"ONCE UPON A TIME IN MESOPOTAMIA" is a screenplay I wrote and adapted from the book "TO MESOPOTAMIA AND KURDISTAN IN DISGUISE", written by ELY BANISTER SOANE and originally published in 1912. Ely Bannister Soane, or Major Soane, was a British officer who, disguised as a Persian Muslim, traveled...
VHS Inserts
Munzur Xenekiyene by Kardes Türküler
Munzur Xenekiyene is a song released by Kardes Türküler, a contemporary ethnic/folkloric band that was formed in Turkey in 1993. This song, sung in the Zazaki Kurdish dialect, is about the sacred Munzur River. The Munzur River flows in Dersim, a historic region in Northern-Kurdistan (Eastern-Turkey) that is home...
Bircên Diyarbekir by Ciwan Haco
Bircên Diyarbekir is a classic Kurdish song about Amed (Diyarbakir), the capital of the Kurds. It is an emotional and patriotic song with references to objects and people that define Kurdish culture and history. The title of the song is a reference to the city's ancient and iconic City...
Istanbul, Turkey
I spent almost two weeks traveling Upper Mesopotamia, the heartland of Northern Kurdistan. It was an amazing experience, but it was not the end of my road trip. There was one more place to go. The destination could not have been more different–yet more of the same at the...
Riha / Urfa, Kurdistan
Riha was the final big city on my Mesopotamian road trip. This city has been known under various names throughout its lengthy history. The earliest known records refer to it as Callirhoe and later as Antiochia, Justinopolis, and Edessa. Riha Province is considered "Ground Zero of History" for the...
Mêrdîn / Mardin, Kurdistan
Mêrdîn (Mardin) is a historic city perched against a hill. The city overlooks the Mesopotamian Plains. Syria, or to be more precise Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), is visible from the rooftops of its historic houses. Mêrdîn is an ethnic and religious melting pot. Around 85% of the province is populated...
Heskîf / Hasankeyf, Kurdistan
Heskîf, or Hasankeyf, was the next destination on my Mesopotamian road trip. I was very fortunate to have seen this ancient town for it may have been the last time. Heskîf was inhabited for at least 12,000 years, which made it one of the world's oldest human settlements. It...
Dayê, Rojek Tê by Aynur Doğan
'Dayê Rojek Tê' was written by Mr. Shahin Bakir Soekli in 1988. Mr. Soekli is a Kurd from Kobanî, the Kurdish town that came under siege of the Islamic State and Turkey in late 2014. This siege gained global coverage and was considered the turning point in the war...
Amed / Diyarbakir, Kurdistan
Making a road trip through the heartland of Upper Mesopotamia was on my travel wish list for quite some time, especially because of its historic and cultural significance. And not just for Kurds, but for all of humanity, for here is " Ground Zero of History". My first destination...