Duhok is the capital of Duhok Governorate in northern Iraqi Kurdistan, near the Turkish border. The city has grown rapidly since the 1990s, when the creation of the Kurdish safe haven brought stability, and now has a population of around 500,000.
The city sits in a valley surrounded by attractive mountain scenery. It is less visited by foreign travelers than Erbil or Sulaymaniyah but serves as a base for exploring the northern Kurdish highlands. The surrounding area includes the Duhok Dam and reservoir, the cliff-top town of Amadiya to the northeast, and several traditional villages in the Barzan valley. The Yazidi pilgrimage site of Lalish lies an hour to the southeast.
The population is predominantly Kurdish Badinani speakers — a northern dialect of Kurdish distinct from Sorani, spoken in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. There is also a significant Assyrian Christian community in the surrounding villages.