Life is returning to Mağara, a historic Yazidi village in the Idil district of Şırnak, southeastern Türkiye, after extensive infrastructure investments and efforts to encourage former residents to return decades after they were displaced by terrorism.
The village, which was largely abandoned in the 1990s when attacks by the terrorist group PKK forced many Yazidi families to leave, is experiencing a gradual revival through the Interior Ministry's Return to Village Project.
Working under the project, the Şırnak Governor's Office and the Idil District Governorate contacted former residents living abroad, particularly in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and invited them to return to their hometown. Following the outreach efforts, five families decided to resettle in the village, prompting authorities to accelerate infrastructure and development projects.
The Şırnak Special Provincial Administration launched a comprehensive program to improve living conditions in the village. As part of the work, 9.2 kilometers (5.7166 miles) of roads were built, a 2.2-kilometer irrigation network and a water treatment facility were established, sewage infrastructure was installed, a memorial site was constructed and street lighting was added throughout the settlement.
