Population: 16,000
Other name: Semitdin, Şemzinan (Kurdish), Shemsdin (Syriac)
Like Susurluk in Western Turkey, Şemdinli in the far southeastern corner of the country will forever be associated with an incident that exposed the hidden hand of the country’s derin devlet (deep state). In 2005 two bombs went off in the centre of the town. The first was blamed on the PKK terrorist group but then agents of the gendarmerie were caught in the act of placing the second in a local bookshop.
That aside, modern Şemdinli is hardly a place of great beauty despite its location amid glorious mountain ranges. Most people will only want to transit it on their way to visiting the ruined tekke at nearby Nehri (Bağlar).
In a fashion footnote, you’ll see more men here wearing the traditional şelu şepik outfit of baggy brown trousers with matching waistcoat and colourful cummerband, usually topped off with a keffiyeh worn as a turban.
Sleeping
There are decent hotels in both Hakkari and Yüksekova.
Transport info
Hourly minibuses from the centre of Hakkari run to Şemdinli via Yüksekova.
