Zakho

Zaxo sometimes Zakho (Kurdish زاخو, Zakho, Arabic زاخو, DMG Zāḫū; Syro -Aramaic ܙ ܟ ܼ ܘ ) is a northern Iraq city of about 350,000 inhabitants in the province of Dahuk the Kurdistan.Sie Autonomous Region is located on the border with Turkey. Zakho lies on the route from the Khabur border crossing to Mosul. The river Khabur flows through the city and divides it into two parts. There are four bridges over the river, of which the Dalal bridge probably dates from the time of the Abbasids. Before the advent of automobiles Zakho was caused by the flow of an important city. You may Zaxo is with the city Bēṭzākḥū that is mentioned in a Syriac -Aramaic manuscript from the 11th century, identical.

The city is since July 2010, the seat of a university. In order for the University of Zakho is one of the 11 state universities in the autonomous region.

Population

Most residents of the city are Kurds who speak a variant of Kurmanji, the Bahdini. Historically had the Kurdish feudal lords from Semdinli, which is a part of Turkey today is a great influence on Zakho. Furthermore, there was in Zakho Christian and Jewish communities. The religious groups lived in their own neighborhoods together peacefully. After the establishment of Israel, many Kurdish Jews emigrated. Before emigrating, about 350 Jewish families lived in the city. The Christians of the city consist of Assyrians / Syrians (also called Chaldo - Assyrians ) and Armenians together. Together they made 1992 of about 5000 people.

During the Second Gulf War, the population of the massive exodus of Kurds to the north strongly grew. The city is now a part of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region.

Origin of the name

Historians are not sure where the name comes Zakho. Here are some hypotheses:

  • Zaxo could from the Aramaic word Zakhota come, which means "victory". This victory refers to a battle between the Romans and the Persians, subject to the latter.
  • The name could come from the Kurdish words Zey Khowin which translates mean "river of blood". This could refer to the battle as well.

Sons and daughters of the town

Iraqi Kurdistan Dohuk Governorate DIN 31635 Khabur (Tigris) History of Jews in Kurdistan Linguistics
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