Şemdinli is a town and district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey. It was previously in the Ottoman Vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevsehir.

Located at the farthest corner of Turkey, the district of Şemdinli is a mountainous land. There is a visible military presence in the town, owing to the strategic position of the town astride a mountain route connecting the least-controllable corners of Iran and Iraq.

The district of Şemdinli was the center of the Assyrian Nochiya and home of the Assyrian Khnanisho Matran Family. The Nochiya tribe of Şemdinli are well known for their adherence to the Assyrian Church of the East faith, growing tobacco, and for their religious customs (such as lent and prayer were strictly observed).