The Emirate of Çemişgezek
The Emirate of Çemişgezek was a Kurdish principality of the Dersim highlands and an autonomous hereditary Ottoman sanjak recorded in the Sharafnama.
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The archive
The Emirate of Kilis: The Kurdish Janbulad Dynasty and the Revolt of Ali Pasha
The Emirate of Kilis was ruled by the Kurdish Janbulad family of northern Syria, whose chief Ali Pasha led a famous 1607 revolt — and whose heirs became Lebanon's Jumblatts.
Read article →The Zakarids (Mkhargrdzeli): Medieval Armenia's Military Dynasty and the Question of Their Kurdish Origin
The Zakarids (Mkhargrdzeli) were a medieval dynasty of disputed Kurdish origin who reconquered Armenia from the Seljuks and ruled it under the Georgian crown.
Read article →The Principality of Eğil: The Bulduqani Dynasty and the Kurdish Lords of the Tigris (c. 1049–1864)
The Principality of Eğil (c. 1049–1864) was a Kurdish emirate near Diyarbakır ruled by the Bulduqani dynasty — among the longest-lived in Kurdish history.
Read article →Mosab Hassan Yousef: From the Heart of Hamas to a Fierce Champion of Kurdish Freedom
Explore Mosab Hassan Yousef's journey from Hamas to advocating for Kurdish freedom. Discover his powerful support for a Free Kurdistan.
Read article →Abdul Aziz Yamulki: The Kurdish General Behind the Plot Against Bakr Sidqi
Abdul Aziz Yamulki (1890–1981), Kurdish general in the Iraqi army and son of Mustafa Yamulki, was chief plotter of the 1937 coup against Bakr Sidqi.
Read article →Halis Öztürk: Kurdish Chieftain of the Ararat Rebellion
Halis Öztürk (1889–1977), Kurdish chieftain of the Sipkan tribe, fought in the 1930 Ararat rebellion and later served as a Turkish MP for Ağrı.
Read article →Ali Saip Ursavaş: The Kurdish-Born Warrior of Urfa
Ali Saip Ursavaş (1885–1939) was a Kurdish-born Ottoman and Turkish officer, hero of the defence of Urfa, and a controversial figure in Kurdish history.
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.
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