Commission Report 1919
4-
Treaty of Lausanne 1923
5- Wilson's Fourteen Points
6- UN SC Resolution 688
Long persecuted in their "host" countries, the Kurds' problems reached the world stage in
1991 when millions of Kurds fled Iraq after Saddam ferociously crushed a Kurdish rebellion
in the north. The international community responded with the creation
of a "no-fly zone" north of the 36th parallel
(the area inhabited by the Kurds) which has since been protected by US and British military.
A Unique Situation
Protected by the no-fly zone, the Kurds in northern Iraq have been able to
rebuild their war-torn homeland. Key to this effort has been the United Nation's Oil-for-Food Program
(UN Resolution 986)
which has supplied this devastated population with resources the Kurds have used to bring down
infant mortality rates,
restore electricity and clean water supplies, as well as rebuild infrastructure, like roads
and hospitals.
Some people refer to this situation as "The Kurdish Experiment" –
an opportunity for the Kurds to experience
self-government and a chance to live (in the protected north) free from harassment by the
Iraqi government.
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