April 16, 1987: Remembering Balisan and Sheikh Wasan
A sourced history of the 16 April 1987 chemical attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan, its aftermath and the survivor accounts that preserve its memory.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
Kurdish History and Resilience
Articles filed under Kurdish History and Resilience.
April 16, 1991: The Announcement of Protected Relief Camps for Kurdish Refugees
What the 16 April 1991 protected-camp announcement promised Kurdish refugees, and how the UN and British parliamentary records clarify its purpose and timing.
Read article →Turan Shah: Saladin’s Brother and the Conquest of Yemen
Saladin’s elder brother led the Ayyubid expedition to Yemen in 1174. This biography explains the campaign, its aftermath and the namesakes often confused with him.
Read article →Al-Ashraf Musa of Homs: The Last Ayyubid Prince
The last Ayyubid prince of Homs navigated family rivalry, Mongol invasion and Mamluk supremacy. A sourced account of his interrupted reign and local legacy.
Read article →AI and Kurdish Archives: OCR, Speech and Historical Evidence
Kurdish-language OCR and speech research offers practical ways to make historical material searchable. Studies of old publications and Central Kurdish dialogue also show why a scan, a machine transcription and a reviewed edition must remain distinguishable. Preservation and oral-history guidance provide the wider framework.
Read article →Ten Kurdish Cities: An Editorial Ranking with Historical Sources
Erbil, Diyarbakır, Slemani and seven other cities illuminate different aspects of Kurdish urban history. This editorial selection combines heritage, political memory and cultural institutions while recognising the cities’ diverse communities.
Read article →Why is there no Peace in the Middle East?
Why does peace remain elusive in the Middle East? Explore the connected roles of borders, exclusion, occupation, proxy wars, governance and Kurdish rights.
Read article →Who Are the Kurds? Communities, Languages and History
The Kurds are a people of the Middle East with major communities in Türkiye, Iraq, Iran and Syria and a substantial diaspora. This guide introduces their languages, historical records, cultural life and regional institutions.
Read article →Are Iranians Persian? Citizenship, Language and Historical Identity Explained
Iranian citizenship, Persian cultural identity and the Iranian language family are different categories. Understanding the distinction makes it easier to discuss Iran’s diverse population and the evidence for its historical dynasties.
Read article →Is Iraq The Oldest Country In The World
Discover the truth about Iraq's age! Is Iraq the oldest country in the world? Explore its ancient lands and modern origins in our insightful blog.
Read article →Anahita Temple at Kangavar: The Monument, Excavations and Unresolved Questions
Kangavar’s monumental platform in Kermanshah Province is widely known as the Temple of Anahita. Its columns and stairways survive, but archaeology has complicated both the temple identification and early dates once assigned to it.
Read article →Karahan Tepe (Girê Keçel): A 12,000-Year-Old Neolithic Wonder
Karahan Tepe (Kurdish: Girê Keçel) is a 12,000-year-old Neolithic site in Şanlıurfa, sister to Göbekli Tepe and among the oldest villages on Earth.
Read article →Bukan: A Kurdish City, Rural Politics and the Archaeology of Qalaichi
Bukan’s history connects Kurdish printing, education and rural protest with a modern urban community. Nearby Qalaichi preserves a distinct Iron Age archaeological record.
Read article →Qasr-e Shirin: A Kurdish Frontier Town of Sassanid Ruins and War
Qasr-e Shirin is a Kurdish town in western Iran, named for the Sasanian queen Shirin — home to Sassanid ruins and rebuilt after the Iran–Iraq War.
Read article →Bitlis Castle: Kurdish Rulers, Water Systems and Archaeology
Bitlis Castle rises above the city’s rocky stream valleys. Written accounts connect it with the Kurdish emirate, while excavations reveal pottery, water infrastructure and the everyday life inside its walls.
Read article →Halime Hatun Kümbet: A Tomb of the Kurdish Hakkari Emirate at Lake Van
The Halime Hatun Kümbet in Gevaş is a 14th-century polygonal tomb built by the Kurdish Hakkari emirate on the shore of Lake Van — medieval Kurdish heritage.
Read article →Khan Bathhouse, Sanandaj: Rooms, Decoration and Reuse
The Khan Bathhouse, also called Pir Zahiri, stands beside Sanandaj’s historic bazaar. Its Ardalan patronage, decorated bathing rooms and later restaurant conversion connect the city’s architectural history with changing uses of a public building.
Read article →Hasan Pasha Han: Trade, Architecture and Reuse in Diyarbakır
Hasan Pasha Han stands opposite the eastern entrance of Diyarbakır’s Great Mosque, within the walled city also known as Amed. Built in the 1570s, this Ottoman urban inn brought accommodation, animal stabling and commerce together. Its stone arcades and courtyard remain prominent, while restoration research reveals a more complex history than a building simply preserved unchanged.
Read article →Paikuli: Narseh’s Sasanian Monument and Its Bilingual Inscription
Paikuli preserves a Sasanian king’s account of gaining the throne. Its scattered stones, two inscription languages and museum collection reveal both royal politics and the work of reconstructing a damaged monument.
Read article →Mount Piramagrun: Biodiversity, Villages and Rabana-Merquly
Piramagrun, also written Piramagroon or Peramagroon, is a Zagros massif near Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. Its importance extends from botanical surveys and village land management to the fortified settlements of Rabana-Merquly. The evidence connects a living mountain landscape with a substantial ancient past.
Read article →The Darband-i-Gawr Relief: An Ancient King in the Rock
The Naram-Sin rock relief at Darband-i-Gawr on Qaradagh Mountain near Sulaymaniyah — an Akkadian-era carving of a victorious ruler from the 3rd millennium BCE, among the oldest monuments of the Kurdish mountains.
Read article →Mount Azmar: A Ridge Above Slemani
Mount Azmar, a high ridge rising over Sulaymaniyah beside Mount Goizha — part of the ring of mountains around the Kurdish cultural capital, offering wide views, with a sober legacy of mines on some slopes.
Read article →The Ahmad Awa Waterfall of the Hawraman
The Ahmad Awa waterfall in the Hawraman highlands east of Halabja — a cascade fed by the Zalm River in a green mountain valley near the Iranian border, a beloved summer resort and picnic spot of Kurdistan.
Read article →Mount Goizha: Sulaymaniyah’s Landscape, Geology and Conservation
Goizha is part of the mountain landscape along Sulaymaniyah’s northern and northeastern edge. Local research explains its folded rocks, changing vegetation and construction pressures. It is also a setting for recreation and conservation work, where city growth and mountain management meet.
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