Della Murad is a pioneering Kurdish fashion designer who transformed traditional dress into a statement of identity, resistance, and modern style, bringing Kurdish textiles from private wardrobes to international runways.

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

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.

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

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.

An interview with Kurdish Chef Pary Baban, who founded Nandine restaurant in London, which is a celebration of authentic Kurdish food (Nandine means 'kitchen' in Kurdish).

Dilpak Megeed is a Yazidi- Kurdish director from the Shariya town of Duhok. Despite the obstacles in her path, she is a resolute filmmaker whose captivating energy helped her to forge a successful career in the film industry.

Even though Rewşen had to endure several hardships, she was revered by everyone. An incredibly bold and intelligent woman who had taken a more reserved approach in contributing to Kurdistan's history, dedicating her life to raising awareness of her people.

An international award-winning fixer, Khabat Abbas is a credited and distinguished independent journalist and producer whose work has been widely published across the global media outlets.

Khanzad were a rock band that formed in Erbil, south Kurdistan, in 1980. At the time they were unique in being the only all-female musical group in Kurdistan and Iraq….

Sînemxan Bedirxan is referred to as the ‘Last Princess of Kurdistan’, a title which is derived from her noble lineage as well as being a much-loved Kurdish woman who, like members of her patriotic family has dedicated most of her life to the Kurdish cause.

On the 18th February 2022, The Jiyan Archives received a public submission in the form of a single photograph of a young man’s grandmother with the following excerpt added ‘Studio portrait of Xanim Bayîz, a peshmerga of the communist party in Slemani’. On our venture to discover more about the woman in the photograph, we were given her only ever documented interview with the late Kurdish writer Ruxosh Ali.

Leila Bedirxan is considered as the first Kurdish woman to be a noted as a ballet dancer and modern choreographer.

Hêja Netirk is a Kurdish multidisciplinary artist - singer, songwriter, actress and producer. We discussed traditional views on female artists, living in exile and how music acted as a revolutionary force for her - both against the Turkish state and her family which had deep rooted sexism which often stood in her way when she was developing her craft.

In 2017, Zehra Doğan was sentenced to 2 years, 9 months and 22 days of prison by the Turkish state for her art work, which was deemed as ‘terrorist propaganda’…

Hepse Xanî Neqîb was a Kurdish feminist and nationalist who founded the first girls school in Iraq and South Kurdistan.