On 18 August 1992, fighting broke out betweenTurkish forces andKurdish separatists of thePKK. 20,000 out of 25,000 residents fled the city during the three days of fighting.
While the town was under bombardment, there was no way to get an account of what was happening in the region as journalists were prevented from entering the city centre, which was completely burned down by theTurkish Armed Forces. Şırnak was under fire for consecutive three days, with tanks and cannons shelling buildings inhabited by civilians.[5]
In the late summer and fall of 2015, following the2014 Kobanî protests and breakdown of the2013–2015 PKK–Turkey peace process, which were part of the broaderthird phase of theKurdish–Turkish conflict, local Kurdish youth and activists, with some of them being affiliated with thePatriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), and laterYPS, organized popular protests, riots, and declared "self-management" in the city of Şırnak.[6][7] On 13 March 2016 military operations byTurkish forces began in the city against supposed "PKK militants." The militarycurfew imposed on the city was lifted after 246 days. Neighborhoods such as Gazipaşa, Yeşilyurt, İsmetpaşa, Dicle, Cumhuriyet, and Bahçelievler were completely destroyed during the fighting,[8] with allegations ofsystematic destruction andhuman rights violations committed by Turkish security forces.[9]Mehmet Ali Aslan, a lawmaker from the pro-KurdishPeoples' Democratic Party (HDP), stated that around 50,000 people were left homeless in Şırnak and that “no residential areas remained” following the military operation. He told an investigatory committee that the destruction in Şırnak resembled scenes fromAleppo or cities in theWest Bank after visiting the city.[7]
Şırnak is divided into the twelve neighborhoods of Aşağıhan, Atatürk, Aydınlar, Bahçelievler, Boğaz, Cadırlı, Çavuşhan, Hatipler, Nasırhan, Şafak, Yayla and Yeni.[3]
Among the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Şırnak is projected to experience one of the highest population growth rates. Today, the province also records one of the highest proportions of residents who identify theKurdish language, bothKurmanji andZaza, as theirmother tongue.[4]
In 2013 the unemployment rate reached 20.1% in the city, indicating the economic and social handicapping of Kurdish regions by the Turkish state.[4]
Şırnak has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csa), with chilly, snowy winters and very hot, dry summers. Humidity is always low throughout the year due to its inland location. February and March are the wettest months, July and August are the driest, with virtually no precipitation at all.
Highest recorded temperature:40.4 °C (104.7 °F) on 28 July 2011 and 10 August 2023 Lowest recorded temperature:−14.5 °C (5.9 °F) on 2 January 2009[12]
Climate data for Şırnak (1991–2020, extremes 1970–2023)
