Sardeman cave, located in the village of Shinawa, Erbil province, was home of Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, the first radio station to be established by Kurds in Iraq.
The station was established in 1963 to broadcast updates from the Aylul Revolution, launched by Mustafa Barzani on September 11, 1961.
Broadcasting in both Kurdish and Arabic, the station was operational until 1966.
Its reporting of Peshmerga activity in the fight against Iraqi rule made it a frequent target of Iraqi jet bombardments.
“This was the shelter for Peshmerga guards of the office. The newsroom here gathered the news. They were reading things out in the studio there. The cave was a place to hide from the jets. If the cave gates were hit by the jets, everyone would be safe. They were doing their work and serving the Kurdish nation,” says Qadir Ali, a cleaner of the cave when the radio station was operational.
An organisation called ‘Generation of Aylul Revolution’ has been working to renovate the cave in time for the station’s 56th foundation anniversary on September 28.
“We’ve served the cave by building the road, electricity, planting trees and making some decorations. The aim is to introduce the area to the tourists so they know their history and proud of what our forefathers have recorded in the pages of history,” says Hunar Kak Ahmed, head of Generation of Aylul Revolution.
Reporting by Bakhtiyar Qadir
