Kurdish History Journal
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 →This week’s Kurdish news roundup examines Syrian Kurdish citizenship applications, Rojava electoral representation, Afrin family returns, Iranian attacks on the Kurdistan Region, and renewed debate over Kurdish opposition groups and U.S.-Kurdish relations.
Read article →Explore the rich tapestry of Assyrian History: From Ancient Origins to Imperial Glory and the Myth of Modern Continuity. Discover Assyrian History today!
Read article →The Baban Dynasty (1649–1850): the great Ottoman-side Kurdish principality, founders of Sulaymaniyah in 1784, patrons of the Babani school of Sorani Kurdish poetry — Nali, Salim, Kurdî, Mawlana Khalid.
Read article →The Ardalan Dynasty (1169–1867): the longest-surviving Kurdish dynasty in history, ruling 698 years from Sanandaj. Safavid walis, Gorani literature, Mastoureh Ardalan, the founding of Sanandaj.
Read article →The Hazaraspid Dynasty (1148–1424): Kurdish Atabegs of Greater Lorestan, the longest-surviving Kurdish dynasty of medieval Iran. Survived the Mongols, patronised Persian literature, ruled 276 years.
Read article →The Rawadid Dynasty (955–1071): the Kurdicized Kurdish lords of Tabriz, Maragha, and Iranian Azerbaijan. Wahsudan, Qatran Tabrizi, the 1042 earthquake, and the Hadhbani tribal link to Saladin.
Read article →The Ayyubid Empire (1171–1341): the largest Kurdish state in history, founded by Saladin. Egypt, Syria, the Jazira, Yemen — Kurdish dynasty, Arab empire, the climax of the Kurdish Intermezzo.
Read article →The Annazids were a Kurdish ruling family whose power developed around Hulwan in the late tenth century. Their history follows several competing branches, shifting alliances and the Seljuk advance, rather than a single kingdom with fixed borders and an uninterrupted succession.
Read article →The Hasanwayhid Dynasty (959–1015): the Twelver Shia Kurdish lords of the central Zagros, founded by Hasanwayh ibn Husayn of the Barzikani tribe. The Kurdish Intermezzo's mountain branch.
Read article →The Marwanids were a medieval Kurdish ruling house centred on Mayyafariqin, now Silvan, and Amid, now Diyarbakır. Their history connects frontier alliances, urban patronage and the Seljuk conquest of 1085.
Read article →The Shaddadid Dynasty (951–1199): the first Kurdish state in the Caucasus, builders of the Manuchihr Mosque in Ani, and one of the longest-ruling Kurdish dynasties of the medieval Islamic world.
Read article →The Kingdom of Osroene and the Abgarid dynasty (132 BCE – 244 CE): the Nabataean Arab kingdom on Kurdistan's southern edge whose capital, Edessa (Riha), became the cradle of Syriac Christianity.
Read article →Mahabad Qaradaghi (1966-2020), Kurdish Iraqi scholar from the Qaradagh region of Sulaymaniyah, contributed to Kurdish academic and intellectual life — a scholar whose early death cut short a significant scholarly career.
Read article →Şehrîbana Kurdî is a contemporary Kurdish female poet writing in Kurmanji whose poetry gives voice to the experience of Kurdish women in the diaspora and the longing for a homeland not yet free.
Read article →Sara Omar (b. 1986) is a Kurdish-Danish novelist whose debut Dødevaskeren (2017) sold over 100,000 copies and broke Danish taboos on violence against women.
Read article →Dilshad Meriwani (1947–1989) was a Kurdish poet, writer, teacher and playwright. His surviving poems and the documented staging of Vietnam’s Eye offer a clearer account of his contribution than a biography detached from his actual work.
Read article →Tuncer Bakırhan (born 1970), Kurdish Turkish politician, became co-chair of the DEM Party (formerly HDP) — continuing the tradition of Kurdish democratic leadership in Turkey's most significant Kurdish political party.
Read article →Widad Akrawi (born 1969), Kurdish Iraqi-Swedish educator, is a globally recognised peace builder and education innovator whose work in conflict and post-conflict education has won international recognition including UNESCO awards.
Read article →Kajal Ahmad (born 1967), Kurdish Iraqi poet from Kirkuk, writes Sorani poetry of extraordinary emotional intensity — one of the most celebrated contemporary Kurdish female poets and a voice of Kirkuk's complex identity.
Read article →Sirwan Barzani (born 1970), Kurdish Iraqi KDP military and political figure, commanded Peshmerga forces in critical battles against ISIS and served as Governor of Erbil Province.
Read article →Rowsch Shaways (1947-2021), Kurdish Iraqi PUK politician, served as Vice President of Iraq and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister — a senior Kurdish statesman whose career bridged the armed struggle and the democratic era.
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