Zakho
زاخۆ Zaxo | |
---|---|
City | |
The Little Khabur flowing through Zakho | |
Coordinates: 37°08′37.00″N 42°40′54.88″E / 37.1436111°N 42.6819111°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Kurdistan Region |
Governorate | Dohuk Governorate |
District | Zakho District |
Elevation | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 500,000 |
Time zone | UTC+3 |
• Summer (DST) | not observed |
Zakho, also spelled Zaxo (Kurdish: زاخۆ, romanized: Zaxo,[1][2] Syriac: ܙܵܟ݂ܘܿ, romanized: Zākhō,[3] Armenian: Զախո,[4] Arabic: زاخو,[5] Lishanid Noshan: זאכו, romanized: Zāxo[6]) is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newroz.
The population of the town rose from about 30,000 in 1950 to 350,000 in 1992 due to Kurds fleeing from other areas of the country.[7]
The original settlement may have been on a small island in the Little Khabur river, which flows west through the modern city to form the border between Iraq and Turkey, continuing into the Tigris. Other important rivers in the area are the Zeriza and the Seerkotik.[8]