Sinjar
Sinjar
Shingal
Kurdish: Şengal - شەنگال | |
|---|---|
 Yezidi Temple in Sinjar, 2004. | |
| Country |  Kurdistan |
| Governorate | Nineveh |
| District | Shengal |
| Elevation | 522 m (1,713 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 21,584 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (GMT) |
Sinjar also known as Shingal (Kurdish: :شەنگال Şengal) is a town in Iraqi Kurdistan's Ninawa Governorate on Mount Shengal near the Rojava border. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023.[1] The town is mainly inhabited by Yazidi Kurds with Arab and Assyrian minorities.
The important Chermera temple (meaning 40 Men) is found at the highest peak of the Shengal mountains.
History
In 2007, several explosions set off by al-Qaeda in Iraq killed hundreds of Yazidis in Shengal.[2]
In August 2014, the Battle of Shingal raged between Sunni militants of ISIS and Kurdish Peshmerga, leading to a mass exodus of residents, especially from the Yazidi community, branded by Islamic State as "devil worshipers", after the Peshmerga was defeated.[3] The New York Times reported that "ISIS executed dozens of Yazidi men, and kept the dead men’s wives [alive] for unmarried jihadi fighters."[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Iraq: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer.[dead link]
- ^ Shefler, Gil (August 7, 2014). "Islamic State accused of capturing Yazidi women and forcing them to convert, or else". Washington Post. Religion News Service. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ Loveday Morris (3 August 2014). "Islamic State seizes town of Sinjar, pushing out Kurds and sending Yazidis fleeing". Washington Post. WP website. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Jihadists Rout Kurds in North and Seize Strategic Iraqi Dam. By Tim Arango. August 7, 2014
