Kurdish History Journal
The 1991 Iraqi-Kurdish autonomy negotiations followed the largest Kurdish uprising in history. When talks with Baghdad collapsed, the Kurds held free elections and established the KRG.
Read article →The 1975 Algiers Agreement between Iraq and Iran ended the Kurdish rebellion overnight. Iran and the US abandoned the Kurds, 1,400 villages were razed, and Barzani died in exile.
Read article →The 1970 Kurdish-Iraqi Autonomy Agreement promised Kurdish self-governance, language rights, and Kirkuk. Saddam Hussein betrayed every term, triggering war and decades of suffering.
Read article →Explore Kurdish boy and girl names, their meanings, spellings and cultural roots in the complete Kurdish Names Library.
Read article →The Baghdad Pact (1955) united Turkey, Iraq, and Iran in a Cold War military alliance that gave Western backing to the suppression of Kurdish national movements.
Read article →The Qavam-Sadchikov Agreement (1946) traded Soviet withdrawal from Iran for oil rights — sealing the fate of the Republic of Mahabad, the only independent Kurdish republic in history.
Read article →The Treaty of Saadabad (1937) united Turkey, Iran, and Iraq in a pact of non-aggression and non-interference — enabling each state to suppress its Kurdish population without interference.
Read article →The Treaty of Ankara (1926) awarded the Kurdish-majority Mosul vilayet to Iraq for oil royalties, finalising the division of northern and southern Kurdistan.
Read article →The Treaty of Lausanne (1923) erased Kurdistan from international law, replacing Sèvres’ promise of Kurdish autonomy with total silence. It sealed the four-part partition that persists today.
Read article →The Joint British-Iraqi Declaration (1922) was the first recognition of Kurdish autonomy in Iraq. Known as the Christmas Declaration, it was never honoured — yet its principle endures.
Read article →The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) was the only international treaty to recognise Kurdish self-determination. Articles 62-64 promised autonomy and a path to independence — but were never implemented.
Read article →In 1919, Kurdish and Armenian leaders signed a joint declaration at Paris calling for independent statehood for both peoples. Explore this historic act of solidarity.
Read article →The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) secretly divided Ottoman Kurdish lands between Britain and France, completing the four-part partition of Kurdistan that persists today.
Read article →The Second Treaty of Erzurum (1847) drew a precise border through Kurdistan under British and Russian mediation — transforming Kurdish partition into international law.
Read article →The First Treaty of Erzurum (1823) reaffirmed Kurdistan’s partition between Ottoman and Persian empires, with Kurdish tribes treated as subjects, not political actors.
Read article →The Treaty of Zuhab (1639) permanently divided Kurdistan between the Ottoman and Safavid empires. Its borders still define Turkey, Iraq, and Iran today.
Read article →The Peace of Amasya (1555) was the first formal partition of Kurdistan, splitting the Kurdish homeland between the Ottoman and Safavid empires without Kurdish consent.
Read article →In 1514, Kurdish emirs allied with Ottoman Sultan Selim I at Chaldiran in exchange for autonomy. Explore this pivotal and ultimately betrayed Kurdish agreement.
Read article →In 1229, Saladin’s grandson al-Kamil negotiated Jerusalem’s peaceful transfer to Frederick II. Explore this masterful act of Kurdish-descended Ayyubid diplomacy.
Read article →The 1192 Treaty of Jaffa ended the Third Crusade with Jerusalem in Kurdish hands. Explore how Saladin, the Kurdish sultan, shaped world history.
Read article →In 1000 AD, Byzantine Emperor Basil II granted a Kurdish emir the title Duke of the East — an honour never before given to a Muslim ruler. Explore this landmark Kurdish treaty.
Read article →How the 296 AD Rome-Sassanid Peace Treaty placed Kurdish Corduene under Roman sovereignty and led to the creation of a dedicated Kurdish cavalry unit.
Read article →Explore the 69 BC alliance between King Zarbienus of Gordyene and Rome — a pivotal moment in Kurdish diplomatic history proving Kurdish sovereignty.
Read article →This weekly Kurdish news roundup covers Masrour Barzani’s Baghdad visit, Erbil-Baghdad disputes over salaries and oil, new drone attacks on Iranian Kurdish parties, border-security diplomacy with Iran, the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary deadlock, Iraq’s Hormuz-linked financial crisis, and Kurdish cinema’s growing diaspora presence.
Read article →