Description : Duhok, also spelled Dihok (Kurdish: Dihok ,دهۆک, Arabic: دهوك, romanized: Dahūk, Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܢܘܗܕܪܐ, romanized: Beth Nohadra) is the capital of the Duhok Governorate in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. The city is encircled by mountains along the Tigris river. Throughout history to the present time, Duhok has acquired a strategic position historically and geographically. It has changed hands between Akkadians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Amorites, Gutians, Hurrians, Hattians, Persians, Arabs, Turks. Between 25th century BCE to 15th century BCE the area was inhabited by non Semitic Subarians and Hurrians. In 15th century BCE the Assyrians conquered the region after the fall of the Mittanian Empire until 7th century BCE. Under the rule of Assyrians it was named to Nohadra (and also Bit Nuhadra or Naarda). It became part of the Median Empire but later came under the control of the Persian empire. During Parthian-Sassanid Beth Nuhadra was part of Adiabene, During the Christian era it became an eparchy within the Church of the East's metropolitanate of Ḥadyab (Erbil). The city became prominent again in 1236, when Hasan Beg Saifadin joined the Kurdish Badinan principality. In 1842, the principality was dissolved by the Ottomans and the region administered from the city of Mosul.
See on map »