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.
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The Later Ayyubid Wars: From Damietta to Mansurah to the Fall of the Dynasty (1218–1260)
The later Ayyubid wars — from the Fifth Crusade and La Forbie to the Battle of Mansurah, the Mamluk takeover, and the Mongol destruction of the last Ayyubid stronghold.
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 →The Shaddadids and Rawadids: Kurdish Warriors of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan (951–1199 CE)
The Shaddadids and Rawadids — Kurdish dynasties that ruled Armenia, Arran, and Azerbaijan, fought Georgia for two centuries, and built the Manuchihr Mosque at Ani.
Read article →The Marwanids of Diyar Bakr: Kurdistan's Greatest Medieval Dynasty (983–1085 CE)
The Marwanids of Diyar Bakr — how a Kurdish shepherd built a kingdom on the Byzantine frontier, and why this dynasty matters for Kurdish history.
Read article →The First Kurdish Dynasties at War: Aishanids, Hasanwayhids, and Annazids (912–1117 CE)
The Aishanids, Hasanwayhids, and Annazids — the first Kurdish dynasties of the Islamic era, their wars, their golden age under Badr ibn Hasanwayh, and their destruction by the Seljuk Turks.
Read article →The Islamic Conquest of Kurdistan and the Age of Kurdish Resistance (637–905 CE)
How the Islamic conquest transformed Kurdistan — from the Arab campaigns of 637 CE through Kurdish rebellions, the Khurramite wars, and the extraordinary story of Theophobos.
Read article →The Roman-Sasanian Wars in the Kurdish Highlands: Five Centuries of Empires at War
How Rome and Persia fought for centuries across the Kurdish highlands — from Trajan's invasion to Julian's death, the sieges of Singara and Bezabde, and the treaty that changed everything.
Read article →The Cyrtians: Elite Mountain Troops of the Ancient Zagros
The Cyrtians: elite Zagros mountain slingers who fought for Seleucid kings, rebel satraps, and Rome — their military history and connection to the Kurdish highlands.
Read article →Assyrian Campaigns in the Zamua Highlands: Empire Against the Mountains of Kurdistan
How Assyrian kings waged war in the Zamua highlands of modern Kurdistan — Tiglath-Pileser I, Ashurnasirpal II, and the mountain peoples who refused to stay conquered.
Read article →Gordyene: The Ancient Kingdom Between Empires in the Heart of Kurdistan
Gordyene: the ancient kingdom between Rome, Parthia and Armenia in what is now Kurdistan — its kings, wars, and enduring connection to Kurdish history.
Read article →The Karduchoi and Xenophon's Ten Thousand: The First Account of Kurdistan's Mountain Warriors
How the Karduchoi mountain warriors fought Xenophon's Ten Thousand in 401 BCE — the earliest account of the peoples of Kurdistan and their connection to the Kurds.
Read article →The Medes and the Fall of Assyria: How Highland Warriors Destroyed the World's Greatest Empire
How the Medes destroyed the Assyrian Empire at Nineveh in 612 BCE — their rise, military campaigns, and significance as the most cited ancestors of the Kurds.
Read article →The Lullubi: Mountain Warriors of the Zagros Who Defied the Akkadian Empire
The Lullubi: ancient Zagros mountain warriors who fought the Akkadian Empire, carved Iran's oldest rock relief, and shaped the highlands that became Kurdistan.
Read article →The Gutians and the Fall of Akkad: Mountain Warriors Who Toppled the World's First Empire
Who were the Gutians? The Zagros mountain people blamed for destroying the Akkadian Empire — their origins, wars, dynasty, and debated connection to Kurdish history.
Read article →From Peshmerga to SDF: Modern Kurdish Military Organisation and International Alliances
How Kurdish military forces evolved from partisan guerrillas to internationally allied armies — the Peshmerga, YPG, YPJ, SDF, and their global partnerships.
Read article →The War Against ISIS: How Kurdish Forces Fought and Defeated the Islamic State
The complete history of how Kurdish Peshmerga, YPG, YPJ, and SDF forces fought ISIS across Iraq and Syria — from Sinjar and Kobani to Raqqa and Baghuz.
Read article →The Anfal Campaign and the Kurdish Genocide (1988)
The Anfal campaign and Kurdish genocide: the eight military operations, the Halabja chemical attack, and the systematic destruction of Kurdish life in Iraq (1988).
Read article →The Barzani Revolts and the Rise of the Peshmerga (1931–1975)
The Barzani revolts and the rise of the Peshmerga: four decades of Kurdish warfare in Iraq from 1931 to the Algiers collapse of 1975.
Read article →The Sheikh Said, Ararat, and Dersim Rebellions: Interwar Kurdish Revolts in Turkey
The Sheikh Said, Ararat, and Dersim rebellions: the three interwar Kurdish revolts in Turkey that shaped Kurdish resistance and Turkish military doctrine.
Read article →Sheikh Ubeydullah and the First Modern Kurdish Revolt (1879–1881)
Sheikh Ubeydullah's 1880 revolt: the first modern Kurdish uprising, the invasion of Iran, and the birth of Kurdish nationalism as a military force.
Read article →Kurdish Emirates vs Ottoman Centralisation: The Wars That Ended Kurdish Autonomy
The 19th-century wars that destroyed Kurdish autonomy: Baban, Soran, Botan, Bedr Khan, and Yezdanser vs Ottoman centralisation.
Read article →The Ayyubid Army and Saladin's Campaigns: Hattin, Jerusalem, and the Crusades
The military campaigns of Saladin and the Ayyubid dynasty: Hattin, Jerusalem, the Third Crusade, and the wars that built the greatest Kurdish empire.
Read article →Kurdish Dynasties at War: The Military Campaigns of the Hasanwayhids, Annazids, Marwanids, Rawadids and Shadda
The military campaigns of the Kurdish Intermezzo: Hasanwayhid, Annazid, Marwanid, Rawadid and Shaddadid wars from the 10th to 12th centuries.
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