Etymology
The word "Sêmêl" may originate from the Kurdish languages, Kurdish words "sê" and "mil" meaning "three hills", or "sê mal" meaning "three homes".Information
Simele was a small Kurds, Kurdish village until the mid-1910s as the village was populated by Armenian and Assyrian refugees fleeing massacres during Sayfo and the Armenian genocide. During the Simele massacre in 1933, around three thousand Assyrians were massacred prompting many to flee the country as a consequence. The main Assyrian tribe in Simele at the time was Baz (tribe), Baz. In 2011, the population was mostly Kurds, Kurdish with a small Assyrian minority of 635 people. Around half of the Assyrian minority adhere to the Assyrian Church of the East. A small Armenian minority is still present in the town.Footnotes
{{Districts of Iraq Cities in Iraqi Kurdistan Populated places in Dohuk Province Assyrian communities in Iraq Kurdish settlements in Iraq Simele