A campaign of violence by the PKK terrorist group plagued Türkiye's eastern and southeastern regions for years, forcing families to leave amid fear of attacks; however, Türkiye's counterterrorism efforts in recent years have changed the situation.
As part of the Turkish Interior Ministry's "Return to the Village Project," the provincial governor's office in Şırnak and the Idil district office contacted the former residents of 130 homes in the region's Mağara village. As a result, several Yazidi families are planning to return to their hometowns in southeastern Türkiye years after they were forced to leave due to the PKK terrorist attacks during the 1990s. Most of the former villagers currently live in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
In the first phase of the project, five families living in Germany decided to return to their villages. Local authorities have started working to construct roads, electric grids, drinking water and sewer lines in the village to welcome back residents.
Estimates put the total Yazidi population across the world at approximately 700,000 people. They are concentrated in northern Iraq but also live in countries like Syria and Türkiye. A Kurdish religious minority group, Yazidis believe in God and seven angels, the leader of which is named Malak Tawous, or Peacock Angel. Their religion, which is thought to have been founded in the 11th century, is full of Zoroastrian, Manichaean, Jewish, Nestorian Christian and Islamic elements.
The Yazidis who returned to the Mağara village have also started to repair the houses they had to leave years ago. Nusrettin Genç, 67, a father to eight children living in Germany, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that they had to immigrate due to the terrorist attacks in 1992. Genç said he came to the village after he was informed about the "Return to the Village Project" and began repairing his house. "Our villagers want to return to Mağara. We are hopeful; the villagers were pleased. They are determined to return to the village thanks to this project," he added.
Genç also said the people living in the village immigrated to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands years ago. "The number of families in Germany alone has grown to 800 in 30 years. Maybe not all of them will come back, but the older people who have seen this place like us and lived in the village in the past will want to come," he added.
"About 30 families that I have spoken to are making preparations; they will restore their houses and return," Genç further said. "This project has been good for all of us," he said. "The governorship will provide water, electricity, sewer lines, parks and install a solar energy system. There is peace now; we are satisfied."
"My wife and I want to spend the rest of our lives in our village," he added.
Another villager returning from Germany was Hazal Gurtis, who left Türkiye with one child and returned as a mother of seven. Gurtis said she was excited to return to the village as they had already started to repair their houses in preparation for resettling in their hometown with the support of the local authorities.
"There is nothing like one's own land. In 1992, we were the first family who left and we are the first to return to the village," she said. "We are restoring our house. We trust our state. I hope we will all live in our village with our relatives again. We are delighted to return to the village after many years. We want to spend our lives in our village," she added.
Abdülcelil Yıldırım, a stonemason who came from the neighboring Midyat district of Mardin province to work on the repairing of the houses, said they lived together with the Yazidis for years. Yildirim said he was pleased that the families were returning to the country and their villages.
Hazım Ucun, the provincial director of culture and tourism in Şırnak, said Mağara is the only Yazidi village in the city that had to be abandoned due to terrorism. The village, he said, got its name from the caves (mağara) under the houses, and that some houses have living spaces under them.
"After the 1940s, the caves were discovered and houses were built," he added.
"The construction of the village road was started by our governor's office. Then the water, sewerage and electricity lines will start to be built," he added.
They expect all Yazidis will be able to live freely in the village, Ucun said, as the majority of families want to return to the village.
According to Ucun, the region will most likely be open to tourism. "With the establishment of peace, tourists have been visiting the village for the last four years even though it is empty. "We aim to attract tourists to the region by boosting the potential. This is a village with a high tourism potential with its historical and natural structures," he said.
"I hope it will become one of Türkiye's exemplary villages in the coming years," he added.
