Kurdish History Journal
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 →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 Annazid Dynasty (990–1117): the Sunni Kurdish lords of Hulwan and the Iran-Iraq frontier, drawn from the Shadhanjan tribe. The longest-surviving Kurdish dynasty of the medieval Zagros.
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 Marwanid Dynasty (983–1085): the great Kurdish kingdom of medieval Diyarbakir, Mayyafariqin, and the Jazira. Builders, scholars, and the dynasty of the Kurdish Intermezzo's golden age.
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), Kurdish Iraqi singer from Sulaymaniyah, was one of the most beloved Kurdish musical voices of his generation — killed at age 42 during the Anfal genocide.
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 →