Barda Qaraman
Barda Qaraman
بەردە قارەمان | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Interactive map of Barda Qaraman | |
  Barda Qaraman Location in Iraq  Barda Qaraman Barda Qaraman (Iraqi Kurdistan) | |
| Coordinates: 35°38′54″N 45°4′0″E / 35.64833°N 45.06667°E | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Region |  Kurdistan Region |
| Governorate | Sulaymaniyah |
| District | Sulaymaniyah |
| Subdistrict | Barda Qaraman |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
Barda Qaraman (Kurdish: بەردە قارەمان, romanized: Berde Qareman, lit. 'Rock of the Hero'), also spelled Bardaqaraman, is a town and subdistrict in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The town is approximately 35 kilometers west of Sulaymaniyah.[1][2] The name of the town means "Rock of the Hero" in Kurdish, referring to a large boulder Sheikh Mahmud and his forces used. Under the Ba’athist regime of Saddam Hussein, the town was created and given a derogatory name meaning "eggplant" to insult and belittle the Kurds.[1] After the 2003 Iraq invasion, the KRG renamed the town to Barda Qaraman. The town today has also been converted into a center for tourism.[1]
History
The Ba'athist Iraq state pursued a policy of Arabization in Kurdish regions to aid in the erasure of the Kurdish people's history and culture.[1][3] Barda Qaraman was originally one of several encampments of displaced Kurdish people established by the Ba’athist regime in the 1970s and 1980s that developed into towns.[3] At the time of its establishment by the Ba'athist regime, it was given a derogatory name meaning "eggplant" by the Saddam Hussein regime; the name was intended to "insult, belittle, and mock [the] Kurdish people".[1]
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) moved to reverse Arabization policies, and the town was officially renamed to Barda Qaraman in honor of the Kurdish fighters in the 1919 rebellion.[1] The name Barda Qaraman means "Rock of the Hero" in English.[1][4][2] The name refers to a large boulder near the Bazyan Pass where Sheikh Mahmud and the Kurdish fighters made their stand against the British Army in 1919.[4] After the renaming, the KRG developed Barda Qaraman into a tourist destination, constructing a large park and a monument depicting the actions of Sheikh Mahmud’s army.[5] Local residents and tourists visit the site to learn about Kurdish history.[1]
In October 2025, Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region, issued a decree officially establishing Barda Qaraman as a sub-district within the Sulaymaniyah Governorate.[6][7]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "A Kurdish town once named 'Eggplant'". Kurdistan24. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Barda Qaraman (the Rock of the Hero) - 100HALA". 31 December 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Iraq: continuous and silent ethnic cleansing" (PDF). International Federation for Human Rights. January 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 ""The Hero's Rock"- When the Kurds Rebelled". Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "Sheikh Mahmoud returns to Barda Qaraman". The Free Library. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "President Nechirvan Barzani issues a regional decree to establish the Barda Qaraman sub-district". Presidency of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 27 October 2025. Archived from the original on 13 May 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
- ↑ "President Barzani establishes new sub-district in al-Sulaymaniyah". Shafaq News. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 2 May 2026.