South Kurdistan (Başûr)

South Kurdistan, or Başûr, is the Kurdish geographical name for the Kurdish homeland in northern Iraq. Within it, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a recognised federal region with its own institutions. The two names overlap, but they are not exact administrative synonyms: Kurdish communities and places described as part of South Kurdistan also exist outside the region’s administration. [1] [2]

Cities and administrative geography

The Kurdistan Region comprises the governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok and Halabja. Erbil is the regional capital. The regional presidency’s geographical overview explicitly distinguishes these governorates from disputed territories outside the regional administration. Keeping that distinction in view is essential when reading historical maps, political claims or descriptions of places such as Kirkuk. [2]

The region’s landscapes include mountain districts and valleys as well as urban centres and agricultural areas. A city’s Kurdish name may appear beside another spelling in English: Erbil is also widely known as Hewlêr. Place names can connect readers with local language without changing the administrative meaning of a map.

The development of self-government

The upheavals following the 1991 Gulf War opened the way for Kurdish self-rule. Parliamentary elections in 1992 led to regional governing institutions. This was followed by a difficult period that included conflict between Kurdish parties, as well as disputes with Baghdad. The establishment of institutions was a major development, but it did not remove political disagreement within Kurdish society. [2]

Iraq’s 2005 Constitution gave the region formal federal recognition in Article 117. Article 121 sets out regional powers, while Article 140 addresses Kirkuk and other disputed territories. Federal recognition and independence are different political arrangements: the Kurdistan Region forms part of Iraq under that constitutional framework. [3]

Remembering violence and preserving heritage

Modern history also includes the Iraqi government’s Anfal campaign of 1988. Human Rights Watch’s investigation, based on government records and survivor testimony, concluded that the campaign constituted genocide. Destruction, disappearance and forced displacement shaped the lives of families across Iraqi Kurdistan. These experiences deserve careful documentation as part of the region’s history. [4]

The cultural record extends beyond war and politics. UNESCO inscribed Erbil Citadel on the World Heritage List in 2014. Its archaeological mound and surviving buildings preserve successive periods of settlement, reminding visitors that contemporary urban life rests on a much longer history. [5]

Return to the wider Kurdistan overview, compare East Kurdistan (Rojhelat), or explore the region’s food traditions through Kurdish cuisine.