Halabjay Taza
Halabjay Taza
ھەڵەبجەی تازە | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Image of the town | |
Interactive map of Halabjay Taza | |
Halabjay Taza Location within Iraq Halabjay Taza Halabjay Taza (Iraqi Kurdistan) | |
| Coordinates: 35°19′13″N 45°41′00″E / 35.32021°N 45.6834°E | |
| Country | Iraq |
| Region | Kurdistan Region |
| Governorate | Sulaymaniyah Governorate |
| District | Sharazoor District |
| Subdistrict | Halabjay Taza Subdistrict |
| Built | 1989[1] |
| Former name | Saddam's Halabja[1] |
| Population (2026)[2] | |
• Total | 52,478 |
Halabjay Taza (Kurdish: هەڵەبجەی تازە, romanized: Helebcey Taze, lit. 'New Halabja'), also known as Halabja Taza or Sharazoor[3] and formerly known as Saddam's Halabja,[3] is a town in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Kurdistan Region, Iraq.[3] The town serves as the administrative centre of Sharazur District.[4] The population of the town is 52,478 people.[5] It was built in 1989 by Ba’athist Iraq as a replacement for Halabja, which was destroyed in a chemical attack.[3][6] The regime had officially named the town “Saddam’s Halabja”, however, the local Kurds defiantly called it “Halabjay Taza”.[3]
History
Construction of the town
One year after the 1988 chemical attack, Ali Hassan al-Majid ordered the construction of Halabjay Taza.[6][7] The town was built near Zarayan and was 50 kilometers northwest of Halabja.[3][6] The town was initially set up in 1989 as a collection of sheds with tarp roofs. Most of the residents were brought to Halabja Taza in trucks after their villages and towns were destroyed.[8] The regime called the town Saddam's Halabja, however, the locals called the town Halabjay Taza.[3]
Halabjay Taza, in contrast to Halabja, lacked everything that the old Halabja had: there were no trees, no mountains, and the weather was warm.[3] The town was just a forced collective town designed to uproot people from Halabja, Byara, and the other towns and villages so that they would stop supporting the Peshmerga in rural areas.[3][8]
The neighborhoods of the town were given by the original homes of the residents: Halabja, Sirwan, Byara, Khurmal, Tawila, and Shameran, and all of these areas were designated by the Ba’athist regime as forbidden places.[3]
Two years after the creation of the town, and at the end of the Persian Gulf War when Kurds gained autonomy, the town’s name had officially changed from “Saddam’s Halabja” to “Halabjay Taza”.[8]
The Three Hills of Halabjay Taza
When bulldozers began leveling three hills near Halabjay Taza, Abdul Raqeeb Yousif, a local in the town, wrote to Mu’ayyid Saeed, the Director General of Antiquities of Iraq, to stop the destruction of what he considered cultural heritage.[6][7] Mu’ayyid Saeed supported Yousif's request and referred it to higher authorities in the government. After several days, all bulldozers and excavators stopped levelling the three hills. The hills still stand today.[6][7]
2020 Sulaymaniyah Governorate Protests
In 2020, mass protests occurred across Sulaymaniyah Governorate, which happened due to unpaid salaries and unemployment.[9][10][11] The security forces suppressed crowds using tear gas and water cannons.[9] Protests also occurred in Sharazoor District, including the towns of Halabjay Taza and Zarayan.[12][13] People burned down the Sharazoor Education Directorate, the Traffic Police Station, and the mayor’s house.[9][14] The headquarters of several political parties, such as KDP and PUK, were also targeted.[12][13]
See also
References
- ^ a b Rudaw (March 24, 2015). "Tale of Two Cities: Halabja and New Halabja" – Confirms the town was built one year after the 1988 chemical attack (1989) and was officially named "Saddam's Halabja" by the Ba'athist regime.
- ^ World Population Review (2026). "Halabjah Tazah Population 2026"
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Tale of Two Cities: Halabja and New Halabja | Rudaw.net". www.rudaw.net. Archived from the original on 2026-05-04. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
- ^ "ھەڵەبجەی تازە". raprsi.com (in Kurdish). Archived from the original on 2026-02-14. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
- ^ "Halabjah Tazah Population 2026". World Population Review. 2026-05-22. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e "عەبدوڵا کەریم مەحمود: سێ گردەکەی هەڵەبجەی تازە". WTARIKURD. 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
- ^ a b c "سێ گردەکەی هەڵەبجەی تازە". speemedia.com. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
- ^ a b c "Uprooted for Decades, Iraqi Kurds Long for Home (Published 2009)". 2009-09-03. Archived from the original on 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ^ a b c "Right to peaceful protest must be protected: UNAMI". www.rudaw.net. Archived from the original on 2025-09-01. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ^ "Iraqi Kurdish authorities crack down on media and anti-government protests". Middle East Eye. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- ^ Monitor, Euro-Med Human Rights. "Cracking down on protesters in Iraqi Kurdistan legitimizes corruption". Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ^ a b Aziz, Halsho (2020-12-10). "Ten people killed in anti-government protests in Sulaimani province". Esta Media Network. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ^ a b Media, Gulan. "At least 4 people reported dead in protests across Sulaimani province". Gulan Media. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
- ^ Aziz, Halsho (2020-12-08). "PUK, KDP and Gorran agree to send high-level delegation to Baghdad". Esta Media Network. Retrieved 2026-05-25.