Silopi
Silopi | |
|---|---|
Silopi Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates: 37°14′55″N 42°28′13″E / 37.24861°N 42.47028°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Şırnak |
| District | Silopi |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jiyan Ormanlı (Independent) |
| Population (2023) | 108,880 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
Silopi (Kurdish: Silopî) is a city and seat of Silopi District in the Şırnak Province of Turkey. The city is mainly populated by Kurds of Sipêrtî and Zewkan tribes and had a population of 108,880 in 2023. It is considered to be part of Turkish Kurdistan.
Large sections of the city were destroyed in 2016 during clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish youths, some of whom were allegedly affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The predominantly Kurdish character of Silopi reflects its location in the broader Kurdish-majority region of Şırnak Province. Sociolinguistic research on language demographics in Turkey has identified Silopi's area as among the regions with the highest concentrations of Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) speakers.