History and Culture of Hakkari, Explained

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20267 min read

Hakkari sits in the far southeast of Turkey, in the mountain country at the meeting of the borders with Iraq and Iran, and its history is the long story of the highland frontier: the ancient peoples of the mountains, the medieval emirates, the Ottoman centuries, and the modern province. The culture of the region — the language, the music, the food, and the hospitality — grew from that history, and the province carries it into the present. This guide tells the story of Hakkari: the history and the culture of the far southeast.

The Ancient Mountains

The region of Hakkari has been inhabited since the deep antiquity: the mountain valleys of the southeast were the country of the ancient peoples, and the region lay at the edges of the great civilizations — the Assyrian world to the south, the Urartian to the east and the north. The mountains of the region — the ranges that the ancients knew — held the settlements of the high country, and the valleys of the rivers carried the routes of the trade and the movement of the peoples.

The traces of the ancient land survive in the archaeology of the region — the remains and the finds of the area — and the deep history of the province is the foundation of its story. The ancient mountains of Hakkari were the refuge and the meeting place of the peoples, and the highland character of the region was set in those early centuries.

The Medieval Emirates

The medieval centuries brought the region into the Islamic world and the world of the mountain emirates. The region’s position — the high country between the powers — made it the land of the local dynasties: the Kurdish emirates that ruled the mountain provinces between the greater states, holding their independence through the centuries. The emirates of the Hakkari region were the rulers of the highlands, and their authority ran through the valleys and the passes of the mountain country.

The medieval centuries also carried the culture of the region: the Kurdish language and the traditions of the mountains, the Islamic civilization of the towns, and the music and the poetry of the highland people. The identity of the region took its lasting form in these centuries — the mountain emirate, at the edge of the greater powers.

Hakkari, Turkey — Photo by smuldur on Pixabay

The Ottoman Centuries

The Ottoman centuries brought the region into the empire: the conquest of the southeast in the sixteenth century, and the centuries of the Ottoman rule that followed. The region was organized as the part of the eastern provinces, and the local leaders held their positions under the Ottoman suzerainty — the emirs and the tribal leaders of the mountains, ruling their valleys in the name of the sultan. The economy of the region followed the traditional life: the pastoralism of the highlands, the agriculture of the valleys, and the trade of the borderland.

The Ottoman centuries left their mark on the region’s architecture and culture: the mosques and the buildings of the period, and the deep-rooted traditions of the mountain frontier. The borderland character of Hakkari was fixed in the Ottoman era — the highland province at the edge of the empire.

The Republic and the Modern Province

The modern history of Hakkari follows the Turkish Republic: the region’s incorporation into the modern state, and its position through the twentieth century. The province was organized in its current form in the early decades of the republic, and the city of Hakkari became the provincial capital. The modern decades have been the hard ones for the region: the conflict of the southeast, the security concerns, and the difficult history of the Kurdish question have marked the province — and the rebuilding and the development have followed.

The modern province is the working land of the borderland: the agriculture, the construction, and the trade of the frontier region, with the new generation of the province building its future. The modern history of Hakkari is the continuing story of the region — the far southeast, in the decades of the republic.

The Culture of the Mountains

The culture of Hakkari is the culture of the mountain frontier: the Kurdish language of the daily life, the tribal and the family structures of the society, and the traditions of the highlands. The music of the region — the songs of the mountains, the dengbêj tradition of the sung storytelling — carries the history and the emotions of the people, and the dance of the region, the halay of the gatherings, is the celebration of the community.

The hospitality of the region is the other pillar of the culture: the guest is honored in the mountain country, the tea is poured, and the table is shared. The culture of the mountains is the living culture of the province — the language, the music, and the hospitality of the far southeast.

The Yayla Life

The yayla — the highland pasture — is the heart of the Hakkari culture: the summer life of the mountains, when the flocks and the families move to the high pastures. The yayla life is the rhythm of the region — the shepherds and the herds, the dairy of the pastures, and the seasonal settlements of the heights — and the yayla tradition runs through the culture: the food, the music, and the identity of the mountain people.

The summer yayla of Hakkari is the living heritage of the region, and the visitor in the season shares it — the pastures, the flocks, and the highland life of the far southeast.

The Food of the Region

The food of Hakkari is the taste of the mountain frontier: the lamb of the highland flocks, the dairy of the pastures, the soups and the breads of the region, and the hearty dishes of the mountain life. The food is the honest cooking of the high country — the meat, the wheat, and the dairy of the mountains — and the table of the region is the generous table of the borderland. The food of Hakkari carries the story of the place: the yayla life, the daily work, and the hospitality of the province.

The Frontier Identity

There is a deeper identity to the culture of Hakkari: the sense of the frontier. The province sits at the meeting of the lands — the borders with Iraq and Iran, the high mountains, and the deep valleys — and the frontier character runs through the culture: the watchfulness, the resilience, and the pride of the borderland people. The identity is the product of the geography and the history — the mountain province at the edge of the countries — and the visitor feels it in the region’s character.

The Culture in the Daily Life

The culture of Hakkari lives in the daily life of the province. The mornings belong to the practical — the markets, the transport, and the work of the borderland. The days belong to the land — the flocks and the fields, the villages and the valleys. And the evenings belong to the social — the tea houses, the family tables, and the gatherings of the community. The visitor who shares the daily life of the province — the tea, the food, and the conversation — experiences the culture of the far southeast at its most real.

The Wonder of the Story

There is a particular wonder to the history and culture of Hakkari: the story of the highland frontier, told in the mountains and the valleys of the far southeast. The province is one of the least-visited corners of Turkey, and its history — the ancient mountains, the medieval emirates, the Ottoman centuries, and the modern province — is the deep story of the borderland. The culture of the region — the language, the music, the yayla life, and the hospitality — is the living heritage of the high country. The wonder of the story is the discovery: the far southeast, in its history and its culture, waiting for the traveler who comes with the respect and the curiosity.

The Language and the Life

The language of the region is the living thread of the Hakkari culture. The Kurdish language is the daily speech of the mountains and the towns, spoken alongside the Turkish of the state and the schools, and the bilingual life of the province is the everyday reality — the street, the market, and the home run in the local language, while the official life runs in the Turkish. The traveler hears the two languages of the borderland in the daily life of the province, and the sense of the region’s distinct identity is carried in its speech.

The life of the province follows the language: the family and the tribal ties shape the society, the elders hold the respect, and the community is the center of the individual life. The daily rhythm — the work of the flocks and the fields, the market of the towns, and the tea houses of the evenings — is the life of the borderland, and the visitor who shares it — with the respect for the language and the customs — experiences the culture of the far southeast from the inside.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Hakkari important in history?

Hakkari is important as the highland frontier of the far southeast: the ancient mountain country, the land of the medieval emirates, and the modern province at the meeting of the borders. The region’s history is the long story of the borderland peoples.

What is Hakkari known for culturally?

Hakkari is known for the culture of the mountain frontier: the Kurdish language and the traditions, the music and the dance of the region, the yayla life of the highlands, and the hospitality. The culture is the living heritage of the far southeast.

What are the mountains of Hakkari?

The Cilo and the Sat ranges are the highest mountains of the southeastern region, snow-capped through much of the year, with the glaciers and the alpine valleys. The mountains are the defining landscape of the province.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.