Kurdistan
Stateless nation's region
Kurdistan refers to the mountainous region spanning parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria where Kurdish people have historically lived.
The name means "land of the Kurds." Iraqi Kurdistan has operated as an autonomous region since 1991, with its own government and military forces.
Kurdish independence movements have sought to establish Kurdistan as a sovereign state, making the term politically charged in the countries that would lose territory: The question of Kurdistan remains unresolved.
Independent decision-making capacity
- self-ruleGovernance without outside control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- referendumDirect vote on legislation
- independenceFreedom from external control
federalism · devolution · sovereignty · self-governance · parliament · constitution · decentralization · stateless
Zodiac's bull
- highlandsElevated, hilly land areas
- plateausElevated flat terrain
- valleysLow areas between hills
- gorgesSteep-walled river valleys
mountains · terrain · Mesopotamia · Tigris · Euphrates · foothills · escarpments · alpine
Twelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
- OttomanMember of Turkish dynasty
- revoltsViolent political uprisings
- uprisingsOrganized resistance movements
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
diaspora · genocide · persecution · exile · displacement · tribes · emirates
Inherited cultural narratives
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- musicOrganized auditory art
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- carpetsTextile floor coverings
weaving · handicrafts · poetry · cuisine · dolma · kebab · traditions · hospitality
autonomy
Independent decision-making capacity
- self-ruleGovernance without outside control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- referendumDirect vote on legislation
independence · federalism · devolution · sovereignty · self-governance · parliament · constitution · decentralization · stateless · partition
Taurus
Zodiac's bull
gorges · mountains · terrain · Mesopotamia · Tigris · Euphrates · foothills · escarpments · alpine · ridges
Saladin
Twelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
- OttomanMember of Turkish dynasty
- revoltsViolent political uprisings
- uprisingsOrganized resistance movements
resistance · diaspora · genocide · persecution · exile · displacement · tribes · emirates
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
carpets · weaving · handicrafts · poetry · cuisine · dolma · kebab · traditions · hospitality · festivals
citadel
Fortified urban stronghold
KurdistanTurkey
Transcontinental Eurasian republic
Iran · Iraq · Syria · Ottoman Empire · Persia
KurdistanIsrael
Middle Eastern nation
South Sudan · East Timor · Kosovo · Bangladesh · Ireland