Qandil Mountains

The Qandil Mountains (Kurdish: چیایێن قەندیلێ, romanized: Çiyayên Qendîlê or چیاکانی قەندیل, Çiyakanî Qendîl), are a mountainous area of Kurdistan near the Iran-Iraq border. The region belongs to the Zagros mountain range and is difficult to access, with extremely rugged terrain. The highest peaks reach over 3,000m.

Qandil Mountains
چیاکانی قەندیل Romanization: Çiyakanî Qendîl
Highest point
Elevation	3,587 metres (11,768 ft)
Coordinates	36°32′28″N 44°59′46″E
Dimensions
Area	50 km2 (19 mi2)
Naming
Etymology	Qand (sugar, in Kurdish)
Native name	چیایێن قەندیلێ (Çiyayên Qendîlê) (Kurdish)
Geography
Qandil Mountains
Country	Iraq
Governate	Erbil
Region	Kurdistan
Parent range	Zagros
Borders on	Iran
Geology
Orogeny	Zagros fold and thrust belt

The area is notable as a sanctuary and headquarters for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Approximately 5,000 PKK and other armed Kurdish factions control an area of roughly 50 km², which has been sporadically bombarded by the Turkish Air Force and shelled by Iranian military artillery for several years. The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) is also based in the Qandil Mountains, which allows them to infiltrate into Iran. In 1967, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) attacked the Pahlavi regime to regain autonomy in Iran, ultimately failing and fleeing to the Qandil Mountains, remaining underground until 1971. The Qandil Mountains were the headquarters of the PDKI from 1968-1993 where the Iranian regime attacked several military camps during the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran and the KDPI insurgency (1989–1996).

See also

• Kuhe Haji Ebrahim (highest peak)
• 1967 Kurdish revolt in Iran
• Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan

External links

• With the P.K.K. in Iraq’s Qandil Mountains by The New York Times
• Interviews with female PKK fighters in Qandil by BBC News
• Mount Qandil: A Safe Haven for Kurdish Militants – Part 1, Part 2
• "We want peace. But we will not surrender". Lower Class Magazin. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-05-18.