Koi Sanjaq
Encyclopedia
The town Koi Sanjaq is located in the Erbil Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan
, close to the Iranian
border
.
Wallace Lyon, travelling through the town in 1923, compared it to Sulaimani and noted that it was a centre for tobacco. The governor at the time was Jamil Agha Howaizi, succeeding the late Hama Agha Ghafuri.
In the 1990s the town was the scene of much fighting between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). In 1996, the Independent reported that it had been taken by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and noted that it had changed hands three times in a month.
The population is between 50,000 and 100,000.
A specific variant of the Aramaic language
, Koy Sanjaq Surat
, spoken by about 1,000 people in the town, as well as the nearby village of Armota
, takes its name from the town.
One of the local dishes is Dolma
.
Famous people from the city include the Kurdish poet Haji Qadir Koyi
, Sheikh Jangi Talabani [older brother of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani] Hama Aghai Gewre Ghafuri, Kaka Ziad Ghafuri, Jalal Talabani
, Omar Debaba, Mamosta Aziz, Malay Gewre, Haji Bakir Aghai Hawezi, Dildar, Dr Xalid Ghafuri, Amin Agha, Mela Masoum, Dr Fuad Masoum, Sewa Koyi. The current President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani
, who was born in the nearby village of Kelkan, went to school here. In 1949 he joined the town's branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
A university, known in English as "Koya University
" was set up in the town in 2003.
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
, close to the Iranian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
.
Wallace Lyon, travelling through the town in 1923, compared it to Sulaimani and noted that it was a centre for tobacco. The governor at the time was Jamil Agha Howaizi, succeeding the late Hama Agha Ghafuri.
In the 1990s the town was the scene of much fighting between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
(PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). In 1996, the Independent reported that it had been taken by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and noted that it had changed hands three times in a month.
The population is between 50,000 and 100,000.
A specific variant of the Aramaic language
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, Koy Sanjaq Surat
Koy Sanjaq Surat
Koy Sanjaq Surat is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. Speakers of the language call it simply Surat, or 'Syriac'. It is spoken in the town of Koy Sanjaq and its nearby village of Armota in the province of Arbil as well as in Ankawa...
, spoken by about 1,000 people in the town, as well as the nearby village of Armota
Armota
Armota is an Assyrian village that is outside the town of Koy Sinjaq in the Iraqi governorate of Arbil. It is a two-hour drive from Sulaimaniyah. The name Armota comes from the Syriac language, "Ar" meaning "land" and "mota" meaning "death"; hence "the land of death"...
, takes its name from the town.
One of the local dishes is Dolma
Dolma
Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions such as Russia, Middle East and the Caucasus and Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma. Common vegetables to stuff include onion, zucchini, eggplant,...
.
Famous people from the city include the Kurdish poet Haji Qadir Koyi
Haji Qadir Koyi
Haji Qadir Koyi , , was a Kurdish poet. He carried on the nationalistic message of Ahmad Khani in his writings. He wanted to enlighten the people and help them to remedy the problems of illiteracy and backwardness and ideas which result from lack of knowledge and religious fanaticism...
, Sheikh Jangi Talabani [older brother of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani] Hama Aghai Gewre Ghafuri, Kaka Ziad Ghafuri, Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
, Omar Debaba, Mamosta Aziz, Malay Gewre, Haji Bakir Aghai Hawezi, Dildar, Dr Xalid Ghafuri, Amin Agha, Mela Masoum, Dr Fuad Masoum, Sewa Koyi. The current President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish....
, who was born in the nearby village of Kelkan, went to school here. In 1949 he joined the town's branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
A university, known in English as "Koya University
University of Koya
University of Koya is located in Koi Sanjaq, near Arbil , capital of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It was established in 2003 The university included six colleges: Engineering, Agriculture, Science, Law, Arts, and Education....
" was set up in the town in 2003.
External links
- http://www.koyauni.ac/ Koya University