Sitara Thalia Ambrosio

Photojournalist and Visual Storyteller.

Photo essay: On the road in southern Kurdistan.

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Clients: Geo Magazin , Die Zeit , Brand eins, NZZ am Sonntag , WOZ die Wochenzeitung

View of the landscape around La...rrigation and power generation.

View of the landscape around Lake Dukan (Deryaçeya Dûkan in Kurdish). The lake is located in the Kurdistan Region near the city of Ranya, east of Erbil. The reservoir on the river Little Zab, was formed by the construction of the Dukan Dam. As a multipurpose dam, it is built for water storage, irrigation and power generation.

Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, rea...e driving through Sulaymaniyah.

Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, reads poetry aloud from an Iranian book while driving through Sulaymaniyah.

In the middle of the ...r the Kurdish freedom movement.

In the middle of the barren landscape between the mountains, a demonstration by the so called Kurdish Freedom Movement against the attacks by Turkey and the cooperation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with the Erdoğan government pauses at two large rocks where speeches are held. The colorfully painted rocks have an important meaning for the Kurdish freedom movement.

A participant in the ...ng a government-run checkpoint.

A participant in the demonstration against Turkey's attacks and the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) cooperation with the Erdoğan government sits on a stone. Government military units, which are being protested against, block the road and prevent the activists from reaching a government-run checkpoint.

Women from the so called Kurdis...on with the Turkish government.

Women from the so called Kurdish liberation movement are in the first rows of a demonstration of the so-called "Long March". They shout "Öcalan" again and again, expressing their solidarity with the leader and founding member of the workers' party "PKK". The demonstration opposes the ruling parties of the autonomous region of Kurdistan for collaboration with the Turkish government.

The city of Sulaymani...ja hills to the west.

The city of Sulaymaniyah is located in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, not far from the Iran-Iraq border. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) mountains to the north-east, Mount Baranan to the south and the Tasluja hills to the west.

Weapons from the Saddam Hussein...seum in Sulaymaniyah.

Weapons from the Saddam Hussein era are on display at the Amna Suraka Museum in Sulaymaniyah.

The Amna Suraka Museum in Sulay...addam's rule.

The Amna Suraka Museum in Sulaymaniyah. From 1979 to 1991, during Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq, Amna Suraka was the northern headquarters of Da'irat al-Amn/Directorate of General Security, the intelligence service of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, colloquially known simply as Amn. Many people were imprisoned there, especially students, Kurdish nationalists and other dissidents. Many were tortured and raped, and in 2003 a museum was opened at the site documenting human rights violations during Saddam's rule.

Maria (17) sits on th...beration movement logistically.

Maria (17) sits on the floor of her parents' home. She is not a Kurdish activist herself, but a sympathizer and supporter. Amongst the population of the autonomous region of Kurdistan there is some that support the struggle of the Kurdish Liberation movement logistically.

In one of the community centers...s decorate the walls.

In one of the community centers among the mountains of Kandil in Northern Iraque, pictures of fighters from different units decorate the walls.

The Kandil Mountains ... difficult to access.

The Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq are the most important retreat area of the Kurdish PKK militias. The mountains are a mountainous region on Iraqi territory in the governorate of Erbil near the Iraq-Iran border, around 100 km south of Turkey. The area is part of the Zāgros Mountains and is difficult to access.

Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal,...lians in the process.

Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal, 42 years old, who lives in a village in the Kandil Mountains. Sozam Mushir Jalal says that she survived the attack on her house by a Turkish fighter plane when she was 27 years old. She lost her left leg in the attack. "It was very difficult at first. My family stood by me, of course, but who can relate to what I experienced at that time," says the now 42-year-old. "Turkey claims that it is only attacking the guerrillas, but many of the victims are civilians. It is destroying us, our lives here. We live in constant fear." Her accounts of the attack on her house cannot be verified. What can be verified: Turkey repeatedly bombs the region and kills civilians in the process.

A cemetery in the Kandil Mounta...ed by Abdullah Öcalan.

A cemetery in the Kandil Mountains.The Kandil Mountains are located in the north of Iraq, on the border with Iran, almost 100 kilometers south of the Turkish border - in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan.Kandil is politically independent of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan and the Iraqi government in Baghdad. The Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is regarded as a terrorist organization in various countries, rules here. It is considered a "liberated region" and is also organized according to the principle of democratic confederalism - a concept developed by Abdullah Öcalan.

A cemetery in the Kan...ed by Abdullah Öcalan.

The Kandil region is organized ...cratic confederalism.

The Kandil region is organized according to the principle of democratic confederalism - a concept developed by Abdullah Öcalan, which is also used as a political model in the northern Syrian areas of Rojava. "We know from the stories of our grandfathers and grandmothers that there are always men in high positions. Öcalan's theory has finally changed that. We now know that women and men have equal rights," says Awaz Ismail, the mayor of the region. She shares her political post equally with a man, as is customary for important offices in democratic confederalism.

The village of Zergel&ecirc...inder of the bombing.

The village of Zergelê, in the Kandil region, was bombed by Turkey in 2015. Eight civilians were killed. Several houses were destroyed. An HDP commission of inquiry came to the conclusion that it was a purely civilian settlement. Turkey claimed that the site was a PKK position. Amnesty International, among others, reported on the attack at the time. The private belongings of the eight dead are still scattered across the ground today as a reminder of the bombing.

Memorial in the villa...y as a reminder of the bombing.

Memorial in the village of Zergelê, in the Kandil region, which was bombed by Turkey in 2015. Eight civilians were killed. Several houses were destroyed. An HDP commission of inquiry came to the conclusion that it was a purely civilian settlement. Turkey claimed that the site was a PKK position. Amnesty International, among others, reported on the attack at the time. The private belongings of the eight dead are still scattered across the ground today as a reminder of the bombing.

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Thumbnail of View of the landscape around Lak_irrigation and power generation.

Thumbnail of Hazar Jaf, an elderly Kurd, read_le driving through Sulaymaniyah.

Thumbnail of  In the middle of the b_or the Kurdish freedom movement.

Thumbnail of  A participant in the d_ing a government-run checkpoint.

Thumbnail of Women from the so called Kurdish_ion with the Turkish government.

Thumbnail of  The city of Sulaymaniy_uja hills to the west.

Thumbnail of Weapons from the Saddam Hussein _useum in Sulaymaniyah.

Thumbnail of The Amna Suraka Museum in Sulaym_Saddam's rule.

Thumbnail of  Maria (17) sits on the_iberation movement logistically.

Thumbnail of In one of the community centers _ts decorate the walls.

Thumbnail of  The Kandil Mountains i_s difficult to access.

Thumbnail of Portrait of Sozam Mushir Jalal, _ilians in the process.

Thumbnail of A cemetery in the Kandil Mountai_ped by Abdullah Öcalan.

Thumbnail of  A cemetery in the Kand_ped by Abdullah Öcalan.

Thumbnail of The Kandil region is organized a_ocratic confederalism.

Thumbnail of The village of Zergelê_minder of the bombing.

Thumbnail of  Memorial in the villag_ay as a reminder of the bombing.

Public Project

Photo essay: On the road in southern Kurdistan.

Copyright Sitara Thalia Ambrosio 2025

Updated May 2024

Location South Kurdistan / Irak

Topics Spotlight

Summary

In the shadow of the war in Ukraine, NATO member Turkey attacks Kurdish areas in northern Iraq in May 2022.

An insight into the region.

Photo essay: On the road in southern Kurdistan.

For Tagebuch
→ The story

In the shadow of the war in Ukraine, NATO member Turkey attacks Kurdish areas in northern Iraq in May 2022.

An insight into the region.

The Kurdish people have been persecuted, hunted and murdered throughout history. What has always served as a glimmer of hope in dark times is the dream that the Kurdish people have the freedom to live their culture, speak their language and build a community according to their ideals. In small regions of the Middle East, the Kurdish movement has succeeded in achieving this. One of these regions is South Kurdistan, located in northern Iraq. The autonomous region of Kurdistan has its own government and a standing corps, the Peshmerga. However, the Kurds are not always united among themselves either.

Within the autonomous region of Kurdistan lies the politically independent Kandil Mountains, known as the retreat of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by many Western states. The area, which covers around 50 square kilometers, is organized according to the principles of democratic confederalism - a concept by Abdullah Öcalan, which is also the guiding political concept in the northern Syrian areas of Rojava. Turkey has repeatedly attacked the region militarily since 1992. Officially, the Turkish military targets PKK locations. However, the attacks also regularly result in civilian casualties. Local activists say that the dominant Kurdish parties here, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are collaborating with the Turkish state. This is why Kurdish youths organize protests on the ground time and again.

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