The Bradost Emirate and the Siege of Dimdim
The Bradost Emirate was a Kurdish principality famed for the 1609–1610 siege of Dimdim, where Khan Lepzerin made a legendary stand against Shah Abbas.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
The archive
The Principality of Palu: A Kurdish Emirate on the Murat
The Principality of Palu was a Kurdish emirate on the Murat River near Elazığ, kin to the Eğil princes and later home to Sheikh Said of the 1925 revolt.
Read article →The Mahmudi Emirate: Hoşap Castle, Yazidi Origins and Ottoman Frontier Rule
The Mahmudî were Kurdish hereditary rulers associated with Hoşap, or Xoşab, southeast of Lake Van. Their history combines changing imperial alliances, a Yazidi background, Sunni religious patronage and the fortress that preserves their name in the landscape.
Read article →The Emirate of Bahdinan: The Kurdish Princes of Amadiya
The Emirate of Bahdinan was one of the great Kurdish principalities, centred on Amadiya in Iraqi Kurdistan, lasting from the late 14th century until 1843.
Read article →The Mukriyan Emirate: Rulers, Mahabad’s Red Mosque and a Kurdish Cultural Region
Mukriyan’s history includes a Kurdish ruling house, changing imperial allegiances and the growth of Savojbolagh, now Mahabad. Its political history and continuing linguistic identity can be traced through studies, a mosque inscription and archival records.
Read article →The Ayyubids of Hasankeyf: The Last Ayyubid Dynasty
The Ayyubids of Hasankeyf were the last surviving branch of Saladin's Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty, ruling a Tigris fortress-principality from 1232 to about 1524.
Read article →The Donboli of Khoy: Kurdish Origins, Frontier Government and Historical Writing
The Donboli were a Kurdish-origin tribal and ruling family associated with Khoy, Salmas and Tabriz. Their history combines service to successive states, periods of practical autonomy, commercial connections and Persian-language historical writing.
Read article →The Emirate of Çemişgezek
The Emirate of Çemişgezek was a Kurdish principality of the Dersim highlands and an autonomous hereditary Ottoman sanjak recorded in the Sharafnama.
Read article →Kilis and the Janbulads: Ottoman Governors, Urban Patronage and Ali Pasha’s Revolt
The Kurdish Janbulad, or Canbolat, family built power in Kilis through Ottoman service, hereditary district government and urban patronage. Ali Pasha’s revolt of 1606–1607 was a later rupture in that relationship, followed by defeat, renewed appointments and exile.
Read article →The Zakarids (Mkhargrdzeli): Medieval Armenia's Military Dynasty and the Question of Their Kurdish Origin
The Zakarids (Mkhargrdzeli) were a medieval dynasty of disputed Kurdish origin who reconquered Armenia from the Seljuks and ruled it under the Georgian crown.
Read article →The Principality of Eğil: The Bulduqani Dynasty and the Kurdish Lords of the Tigris (c. 1049–1864)
The Principality of Eğil (c. 1049–1864) was a Kurdish emirate near Diyarbakır ruled by the Bulduqani dynasty — among the longest-lived in Kurdish history.
Read article →Mosab Hassan Yousef: From the Heart of Hamas to a Fierce Champion of Kurdish Freedom
Explore Mosab Hassan Yousef's journey from Hamas to advocating for Kurdish freedom. Discover his powerful support for a Free Kurdistan.
Read article →Abdul Aziz Yamulki: The Kurdish General Behind the Plot Against Bakr Sidqi
Abdul Aziz Yamulki (1890–1981), Kurdish general in the Iraqi army and son of Mustafa Yamulki, was chief plotter of the 1937 coup against Bakr Sidqi.
Read article →Halis Öztürk: Kurdish Chieftain of the Ararat Rebellion
Halis Öztürk (1889–1977), Kurdish chieftain of the Sipkan tribe, fought in the 1930 Ararat rebellion and later served as a Turkish MP for Ağrı.
Read article →Ali Saip Ursavaş: Urfa, Parliament and the Independence Tribunal
Ali Saip Ursavaş combined a military and parliamentary career with service in the Eastern Independence Tribunal. Archival biographies, court research and his own memoir illuminate different parts of that record.
Read article →Rojava and the Wars of Syrian Kurdistan: Revolution, ISIS, and the Fight for Survival (2004–2026)
The Rojava revolution and the wars of Syrian Kurdistan — from the 2012 revolution to the Battle of Kobani, the defeat of ISIS, Turkish operations, and the fight for survival in 2025–2026.
Read article →The Kurdish Struggle in Iran: From Revolution to Resistance (1979–2026)
The Kurdish struggle in Iran — from the 1979 rebellion to the KDPI assassinations, PJAK insurgency, and Iranian missile strikes on Kurdish opposition in Iraq.
Read article →Turkey–PKK Conflict: A Sourced Timeline and the 2025–26 Peace Process
Key stages from the PKK's 1984 armed campaign to the 2025 dissolution announcement and 2026 parliamentary developments, with dated sources and civilian impacts.
Read article →Iraqi Kurdistan: From the 1991 Uprising to the Independence Referendum (1991–2017)
From the 1991 uprising to the Kurdish civil war, the 2003 Iraq War, and the 2017 independence referendum — the modern history of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Read article →World War I and the Interwar Kurdish Revolts: From the Ottoman Collapse to the Republic of Mahabad (1914–1947)
Kurdish revolts from World War I to the Republic of Mahabad — Simko Shikak, Sheikh Mahmud, Kocgiri, and the failed promise of Kurdish statehood.
Read article →The Fall of the Kurdish Emirates: Ottoman Centralisation in the Nineteenth Century
Ottoman centralisation displaced hereditary Kurdish rulers through campaigns, administrative changes and exile. The experiences of Baban, Soran and Botan show how local autonomy, imperial rivalry and later forms of tribal rule intersected.
Read article →Kurdistan Between Empires: The Ottoman-Safavid Frontier Wars (1514–1780s)
Kurdistan between the Ottoman and Safavid empires — from Chaldiran to Dimdim to the Treaty of Zuhab, the wars that divided the Kurdish nation.
Read article →The Later Ayyubid Wars: Damietta, Mansurah and the Crises of 1250–1260
After Saladin, Ayyubid princes faced crusading invasions, family rivalry and Mongol expansion. Victories in Egypt strengthened the military households that displaced the dynasty there, while other Ayyubid branches continued to rule.
Read article →Saladin’s Wars: From Egypt to Hattin to the Third Crusade (1164–1192)
Saladin’s military career from the Kurdish conquest of Egypt to the Battle of Hattin, the fall of Jerusalem, and the Third Crusade against Richard the Lionheart.
Read article →