Kurdish communities
Who Kurdish communities are
An estimated 36 to 46 million people (institute estimate), living in the homeland across four states, in the cities of the region and the former USSR, and in a global diaspora.
01Three circles
The homeland across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria; the regional dispersion from western Turkey to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Khorasan; and the diaspora from Germany to Nashville and Saitama.
- Homeland
- Bakur, Başûr, Rojhilat, Rojava
- Region
- Istanbul, Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Almaty
- Diaspora
- Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan
02Waves
Labour migration from 1961, exiles after the 1980 coup in Turkey, refugees from Anfal and Halabja, the 1991 exodus, the 1990s displacement in Turkey, the Syrian war and the 2014 Yazidi genocide.
03Faiths
Sunni Islam with its Sufi orders, Alevism, Yazidism, Yarsan, Shia Islam, Christianity, Judaism and secular traditions.
04Calendar
Newroz on 21 March, Kurdish Journalism Day, Kurdish Language Day, and days of remembrance for Halabja, Anfal, Dersim and Shingal.
05Languages and scripts
| Language | Script | Direction | On this platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) Kurmancî | Latn | Left to right | At launch |
| Sorani (Central Kurdish) کوردیی ناوەندی | Arab | Right to left | At launch |
| English English | Latn | Left to right | At launch |
| Zazaki (Kirmanckî, Dimilkî) Zazakî | Latn | Left to right | Phase 2 |
| Southern Kurdish (Kelhurî, Feylî) کوردی خوارین | Arab | Right to left | Phase 2 |
| Gorani / Hawrami هەورامی | Arab | Right to left | By demand |
| Kurmanji in Cyrillic Кӧрмаънщи | Cyrl | Left to right | By demand |
| Kurmanji in the Arabic-based script (Badînî) کورمانجی | Arab | Right to left | Phase 2 |
| Laki لەکی | Arab | Right to left | By demand |
| Russian Русский | Cyrl | Left to right | By demand |