BERÇEM CÛDÎ

Kobanê- On September 15, 2014, ISIS attacked Kobanê and razed the city to the ground. “Not a stone was left standing but the hope of building a free future was born among ruins in the streets of Kobanê,” the people of Kobanê said while talking about the resistance.

Kurdish fighters and the people left their mark in the 21st century by waging a great resistance against ISIS in Kobanê. Some buildings in the city become symbols of the resistance. Freedom Square is one of these symbols. The square was built when the French forces were deployed in Syria. The eagle statue in the square was made by a person from Kobanê and placed in the square by the Syrian regime’s municipality in 2006. The square was later named Express Square.

The symbol of the uprising

According to stories, when the statue was placed in the square, young people of Kobanê painted the statue in yellow, red and green colors every night, while the Baath regime changed the color of the statue every morning, painting it in white color. Painting the statue became a part of the culture of the young people of Kobanê because it was a symbol of the uprising against the Syrian regime.

When the revolution in Rojava started on July 19, 2012, the square became the center of the demonstrators and protests. Its name was changed into Freedom Square and the statue was painted in yellow, red and green colors.

The symbol of freedom

On September 15, 2014, ISIS attacked Kobanê and razed the city to the ground. Using all the dirty war tactics in Kobanê, ISIS tried to seize Kobanê from three fronts. The Kurdish fighters and the people of Kobanê waged a great resistance against ISIS and defeated it. Despite all the attacks, the eagle statue was still on its feet. At that time, the people of Kobanê said, “If the eagle stands, Kobanê will not fall.”