The Kurdish Heritage Encyclopaedia
A people's memory, woven into cloth and word
From the Zagros peaks to the cities of the diaspora — a record of Kurdish culture, language, history and art, kept in four tongues so that what should not be forgotten remains.
What you will find
Sixteen doors into one world
Each section opens onto a world of memory — choose what calls to you, and begin.
Culture & Heritage
Dress, music, dance, food, tales, and the old crafts.
The Kurdish Language
Kurmanji and Sorani — alphabets, pronunciation, history.
Symbols & Identity
The flag, the 21-rayed sun, ornament and pattern.
Faiths & Beliefs
Islam, Yazidism, Yarsanism, Kurdish Christianity and Judaism.
Kurdish Literature
From Melayê Cizîrî to Mem û Zîn and the moderns.
Cinema & Media
Yılmaz Güney, Bahman Ghobadi, Hiner Saleem and the great films.
Figures
Leaders, poets, artists, scholars across time.
Cities & Regions
Hewlêr, Silêmanî, Amed, Mahabad, Afrîn, Kobanê and more.
History
A timeline from the Medes to today.
Diaspora
A map of Kurdish communities across the world.
Festivals & Days
Newroz and the year's other rememberings.
Audio & Visual Archive
Music, documentaries, oral tales, historical images.
Did you know?
Newroz is more than a new year — it commemorates Kawa the blacksmith's victory over the tyrant Zahhak, and the bonfires lit on every mountaintop on the eve of March 20th retell that legend every spring.
— From the folklore of Media
The Kurdish lands on the map
The Kurdish lands on the map
From the slopes of the Zagros and Taurus down to the banks of the Tigris stretches the land where this memory took shape. Touch any city to begin its story.
Open the full map
Have a story to keep?
An old photograph from a family album, a song your grandmother used to sing, a recipe never written down — each deserves to be kept. Share it, and we'll place it in the world's hands.
Send your contributionA living archive