Nineveh PlainsNineveh Plains (Classical Syriac: ܦܩܥܬܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ, romanized: Pqaʿtā ḏ-Nīnwē, Modern Syriac: ܕܫܬܐ ܕܢܝܢܘܐ, romanized: Daštā d-Ninwe; Arabic: سهل نينوى, romanized: Sahl Naynawā; Kurdish: دهشتا نهینهوا, romanized: Deşta Neynewa) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq.
MosulCity in Nineveh Governorate, IraqMetropolis in IraqMosul is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad and situated on the banks of Tigris. The ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, once the largest city in the world, are on the east side of the city.
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.
Turkoman (ethnonym)Turkoman, also known as Turcoman (English: ), was a term for the people of Oghuz Turkic origin, widely used during the Middle Ages. Oghuz Turks were a western Turkic people that, in the 8th century A.D, formed a tribal confederation in an area between the Aral and Caspian seas in Central Asia, and spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. Today, Turks, Azerbaijanis, and Turkmens are largely descended from the Oghuz Turks once called Turkomans.
AlevismHeterodox Islamic denominationAlevism (; Turkish: Alevilik; Kurdish: Elewîtî), also known as Qizilbashism, is a syncretic and mystic movement, traditionally associated with Haji Bektash Veli. It is generally agreed that it is akin to a Sufi rendition of TwelverShi'ism that integrates Central Asianshamanic elements, though some dissenting voices base the Alevi belief squarely in a non-denominational, heterodox Anatolian Islam instead.
Great ZabThe Great Zab or Upper Zab (Arabic: الزَّاب الْكَبِيْر, romanized: ez-Zâb el-Kebîr; Kurdish: زێی گەورە, romanized: Zêyê Mezin; Turkish: Zap; Syriac: ܙܒܐ ܥܠܝܐ, romanized: zāba ʻalya) is an approximately 400-kilometre (250 mi) long river flowing through Turkey and Iraq. It rises in Turkey near Lake Van and joins the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul.
TigrisThe Tigris ( ; see below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, before merging with the Euphrates and reaching to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris passes through historical cities such as Mosul, Tikrit, Samarra and Baghdad.
IraqCountry in West AsiaIraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, historically known in the west as Mesopotamia, is a country in West Asia. Located within the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait to the southeast, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the west.
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.
Shabaki languageShabaki is a Northwestern Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. The Shabaki language is spoken by the Shabak people in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. Although classified as a distinct Northwestern Iranian language, the language has been influenced by the Arabic, Turkish and Persian languages. StatusShabaki is an endangered language.
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.
AssyriansAssyrians (Syriac: ܣܘܪ̈ܝܐ, romanized: Sūrāyē / Sūrōyē) are a distinct ethnic group native to Mesopotamia with roots in ancient Assyria. They speak varieties of Neo-Aramaic, a branch of the Semitic language family, and largely adhere to Syriac Christianity. The Assyrian homeland lies in northern Mesopotamia, encompassing areas along the Zab rivers and spanning parts of modern Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.