• Jinwar is an all-women village in the Kurdish region of north-east Syria. Photos: Reuters
    Jinwar is an all-women village in the Kurdish region of north-east Syria. Photos: Reuters
  • A woman stands at the gate of Jinwar, an all-women village, in Al-Darbasiyah town that is controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, northeastern Syria, March 11, 2023. REUTERS / Orhan Qereman
    A woman stands at the gate of Jinwar, an all-women village, in Al-Darbasiyah town that is controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, northeastern Syria, March 11, 2023. REUTERS / Orhan Qereman
  • Jinwar means 'women's space' in Kurdish language
    Jinwar means 'women's space' in Kurdish language
  • Built in 2018, the village has 30 houses hosting 20 families of women and children
    Built in 2018, the village has 30 houses hosting 20 families of women and children
  • Jinwar has a school, a training academy, a bakery and fields cultivated by women
    Jinwar has a school, a training academy, a bakery and fields cultivated by women
  • Boys, who live with their mothers, can stay in the village until they get married
    Boys, who live with their mothers, can stay in the village until they get married
  • A doll hangs from a wall of a house in Jinwar village
    A doll hangs from a wall of a house in Jinwar village
  • Yasmine Ahmad, 33, who left Aleppo after she got divorced, lives in the village
    Yasmine Ahmad, 33, who left Aleppo after she got divorced, lives in the village
  • Ms Ahmad and her daughter have been living in Jinwar for about 15 months
    Ms Ahmad and her daughter have been living in Jinwar for about 15 months
  • Ms Ahmad says the village has given her a new life as she is able to independently raise her daughter
    Ms Ahmad says the village has given her a new life as she is able to independently raise her daughter
  • Women in the village spend their days working and evenings singing and dancing
    Women in the village spend their days working and evenings singing and dancing
  • Rokan Youssef, 30, who lives in Jinwar with her child, says she faced domestic violence during her marriage
    Rokan Youssef, 30, who lives in Jinwar with her child, says she faced domestic violence during her marriage
  • Ms Youssef now works in a bakery in Jinwar and helps other women cultivate the land
    Ms Youssef now works in a bakery in Jinwar and helps other women cultivate the land
  • A nurse at the village clinic examines a patient in Jinwar
    A nurse at the village clinic examines a patient in Jinwar
  • While men are not allowed to live in Jinwar, they can visit their relatives living there
    While men are not allowed to live in Jinwar, they can visit their relatives living there

MENA

It's a woman's world at Syria's Jinwar village — in pictures

The community offers a safe haven for marginalised female members of society

The National

April 14, 2023

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Updated: April 14, 2023, 8:25 AM