Mount Handrin: The Kurdish Battle That Humiliated Baghdad
In May 1966, the Iraqi army marched into the Kurdish mountains with aircraft, artillery, napalm and confidence. The Peshmerga answered with terrain, patience and Kurdish steel.
Read article →Kurdish History Journal
Wars and Resistance
Articles filed under Wars and Resistance.
Kurds and Kurdistan During World War I Timeline | Kurdish History
A chronological history of Kurds and Kurdistan during World War I, from Barzan, Bitlis and the Caucasus Front to Sèvres, Lausanne, Mosul, Koçgiri and the partition of Kurdistan.
Read article →Rojava and the Wars of Syrian Kurdistan: Revolution, ISIS, and the Fight for Survival (2004–2026)
The Rojava revolution and the wars of Syrian Kurdistan — from the 2012 revolution to the Battle of Kobani, the defeat of ISIS, Turkish operations, and the fight for survival in 2025–2026.
Read article →The Kurdish Struggle in Iran: From Revolution to Resistance (1979–2026)
The Kurdish struggle in Iran — from the 1979 rebellion to the KDPI assassinations, PJAK insurgency, and Iranian missile strikes on Kurdish opposition in Iraq.
Read article →The Turkey-PKK Conflict: Four Decades of War and the 2025 Ceasefire (1984–2025)
A factual chronology of the Turkey-PKK conflict from 1984 to the 2025 ceasefire — guerrilla war, urban warfare, cross-border operations, and the historic disarmament announcement.
Read article →Iraqi Kurdistan: From the 1991 Uprising to the Independence Referendum (1991–2017)
From the 1991 uprising to the Kurdish civil war, the 2003 Iraq War, and the 2017 independence referendum — the modern history of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Read article →World War I and the Interwar Kurdish Revolts: From the Ottoman Collapse to the Republic of Mahabad (1914–1947)
Kurdish revolts from World War I to the Republic of Mahabad — Simko Shikak, Sheikh Mahmud, Kocgiri, and the failed promise of Kurdish statehood.
Read article →The Fall of the Kurdish Emirates: Centralisation Wars of the Nineteenth Century (1806–1896)
The destruction of the Kurdish emirates in the nineteenth century — Mir Muhammad, Bedr Khan, Yezdanser, and the Hamidiye Cavalry.
Read article →Kurdistan Between Empires: The Ottoman-Safavid Frontier Wars (1514–1780s)
Kurdistan between the Ottoman and Safavid empires — from Chaldiran to Dimdim to the Treaty of Zuhab, the wars that divided the Kurdish nation.
Read article →The Later Ayyubid Wars: From Damietta to Mansurah to the Fall of the Dynasty (1218–1260)
The later Ayyubid wars — from the Fifth Crusade and La Forbie to the Battle of Mansurah, the Mamluk takeover, and the Mongol destruction of the last Ayyubid stronghold.
Read article →Saladin’s Wars: From Egypt to Hattin to the Third Crusade (1164–1192)
Saladin’s military career from the Kurdish conquest of Egypt to the Battle of Hattin, the fall of Jerusalem, and the Third Crusade against Richard the Lionheart.
Read article →The Shaddadids and Rawadids: Kurdish Warriors of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan (951–1199 CE)
The Shaddadids and Rawadids — Kurdish dynasties that ruled Armenia, Arran, and Azerbaijan, fought Georgia for two centuries, and built the Manuchihr Mosque at Ani.
Read article →The Marwanids of Diyar Bakr: Kurdistan's Greatest Medieval Dynasty (983–1085 CE)
The Marwanids of Diyar Bakr — how a Kurdish shepherd built a kingdom on the Byzantine frontier, and why this dynasty matters for Kurdish history.
Read article →The First Kurdish Dynasties at War: Aishanids, Hasanwayhids, and Annazids (912–1117 CE)
The Aishanids, Hasanwayhids, and Annazids — the first Kurdish dynasties of the Islamic era, their wars, their golden age under Badr ibn Hasanwayh, and their destruction by the Seljuk Turks.
Read article →The Islamic Conquest of Kurdistan and the Age of Kurdish Resistance (637–905 CE)
How the Islamic conquest transformed Kurdistan — from the Arab campaigns of 637 CE through Kurdish rebellions, the Khurramite wars, and the extraordinary story of Theophobos.
Read article →The Roman-Sasanian Wars in the Kurdish Highlands: Five Centuries of Empires at War
How Rome and Persia fought for centuries across the Kurdish highlands — from Trajan's invasion to Julian's death, the sieges of Singara and Bezabde, and the treaty that changed everything.
Read article →The Cyrtians: Elite Mountain Troops of the Ancient Zagros
The Cyrtians: elite Zagros mountain slingers who fought for Seleucid kings, rebel satraps, and Rome — their military history and connection to the Kurdish highlands.
Read article →Assyrian Campaigns in the Zamua Highlands: Empire Against the Mountains of Kurdistan
How Assyrian kings waged war in the Zamua highlands of modern Kurdistan — Tiglath-Pileser I, Ashurnasirpal II, and the mountain peoples who refused to stay conquered.
Read article →Gordyene: The Ancient Kingdom Between Empires in the Heart of Kurdistan
Gordyene: the ancient kingdom between Rome, Parthia and Armenia in what is now Kurdistan — its kings, wars, and enduring connection to Kurdish history.
Read article →The Karduchoi and Xenophon's Ten Thousand: The First Account of Kurdistan's Mountain Warriors
How the Karduchoi mountain warriors fought Xenophon's Ten Thousand in 401 BCE — the earliest account of the peoples of Kurdistan and their connection to the Kurds.
Read article →The Medes and the Fall of Assyria: How Highland Warriors Destroyed the World's Greatest Empire
How the Medes destroyed the Assyrian Empire at Nineveh in 612 BCE — their rise, military campaigns, and significance as the most cited ancestors of the Kurds.
Read article →The Lullubi: Mountain Warriors of the Zagros Who Defied the Akkadian Empire
The Lullubi: ancient Zagros mountain warriors who fought the Akkadian Empire, carved Iran's oldest rock relief, and shaped the highlands that became Kurdistan.
Read article →The Gutians and the Fall of Akkad: Mountain Warriors Who Toppled the World's First Empire
Who were the Gutians? The Zagros mountain people blamed for destroying the Akkadian Empire — their origins, wars, dynasty, and debated connection to Kurdish history.
Read article →From Peshmerga to SDF: Modern Kurdish Military Organisation and International Alliances
How Kurdish military forces evolved from partisan guerrillas to internationally allied armies — the Peshmerga, YPG, YPJ, SDF, and their global partnerships.
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