Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East SyriaDe facto region in Syria (2012–2026)The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, was a de factoautonomous region in northeastern Syria from 2012 until its integration into the Syrian state in 2026. At various points during its existence, it consisted of the self-governing sub-regions of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij, and Deir ez-Zor.
Syrian ArmyThe Syrian Arab Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It originated in local military forces formed by the French after World War I, after France obtained a mandate over the region. It was officially formed in 1945, before Syria obtained full independence in 1946.
Syrian civil war2011–2024 armed conflict in SyriaBelligerentsFull list of factionsCasualties and lossesTotal deaths656,493+Civilian deaths219,223–306,887+ Displaced people6.7 million internally6.6 million externally (refugees) (March 2021)See Casualties of the Syrian civil war for detailsThe Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring.
Syrian Democratic ForcesThe Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was a Kurdish-led coalition of left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, which served as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES; also unofficially known as Rojava) from 2015 to 2026. Founded on 10 October 2015, the stated mission of the SDF was to create a secular, democratic, and federalized Syria.
Kurdish languageNorthwestern Iranian dialect continuum KurdishKurdî, کوردیNative toArmenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, TurkeyRegionKurdistan; Also Anatolia, Caucasus, Khorasan, Kurdish diasporaEthnicityKurdsNative speakers29 million (2017–2024)Language familyIndo-European Indo-IranianIranianWesternNorthwesternKurdishDialects Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) Central Kurdish (Sorani) Southern Kurdish (Xwarîn, Palewani) Laki Writing system Hawar alphabet (Latin script; used mostly in Turkey and Syria) Sorani alphabet (Perso-Arabic script; used mostly in Iraq and Iran) Cyrillic alphabet (former Soviet Union) Armenian alphabet (1921–29 in Soviet Armenia) Official statusOfficial language in Iraq Kurdistan Region Recognised minoritylanguage inArmenia SyriaLanguage codesISO 639-1kuISO 639-2kurISO 639-3kur – inclusive codeIndividual codes:kmr – Northern Kurdishckb – Central Kurdishsdh – Southern Kurdishlki – Laki KurdishGlottologkurd1259Linguasphere(North Kurdish incl.QamishliQamishli is a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria–Turkey border, adjoining the city of Nusaybin in Turkey. The Jaghjagh River flows through the city. With a 2004 census population of 184,231, it is the ninth most-populous city in Syria and the second-largest in Al-Hasakah Governorate after Al-Hasakah.
SyriaSyria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is Syria's capital and largest city.
Hasakah GovernorateHasakah Governorate (Arabic: محافظة الحسكة, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasaka; Kurdish: Parêzgeha Hesekê; Classical Syriac: ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, romanized: Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, and also known as ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is located in the far north-east corner of Syria and distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water, natural environment, and more than one hundred archaeological sites.
Syria–Turkey borderThe border between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Turkey (Arabic: الحدود السورية التركية, romanized: alhudud alsuwriat alturkia; Turkish: Suriye–Türkiye sınırı) is 909 kilometres (565 mi) long, and runs from the in the west to the tripoint with Iraq in the east. It runs across Upper Mesopotamia for some 400 kilometres (250 mi), crossing the Euphrates and reaching as far as the Tigris.
Romanization of KurdishThe romanization of Kurdish language is the practice of transcribing the Kurdish, traditionally written in both Arabic and Latin scripts, into a standardized Latin alphabet. The development of Kurdish romanization systems supports the need for digital communication, linguistic research, and accessibility for Kurdish speakers and Kurdish speakers in diaspora communities. These systems strive to maintain phonetic precision and consistency across the diverse Kurdish dialects.
Romanization of ArabicThe romanization of Arabic is the systematic rendering of written and spokenArabic in the Latin script. Romanized Arabic is used for various purposes, among them transcription of names and titles, cataloging Arabic language works, language education when used instead of or alongside the Arabic script, and representation of the language in scientific publications by linguists.
ArabicCentral Semitic languageArabic is a Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns language codes to 32 varieties of Arabic, including its standard form of Literary Arabic, known as Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.