Professor Dilshad Oumar Abdul Aziz
The Impacts of the Displacement of the Kirkuk Citadel Residents (1989-1990): An Oral History Study
Mini Grant Projects
Kirkuk is a unique Iraqi city, rich in history and culture, and ethnically diverse. However, it also faces significant challenges. Ongoing conflicts and political instability have led to the neglect of many aspects of this important city, including its rich social and cultural heritage. The Kirkuk Citadel project explored the role of the city’s history and heritage in fostering tolerance, coexistence, and cultural revival, while shedding light on the challenges faced by displaced communities.
This project revisited the history of Kirkuk Citadel, with a focus on the period from 1989 to 1990, when the Citadel's inhabitants were displaced and the Citadel itself was demolished. Archival research into the decision to displace the Citadel’s residents, alongside interviews with local historians, heritage professionals and former inhabitants, formed the backbone of the project. The testimonies of the past residents shed light on the profound consequences of displacements: socially, through family disintegration and the loss of ethnic and cultural identity; economically, through the destruction of livelihoods and property; and culturally, through the loss of a diverse heritage and the distortion of collective memory.
Interviews conducted throughout the course of the project were recorded and shared more widely on the project’s Youtube channel. Several of these were ultimately incorporated into the project’s final documentary film, ‘Kirkuk Citadel: Displaced Memory’, which highlighted the lived experiences of the Citadel’s displaced residents. Presented in Arabic with English subtitles, the film was produced in collaboration with Kirkuk Satellite TV. Project findings were further disseminated through academic research and public engagement with University of Kirkuk students and local Kirkuk residents.
Follow the project's activities on their Facebook page.
Project Outputs:
1. Oral History Interviews – Watch and listen to video interviews featuring local researchers and ethnically/religiously diverse residents of Kirkuk Citadel on their YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_VHwoiNJgagu7w4fK8Ylnve1vlOFHIZO&feature=shared
2. Academic Publication – Read Professor Dilshad Oumar’s latest research article titled “The Multiple Impacts of Population Displacement and the Demolition of Kirkuk Citadel (1989–1998)”, published in the Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy and Culture. To access and download the full article:
https://cajlpc.centralasianstudies.org/index.php/CAJLPC/article/view/1273
3. Documentary Film – Watch the project’s feature-length documentary film, ‘Kirkuk Citadel: Displaced Memory’, produced in collaboration with Kirkuk Satellite TV:
