Sinjar: A Region, a Mountain, and a City

Speaking about Sinjar can be confusing. The mountain is called “Sinjar” (“Shingal” in Kurdish), as is the city of Sinjar which is located on the south side of the mountain. Further, the entire area is commonly referred to as “Sinjar.” For example, a Yazidi from a collective village on the north side of the mountain will usually say “I am from Sinjar” rather than specifying the name of the village. (Collective villages were formed in 1975 when Saddam relocated Yazidis from their traditional villages by force, moving them into “collectives” and often destroying their home villages, for reasons of strategic control.)

This report uses “Sinjar” to refer to the region, and anytime the mountain or the city are referred to, they will be specified as such.

For full publication click here.