Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Sardar Saadi

Sardar Saadi is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of Toronto and the host and producer of the Kurdish Edition Podcast.

The New Wave of Politics in the Struggle for Self-Determination in Rojhelat
An Iranian Sunni Kurd couple sit near their relatives at a recreational area in Marivan, Kurdistan province, 2011. Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters
MER Article

The New Wave of Politics in the Struggle for Self-Determination in Rojhelat

In an attempt to decolonize Kurdistan, at least discursively, Kurds refer to the Kurdish region of Iran as Rojhelat, instead of Iranian Kurdistan. Rojhelat, meaning “the place where the sun rises,” refers to the eastern portion of Kurdistan—the Kurdish homeland that stretches across four countries. This terminology has been
Sardar Saadi • 14 min read