Sulaymaniyah: Cultural Capital of Iraqi Kurdistan
Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), the cultural capital of Iraqi Kurdistan — a city of poets and universities, the old Baban capital and stronghold of the PUK.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
Kurdish History and Resilience
Articles filed under Kurdish History and Resilience.
Sinjar: The Yazidi Homeland and the 2014 Genocide
Sinjar (Şingal), the Yazidi heartland in north-west Iraq at the foot of the Sinjar Mountains — site of the 2014 ISIS genocide and still a contested, only partly rebuilt district.
Read article →Sanandaj: Cultural Capital of Iranian Kurdistan
Sanandaj (Sine), capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province — the cultural heart of Iranian Kurdistan, a UNESCO City of Music and former seat of the Ardalan principality.
Read article →Saqqez: The Kurdish City Behind ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’
Saqqez (Seqiz), a Kurdish city in Iran’s Kurdistan Province — ancient highland town and hometown of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, where the 2022 ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests began.
Read article →Qamishli: Kurdish Capital of North-East Syria
Qamishli (Qamişlo), the Kurdish-majority city of north-east Syria opposite Nusaybin — long the de facto capital of Rojava, now integrating into the new Syrian state.
Read article →Nusaybin: The Ancient Kurdish Border Town of Nisibis
Nusaybin (Nisëbîn), the ancient city of Nisibis — a Kurdish-majority border town in Mardin Province, Turkey, opposite Qamishli, with deep Syriac and Roman roots.
Read article →Mosul: Iraq’s Second City on the Edge of Kurdistan
Mosul, Iraq’s second city on the Tigris — a majority-Arab metropolis on the edge of the Kurdish disputed territories, held by ISIS 2014–2017 and since rebuilt.
Read article →Mardin (MêrÝn): The Hilltop City of Stone
Mardin (MêrÝn), the historic hilltop city of south-eastern Turkey — a mixed Kurdish, Arab and Syriac city famous for its Artuqid old town.
Read article →Mahabad: The Kurdish City of the 1946 Republic
Mahabad, a Kurdish city of about 168,000 in north-western Iran, capital of the short-lived 1946 Republic of Mahabad.
Read article →Rawandiz (Rewandiz): Capital of the Soran Emirate
Rawandiz (Rewandiz), the mountain capital of the Soran emirate and base of Mir Muhammad the “Mir Kor,” above the famous Rawanduz Gorge.
Read article →Amedi (Amêdî): The Mountaintop Capital of Bahdinan
Amedi (Amêdî), the cliff-top town in Duhok, was the capital of the Kurdish Bahdinan emirate for nearly five centuries.
Read article →Bitlis (Bidlîs): The Kurdish Emirate and the Sharafnama
Bitlis (Bidlîs), capital of one of the longest-lived Kurdish emirates and home of Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, author of the Sharafnama.
Read article →Silvan (Farqîn): Mayyafariqin, Capital of the Marwanid Kurds
Silvan (Farqîn), the ancient Mayyafariqin, was the capital of the Marwanid dynasty — the great Kurdish kingdom of the 10th–11th-century Jazira.
Read article →Silvan (Farqîn): Mayyafariqin, Capital of the Marwanid Kurds
Silvan (Farqîn), the ancient Mayyafariqin, was the capital of the Marwanid dynasty — the great Kurdish kingdom of the 10th–11th-century Jazira.
Read article →Diyarbakir (Amed): Ancient Amida, Capital of Bakur
Diyarbakir (Amed), ancient Amida behind its black basalt walls, is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey and the de facto capital of Bakur.
Read article →Hasankeyf (Heskîf): The Drowned City on the Tigris
Hasankeyf (Heskîf), a 12,000-year-old town on the Tigris and seat of the last Kurdish Ayyubids, was submerged by Turkey's Ilısu Dam in 2020.
Read article →Erbil (Hewlêr): The Ancient Capital of Kurdistan
Erbil (Hewlêr), capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, is among the world's oldest cities — from ancient Arbela and its citadel to the 2017 referendum.
Read article →The US-KRG Memorandum of Understanding (2016): The First Formal Military Pact Between America and the Kurds
The 2016 US-KRG Memorandum of Understanding was the first formal bilateral military agreement between the US and the Kurdistan Region, recognising the Peshmerga as security partners.
Read article →The Erbil-Baghdad Oil and Military Deal (2014): Unity Against ISIS, Division Over Oil
The 2014 Erbil-Baghdad Oil Deal traded 550,000 bpd of Kurdish oil for 17% of Iraq’s budget and $1 billion Peshmerga funding during the ISIS crisis. It ultimately collapsed.
Read article →The Iraqi Constitution (2005): The Legal Foundation of Kurdish Autonomy
The 2005 Iraqi Constitution recognised the Kurdistan Region as a federal entity with its own government, language, and Peshmerga. Article 140 on Kirkuk was never implemented.
Read article →The Washington Agreement (1998): The Peace That Ended the Kurdish Civil War
The Washington Agreement (1998) ended the Kurdish civil war between the KDP and PUK. Brokered by the US, it created a power-sharing deal that stabilised Kurdistan but entrenched division.
Read article →The Oil-for-Food Programme Agreement (1996): The 13 Percent That Saved Kurdish Autonomy
The Oil-for-Food Programme (1996) allocated 13 percent of Iraqi oil revenue to the Kurdish north, administered by the UN. It was the economic lifeline that sustained Kurdish autonomy.
Read article →The Iraqi-Kurdish Autonomy Negotiations (1991): From Uprising to Self-Governance
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 Algiers Agreement (1975): The Day the World Abandoned the Kurds
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.
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