Garmian or Garmiyan () is a region in the

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

of Northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, it's historically considered to be a Kurdish province, the center of the region is located about (62 km) south of

Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah or Slemani (; ), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is the capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Bara ...

City and (104 km) east of

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

city and it includes Kalar,

Kifri Kifri (; ; ) is the central town of Kifri District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq. It has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen. It is under de facto administration by Kurdistan Region, but remains a disputed area claimed by the central ...

Darbandikhan Darbandikhan () is a town in the Governorate of Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is situated within the area of autonomy for the Kurdistan region of Iraq, inhabited by the majority of the Kurds. Darbandikhan is located close to Darbandi ...

and

Chamchamal Chamchamal (, ) is a town located in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. it is the town which is nearest located to the disputed territories of Northern Iraq. Chamchamal is home to the Gorani language, Gorani-speaking Kurds, Kurdish ...

district, and unofficially the district of

Tuz Khurmatu Tuz Khurmatu (, , , also spelled as Tuz Khurma and Tuz Khormato) is the central city of Tooz District in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, located south of Kirkuk. Its inhabitants are predominantly Shia Turkmen, with a minority of Arabs and Sunni ...

and sometimes the district of

Khanaqin Khanaqin (; ) is the central city of Khanaqin District in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, near the Iranian border (8 km) on the Alwand tributary of the Diyala River. The town is populated by Kurds who speak the Southern Kurdish dialect. Khan ...

. Kalar is the administrative center of the Garmiyan district. Some historic maps includes

and

Daquq Daquq (, alternatively ''Ṭawūq'' or ''Ṭa’ūq'', , ), also known as Daqouq, is a city and the urban center of Daquq District in Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq. The city is ethnically diverse, with a Kurdish majority and Arab and Turkmen minorit ...

to the region of Germiyan.

Name

The term (Germiyan) is a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

word used to denote the hot and dry area in

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

, which describes, indicates and gives information about location and climate.

History

The region was for years primarily a rural one, with villagers herding cattle and involved in agriculture. It is a strategically important region between the oil rich

and its proximity to the Iranian border.Mlodoch, Karin (2014).p.168 From the early 1970s onwards, the Baathist Government depopulated the villages along the border to Iran, and resettled their population in collective villages. In mid 1970s the region became a stronghold for the Kurdish resistance under the lead of Nashirwan Mustafa of the

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the Disputed territories of Northern Iraq, disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describes its goals as self-determination, human rights, democracy a ...

(PUK) and the left-wing militia Komala. They were against the authority of tribal leaders and landowners which were often dispossessed. Their land was then distributed among the poor, rural population.Mlodoch, Karin (2014). p.168 Thus they held significant support in the region and they were able to recruit new members. In March 1987, the region was included in a "prohibited area" and the Iraqi army began to destroy villages and relocate their inhabitants.Mlodoch, Karin (2014). pp.168–169 Villagers who surrendered where sent to collective villages.

Anfal campaign

On the 7 April 1988, the Iraqi security forces launched an attack on the Garmyan region as part of the

Anfal campaign The Anfal campaign was a counterinsurgency operation which was carried out by Ba'athist Iraq from February to September 1988 during the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict at the end of the Iran–Iraq War. The campaign targeted rural Kurds because its p ...

.Mlodoch, Karin (2014). p.169 The

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

counted with the support Kurdish so-called Jash units, tanks and helicopters and aimed at detaining the population of villages. They were detained and sent to detention camps such as Topzawa, Dibs or

Nugra Salman Nugra Salman , also known as Nugrat al-Salman or Nigrat Salman is a former prison facility near the village Salman in the desert of the Muthanna Governorate in Iraq. It has been constructed in 1930 during the Hashemite Monarchy and later also by t ...

.Mlodoch, Karin (2014). p.172

Climate

The Garmiyan Region in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) and is known for having a warm and dry climate, occasionally reaching over 50 °C in the summer. It is warmest in July and coldest in January. The temperature rarely reaches below 0 °C in the winter. According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, Garmiyan has a

Semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(''BSh'').

Notable inhabitants

Kawa Garmeyani Kawa Mohamed Ahmed Garmeyani, (1981 – 5 December 2013) well known as Kawa Garmeyani ( Kurdish:کاوە محمد ئەحمەد گەرمیانی, Arabic:كاوه محمد أحمد كرمياني) was an Iraqi Kurdish journalist. Garmeyani came ...

References