Tal Afar - Geography

Geography

• Tal Afar is located at coordinate 36°23′N 42°27′E
• According to map data, Tal Afar has a total area of 15 km²
• Tal Afar is located approximately 50 km west of Mosul.
• Tal Afar is located approximately 60 km east of the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The city is located in an open desert plain at the southern base of the Aedea Mountains. Much of the terrain surrounding the city is flat desert. A major east-west highway runs through the city, which spans the Ninawa Governorate and intersects Iraq’s main central north-south highway near Mosul.

Tal Afar is organized into eighteen neighborhoods or districts. They are: Sa'ad, Qadisiyah, Todd A-O, Sarai, Mohalemeen, Madlomin, Uruba, Wahada, Nida, A'a lot, Hassan Qoi, Mothana, Khadra, Jazeera, Taliha, Kifah, Malain and Qalah. Each neighborhood is able to maintain its identity due to the tribal nature of the city. Several dozen extended families living in close proximity will typically identify with one local sheik who takes it upon himself to serve as steward of neighborhood’s citizens and liaison to the local government. The layout of the town consists of densely-packed buildings often constructed so closely to each other that they share common load-bearing walls and supports. The city streets further physically define each neighborhood by separating it from other groups of buildings since they cut through the town in irregular patterns.

The United States Army and local government have recently implemented a home address system to better identify specific locations and define jurisdiction for the Iraqi Police.

Demographically, Tal Afar is isolated from many of the surrounding towns and villages because of its Iraqi Turkmen population. Many persons to the west identify themselves as Yezidi and to the south and east Arab.