# Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey

The number of Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey is estimated at around 3,000. Since 1984, the Turkish military has embarked on a campaign to eradicate the Kurdistan Workers Party; by the year 2000, some 30,000 people had died and two million Kurdish refugees had been driven out of their homes into cities.

## Background

Until the 1970s, about 70% of the Kurdish population of Turkish Kurdistan inhabited one of the approximately 20,000 Kurdish villages. But by 1985, only 58% of the population were still living in the rural areas and much of the countryside in Kurdish populated regions had been depopulated by the Turkish government, with Kurdish civilians moving to local centers such as Diyarbakır, Van, and Şırnak, as well as to the cities of western Turkey and even to western Europe. The causes of the depopulation were in most cases the Turkish state's military operations and to a lesser extent attacks by the PKK on villages it deemed defended by collaborators of the Turkish Government. Often Kurds had to decide whether to become a member of the state-sponsored Village Guards, be deported or else they could face attacks by the PKK. Human Rights Watch has documented many instances where the Turkish military forcibly evacuated villages, destroying houses and equipment to prevent the return of the inhabitants. An estimated 3,000 Kurdish villages in Southeast Anatolia were virtually wiped from the map, representing the displacement of more than 378,000 people. During the 1990s, the Turkish military reportedly deployed the US manufactured helicopters Sikorsky and Cobra to drive out the Kurdish population from the villages.

## Depopulated and demolished towns and villages

According to the Humanitarian Law Project, 2,400 Kurdish villages have been destroyed and 18,000 Kurds have been executed by the Turkish government. Other estimates have put the number of destroyed Kurdish villages at over 4,000. In total, up to 3,000,000 people (mainly Kurds) have been displaced.
The Kurdish Human Rights Project divides the depopulation (evacuation) of villages in 5 phases.
* The initial phase between 1985 and 1989
* The phase of centralization during 1990–1991
* the phase of the systematic village evacuation between 1992 and 1993
* the phase of the escalation of the village evacuation in 1994
* between 1995 and 2001, further villages were depopulated
An estimated 1,000,000 people are still internally displaced as of 2009.

### Timeline
#### 1992

* November – Kelekçi village destruction

## Government compensation

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre stated in 2009 that the Turkish government has taken "notable" steps to address the internal displacement situation. These include commissioning a national survey on the number and conditions of IDPs, drafting a national IDP strategy, adopting law on compensation, and putting together a comprehensive pilot action plan in Van Province and 13 other south-eastern provinces addressing rural and urban situations of displacement.

## Depopulated villages (as of 2023)

List of villages which have been depopulated as of 2023:
| Province | District | Village | Province | District | Village |
| Şırnak Province | Beytüşşebap | Dilekyolu | Hakkari | Şemdinli | Ayranlı |
| Şırnak Province | Beytüşşebap | Dönmezler | Hakkari | Şemdinli | Çevre |
| Şırnak Province | Beytüşşebap | Kovankaya (Assyrian) | Hakkari | Şemdinli | Meşelik |
| Şırnak Province | Beytüşşebap | Tuzluca | Hakkari | Yüksekova | Ikiyaka |
| Şırnak Province | Beytüşşebap | Yenice | Hakkari | Yüksekova | Yazılı |
| Şırnak Province | Cizre | Aşağıdere | Hakkari | Yüksekova | Pirinçeken |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Bulmuşlar | Hakkari | Çukurca | Çağlayan |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Çetinkaya | Hakkari | Çukurca | Çayırlı |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Erdurdu | Hakkari | Çukurca | Çınarlı |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Eskikapı | Hakkari | Çukurca | Dede |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Kırkağaç | Hakkari | Çukurca | Işıklı |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Özbaşoğlu | Hakkari | Çukurca | Kavaklı |
| Şırnak Province | Güçlükonak | Yenidemir | Hakkari | Çukurca | Kavuşak |
| Şırnak Province | İdil | Ozan | Hakkari | Çukurca | Kurudere |
| Şırnak Province | İdil | Yaylaköy | Siirt | Eruh | Narlıdere |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Ballıkaya | Siirt | Pervari | Medrese |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Derebaşı | Bitlis | Bitlis | Esenburun |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Düzalan | Batman | Hasankeyf | Gaziler |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Karacaköy | Bingöl | Adaklı | Maltepe |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Koyunören | Bingöl | Kiğı | Çomak |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Uyanık | Mardin | Dargeçit | Ormaniçi |
| Şırnak Province | Silopi | Yazıköy | Mardin | Nusaybin | Değirmencik |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Alkemer | Mardin | Nusaybin | Kaleli |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Anılmış | Mardin | Ömerli | Dönërdere |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Boyunkaya | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Çadırlı | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Çakırsöğüt | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Güleşli | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Günedoğmuş | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | İnceler | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Kapanlı | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Karageçit | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Kemerli | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Koçağılı | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Kuşkonar | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Seslice | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Tekçınar | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Şırnak | Üçkıraz | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Uludere | Akduman | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Uludere | Doğan | | | |
| Şırnak Province | Uludere | Onbudak | | | |

### Villages repopulated after 2007

List of villages that have been repopulated after 2007:
| Province | District | Village | Info |
| Batman | Gercüş | Cevizli | Unpopulated until 2016 |
| Batman | Kozluk | Kolludere | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Batman | Hasankeyf | Palamut | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Bingöl | Yedisu | Akımlı | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Alınyazı | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Bingöl | Kiğı | Baklalı | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Bilekkaya | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Boğazköy | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Bingöl | Adaklı | Cevizli | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Çatalkaya | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Gökçedal | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Bingöl | Kiğı | İlbeyi | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Kırköy | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Bingöl | Kiğı | Kutluca | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Bingöl | Yayladere | Yavuztaş | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Bingöl | Kiğı | Yukarıserinyer | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Bitlis | Tatvan | Anadere | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Aşağıbalcılar | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Bitlis | Tatvan | Çavuşlar | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Ilıcak | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Kayalıbağ | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Kınalı | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Bitlis | Tatvan | Odabaşı | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Oğulcak | Unpopulated until 2022 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Sarpkaya | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Uçankuş | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Bitlis | Bitlis | Üçevler | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Diyarbakır | Ergani | Devletkuşu | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Diyarbakır | Çınar | Gürses | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Diyarbakır | Ergani | Kavurmaküpü | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Diyarbakır | Dicle | Kırkpınar | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Diyarbakır | Dicle | Kurşunlu | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Diyarbakır | Bismil | Kurudeğirmen | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Diyarbakır | Dicle | Taşağıl | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Diyarbakır | Lice | Yolçatı | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Erzurum | Hınıs | Ilıcaköy | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Hakkari | Hakkari | Aksu | Unpopulated until 2015 |
| Hakkari | Çukurca | Cevizli | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Hakkari | Çukurca | Kazan | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Hakkari | Yüksekova | Sürekli | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Hakkari | Hakkari | Yoncalı | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Iğdır | Aralık | Tarlabaşı | Unpopulated until 2022 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Akçaköy | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Mardin | Derik | Bağarası | Unpopulated until 2023 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Çavuşlu | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Korucu | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Kumdere | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Kuşluca | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Mardin | Midyat | Oyuklu | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Mardin | Nusaybin | Pazarköy | Unpopulated until 2016 |
| Mardin | Nusaybin | Tekağaç | Unpopulated until 2022 |
| Mardin | Ömerli | Topağaç | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Mardin | Dargeçit | Ulaş | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Mardin | Midyat | Yenice | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Siirt | Eruh | Akmeşe | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Siirt | Siirt | Bağlıca | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Siirt | Eruh | Bingöl | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Siirt | Şirvan | Cevizdalı | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Siirt | Eruh | Kovanağzı | Unpopulated until 2023 |
| Siirt | Siirt | Yazlıca | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Siirt | Eruh | Yanılmaz | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Şırnak | Güçlükonak | Ağaçyurdu | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Şırnak | Silopi | Aksu (Assyrian) | Unpopulated until 2019 |
| Şırnak | Şırnak | Atbaşı | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Şırnak | Şırnak | Bağpınar | Unpopulated until 2018 |
| Şırnak | Güçlükonak | Demirboğaz | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Şırnak | Beytüşşebap | Doğanyol | Unpopulated until 2016 |
| Şırnak | Şırnak | Kırkkuyu | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Şırnak | Şırnak | Körüklükaya | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Şırnak | Silopi | Kösreli (Assyrian) | Unpopulated until 2015 |
| Şırnak | İdil | Mağaraköy | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Şırnak | Güçlükonak | Taşkonak | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Şırnak | Beytüşşebap | Toptepe | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Şırnak | Silopi | Selçik | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Şırnak | Silopi | Yolağzı | Unpopulated until 2019 |
| Şırnak | Şırnak | Cevizdüzü | Unpopulated until 2023 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Ağaçpınar | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Ağaşenliği | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Akdik | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Aktaş | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Altınhüseyin | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Aşlıca | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Babaocağı | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Bilekli | Unpopulated until 2015 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Bilgeç | Unpopulated until 2018 |
| Tunceli | Hozat | Boydaş | Unpopulated until 2018 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Buzlutepe | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Çağlayan | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Çalkıran | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Çambulak | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Çatköy | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Çayüstü | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Dikenli | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Dilek | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Nazımiye | Doğantaş | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Doludibek | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Efeağılı | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Eğimli | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Eğrikavak | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Eğriyamaç | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Elgazi | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Eskigedik | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Garipuşağı | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Gözen | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Halitpınar | Unpopulated until 2015 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Işıkvuran | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Karataş | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Kaymaztepe | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Hozat | Kızılmescit | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Koruköy | Unpopulated until 2018 |
| Tunceli | Hozat | Kozluca | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Tunceli | Hozat | Kurukaymak | Unpopulated until 2022 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Kuşluca | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Otlubahçe | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Tunceli | Pınar | Unpopulated until 2008 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Şahverdi | Unpopulated until 2012 |
| Tunceli | Pülümür | Şampaşakaraderbendi | Unpopulated until 2009 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Tepsili | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Yakatarla | Unpopulated until 2011 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Yalmanlar | Unpopulated until 2013 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Yarımkaya | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Tunceli | Ovacık | Yoğunçam | Unpopulated until 2014 |
| Tunceli | Hozat | Yüceldi | Unpopulated until 2010 |
| Van | Gürpınar | Bükeç | Unpopulated until 2009 |