Soran, Iraq

Soran, lies within Erbil Governorate, southern Kurdistan, with a population of approximately 125,000, of which 64% were refugees who returned to Iraq within the last ten years. The town has mushroomed from a small village in the 1990’s, and is expected to increase within the next ten years by a further 50,000 people.

The name of Soran changed from its original title of Diyana, reflecting the growth in population. Diyana is now a relatively small, Christian sector of Soran.

Modern History

The Soran District in particular has been flooded with returning refugees from Iran, where they fled between 1974 and 1975. The population grew from 27,000 in 1991, before the Kurdish uprising, to about 125,000 in the last fifteen years. Most of these returnees settled in and around Soran, unable to return to their villages which had been destroyed by the former regime’s army, or unwilling to return to locations still occupied by the PKK.

The Soran name basically was changed from Sadeeq to Soran, Sadeeq was a camp which was constructed in the late 70s and settled with Kurdish inhabitants from with populations in surroundign areas whom were forcefully displaced by Saddam Hussein's regime. After the uprising in 1991, sadeeq, which is an Arabic name changed to original the Kurdish name of Soran. However the city of Diana has kept its name.

Seat of District Government

The current Mayor of Soran is Kirmanj Izzat who was appointed by the Governor of Erbil.

Education

Healthcare

Tourism