Kurdistan
All countries-
Turkey, Iran – and Iraq's Kurds
Days of reckoning
The Kurds are under attack from two sides: from Turkey, and from Iran. The situation in their territories in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
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The Kolbars of Iran’s Kurdistan
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The Kolbars of Iran's Kurdistan
Hundreds of porters, locally known as ‘kolbars’, cross the mountainous border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan all year round. With Iran’s economic crisis deepening, ever more Kurds are choosing this poorly paid and extremely dangerous job as the only way to make a living and provide for their families. Images and text by Konstantin Novakovic
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The war in Syria
Overshadowed, yet still a major issue
The Syrian conflict remains insoluble for the time being. Yet Europe could start managing it better. By reorganising humanitarian aid supplies, becoming more involved in the northeast and coordinating initiatives in the northwest, it could alleviate hardship, counter extremism and bring hope, writes Kristin Helberg
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Arab states in crisis
The ruling classes' dereliction of duty
In this essay, renowned Lebanese journalist and writer Hazem Saghieh asks whether the Arab Levant, which stretches from Iraq in the east to Egypt in the west, will remain an inhabitable region in the long term
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Challenging Turkish history from the ground up
"The stories of our families"
More and more voices are being raised in Turkey that challenge previous versions of the country's history. These alternative accounts, still largely ignored by official quarters, are breaching longstanding taboos and deconstructing the political narrative. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Archaeology in Iraq
Drought reveals Bronze Age city
Extreme drought in Iraq has given German and Kurdish archaeologists the unique chance to examine an ancient Bronze Age city that was hidden beneath the water of a reservoir for decades. Experts believe the ruins could be those of the ancient city of Zachiku. It was a race against the clock to complete work before the city was once again covered by the reservoir's rising water level. By Alexander Freund
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Kurdish author Bachtyar Ali
Tackling the tornado of history
Bachtyar Ali sends the hero of his latest novel – "Mein Onkel den der Wind mitnahm" – literally flying. Jamshid is so thin after his years as a political prisoner that a gust of wind sweeps him through the bars of his prison cell and out to freedom. Volker Kaminski read the book
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Baggage of despair
Iraqi Kurd plans new escape to Europe
Iraqi Kurd Haresh Talib says he struggles to get paid and his children's schooling is disrupted in his conflict-riddled country, so he wants to try to flee with his family to Europe – again. "There is no future here," says the 36-year-old from the autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq's north
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Sensational find in Turkey
Turkish archaeologists discover subterranean city of Matiate
Welcome to the underground! In Midyat, Turkey, the gateway to a huge underground city has been discovered. It was used for over 1900 years and could accommodate up to 70,000 people. Hannah Fuchs has the details
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Middle East
Water resources – another conflict trigger?
From the Euphrates to the Mekong, dams that ensure one country's water supply risk leaving others parched. But shared water resources can be a source of peace as well as conflict. By Ruby Russell
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Kurdistan's decline
Iraq's beacon shines no more
The Kurds are fleeing Kurdistan. The wave of refugees on the Belarusian-Polish border and the drowned Kurds in the English Channel are only the tip of the iceberg. Birgit Svensson visited Erbil and Dohuk to find that the exodus from Kurdistan has already been going on for several years