Yüksekova, formerly known as Gever (Kurdish: Gever; Syriac: Gawar), is a city in North Kurdistan / southeaster Turkey, and a district of Hakkari Province of Turkey, close to the border with Iran.
Gawar or “Gaur, Gwer, Gabr, Gawr” is a term of Aramaic origin used to denote Zoroastrians in Mesopotamia by Persians and later applied to all non-Muslim people of Middle East in the Islamic era. This word was later used as Islamic religious term as “Giaour, Gavur, Kuffar” which means “infidel”. In 1936 its name was changed to Yüksekova by Turkish authorities.
In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Gawar had around 30 villages. Prior to World War I the population of Gawar was 15,000. Inhabitants lived off agriculture that mainly consisted of wheat, barley, cotton and tea. Gawar had around 1497 families in the 1880’s.
Its location on the trade route between north western Iran and eastern Turkey have made it an important juncture for travellers and regional trade.
