her bijî

A collection of informative stories, interviews and research articles focusing on Kurdish female figures of both past and present day Kurdistan.

Featured:
From Hasan to Hundreds: Emine Ocak’s Saturday Mothers.
Raz Xaidan
From Hasan to Hundreds: Emine Ocak’s Saturday Mothers.
Raz Xaidan

Emine Ocak, a champion for Turkey’s Saturday Mothers and a voice for Kurdish families, has passed away at the age of 89.

Read More →
Raz Xaidan
Bahê Xan: 100 years of Enduring Arrows and Spears
Raz Xaidan
Bahê Xan: 100 years of Enduring Arrows and Spears
Raz Xaidan

Bahê's story is a testament to resilience, sacrifice, and cultural pride. Born on January 21, 1925, on a small plot of private land in Pris, on the outskirts of Halabja, she was the oldest known living Kurdish woman in London when she passed away on Friday, June 20 2025, at the age of 100.

Read More →
Raz Xaidan
Fatimê, the tireless soul of Qamishlo.
Şînda Ekrem
Fatimê, the tireless soul of Qamishlo.
Şînda Ekrem

Fatimê Mahmoud, the tireless soul of Qamişlo - A fighter and formidable matriarch from the village of Xirbet Zîb in Qamişlo, Western Kurdistan.

Read More →
Şînda Ekrem
sê jin
Şînda Ekrem
sê jin
Şînda Ekrem

Şînda Ekrem remembered meeting three extraordinary women in western Kurdistan, and their remarkable stories have stuck with her ever since her path crossed with theirs briefly.

Read More →
Şînda Ekrem

submit your archives

submit your archives

Remembering:
Fadime Şahindal (1975–2002)
Fadime Şahindal (1975–2002)

Remembering Fadime Şahindal (1975–2002) A Kurdish social activist who was ’honour-killed’ by her father in Uppsala, Sweden in 2002.

Zerga Cuneyd (1948-2024)
Zerga Cuneyd (1948-2024)

Remembering Zerga Cuneyd, from the village of Berx Batan in Rojava, who resisted ISIS in 2015 and became a symbol of resistance in 2024.

Helin Bölek (1991-2020)
Helin Bölek (1991-2020)

Remembering Helin Bölek, a Kurdish singer and native of Amed, Northern Kurdistan.

Lady Adela Jaff (1847-1924)
Lady Adela Jaff (1847-1924)

Remembering Lady Adela Jaff, or Adela Khanum, also known as the “Princess of the Brave,” was a remarkable Kurdish ruler of the Jaff tribe and one of the first well-known female leaders in the history of Kurdistan.

the jiyan archives

The Jiyan Archives is a multi-media public archive dedicated to preserving and documenting the lives, culture, identity, and diversity of Kurdish women.

This platform is dedicated to the Kurdish women of both the global diaspora and Kurdistan.