Blueprint of Refugee Republic

Domiz Camp in Iraq shelters Syrian refugees. The explanation given of the camp virtualized a tour of the sprawling camp, which has grown to shelter 20,000 more individuals than the camp’s capacity was expected to accommodate. Its population is 57,953 Syrian Kurds, all having fled from the violent situation in Syria. The site allows the reader to scroll along the roads of the compound to read short biographies of individuals in the camp or descriptions of the refugee camp’s culture in such a way that the reader feels as if he or she were actually walking the roads and alleys of the camp, through the thousands of tents and by the stalls and shops on the main thoroughfare. In all considerations, the Domiz Camp has become its own city, although its inhabitants sacrificed their home for the safety of their families to arrive there. Many refugees established businesses, such as bakeries and hairdressers, while others sell birds and water to garner some income. The economic success of the Camp is so great that neighboring Iraqis come to the Domiz Camp market to buy products. Domiz has all but its autonomy. It has been nicknamed the “Refugee Republic” for its self-sufficiency as a compound for Syrian refugees. While the conflict persists in Syria, its refugees will seek shelter in camps like Domiz where they can rebuild a life that has been interrupted at home, and that is the significance of the sprawling, slowly developing Camp Domiz.

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