Qamishlo Festival highlights women through poetry -ANHA

On August 20, 2026, the city of Qamishlo enters its second century, 100 years after its establishment, a history marked by major transformations in the region and during which the city became a hub of cultural and linguistic diversity.

To mark the centenary of the city’s founding, the Union of Rojava Kurdistan Intellectuals launched the “Qamishlo Cultural Festival” at its center in the city on August 17. The festival features seminars, poetry evenings, book signings and a cultural celebration.

Participants in the festival wrote about their feelings toward Qamishlo, its historical significance, geographical importance and residents, focusing in their poems particularly on the role of Qamishlo’s women.

Poet and administrator at the Intellectuals’ Committee in Derik, Zlukh Bakr, said she participated with three poems in Arabic titled “Women of Qamishlo,” “The Homeland,” and “So That We Do Not Become a Body.”

“In these three poems, I wanted to shed light on the history of this city, which is rich in culture and diverse communities, and recall the history of women, particularly Qamishlo women. I addressed various female figures in them,” Zlukh said.

She continued: “Through their writings, poets and intellectuals serve as the memory of society, as what is written becomes immortal. I have been writing for nearly 20 years, but I have not had the opportunity to publish my collections because of the repeated displacement I have experienced. I have a poetry collection titled Fate Repeats Itself, a short-story collection titled Those Who Survived Life, and a poetry collection titled A Woman’s Confession, which will be published soon.”

“For me, writing as a woman is a way of reviving my thoughts on a spiritual level. A female writer and poet writes with a greater sense of social awareness,” poet Zlukh added.

For her part, poet Aijan Kori, known as “Kojri,” who participated in the festival with several poems, said: “In my poems, I talked about Qamishlo and its history from its founding to the present day, the developments it has witnessed, and the Jaghjagh River, as well as historical figures who left their mark and became known in Qamishlo. Qamishlo is known not only for its streets, but also for its cultural dimension.”

Aijan said she signed her book “A Breath of the Soul” during a ceremony organized by the Union of Rojava Kurdistan Intellectuals. She explained that she has been writing for around 13 years and addresses issues including women, the homeland, motherhood and love in her works, while several other books are currently in progress.

She concluded: “Every woman who has been unable to express and voice her feelings should put her emotions on paper and write.”

The Qamishlo Cultural Festival continues through August 21 and includes seminars, poetry evenings and book-signing events.

a.k

ANHA