Sulaymaniyah
Encyclopedia
Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan
, Iraq
. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with very hot and dry summers and very cold winters. Sulaymaniyah served as the historic capital of the Kurdish
principality of Baban
from 1784 to 1850.
The modern city of Sulaymaniyah was founded on 14 November 1784 by the Kurdish
prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban who named it after his father Sulaiman Pasha. Because it was founded as the capital of a powerful Kurdish
principality, Sulaymaniyah has developed into a large city with a population of about 1.041.490 people.
It is the cultural center of the Sorani
-speaking Kurds and an important economic center for Iraqi Kurdistan
.
The region of Sulaymaniyah was known as Zamwa prior to the foundation of the modern city in 1784. The capital of the Kurdish
Baban
principality (1649–1850), before Sulaymaniyah was a territory named "Qalachwalan". At the time of the Babani's rule there were major conflicts between the Safavid dynasty
and the Ottoman Empire
. Qalachuwalan became a battle ground for the two rivals.
Being of strategic importance and lying deep inside Safavid territory, there was major concern that Qalachwalan would be attacked and captured if the Baban
ies did not give the Safavids military support, as both Sultan Mahmud II
and Nadir Shah were trying to gain the support of the dispersed Kurdish
Emirates. This obliged Mahmud Pashah of Baban in 1781 to think about moving the center of its Emirate to another safer place. He chose Melkandi, then a village, to construct a number of Serahs for his political and armed units.
In 1783 Ibrahim Pasha of Baban undertook the rule of the Emirate and began the construction of a new city which would become the capital of the Baban Emirate. In 1784 he finished erecting a number of palaces for trade called Qaiseries and bazars, which were used as baths as well, and began inviting people from the surrounding villages and even Emirates to move over to the newly established city, soon Malkandi which was originally intended to be the city itself instead became one of its quarters and still is today.
Sulaymaniyah has since its foundation been the center of Kurdish
nationalism, and it was from here that Mahmud Barzanji
sparked the first rebellion against the British occupation on May 22, 1919 with the arrest of British officials in Sulaymaniyah and declared an independent Kurdistan at that same year.
On 10 October 1921, a statement was issued in Sulaymaniyah, then the capital of Kurdistan, to establish the Kingdom of Kurdistan
. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji
, now backed by the British, declared himself as the King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan
The British occupation declared Sheikh Mahmud as king in order to silence the residents of Sulaymaniyah and stop their rebellion, but Sheikh Mahmud acted and ruled independently from the British, and wanted them out of the kingdom. As a result, in the same year, he was exiled for several years to the Andaman islands
in India by the British occupation, only to return and raise another unsuccessful rebellion centered in Sulaymaniyah in 1923.
In 1925 mass revolts broke out against British and Winston Churchill
argued ‘in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes’ but contrary to recent claims, there is no evidence that it was ever used.
In January 1926 the League of Nations
gave the mandate over the territory to Iraq, with the provision for special rights for Kurds. In 1930-1931,Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji made his last unsuccessful attempt to free Kurdistan, he retreated into the mountains, and later signed a peace accord with the Iraqi government and settled in the new Iraq in 1932.
The first and oldest neighborhood in the city is called "Goija", which was named after the mountain overlooking the city.
"Sabunkaran" was of the cities first neighborhoods, its name means "those who make soap" in Kurdish, its residents were mainly involved in the soap industry.
"Julakan" or the Jews neighborhood where it was mainly inhabited by Kurdish Jews. In the fifties and after the establishment of the state Israel
, most of its inhabitants migrated to the newly created state.
In 23 April 1982 a demonstration broke out in the city against the arrests and torture of the city's youths who were accused of palnning revolt against the ruling Arab Ba'ath regime.
Since liberation in 1991, it has been administered by Kurdish Government
and serves as one of the metropolises of Iraqi Kurdistan
.
, 130 Jewish, and 14 Christian
families.
Ottoman documents dating back to 1907 suggests that there were 8702 muslim and 360 non-muslim residents living in the city.
According to "Peshkawtin" newspaper which was distributed in Slemani in 1920 estimated its population to be around ten thousand.
According to Iraqi government documents of 1947 the number of residents moved up to 23475.
In 1998 to 548747, and in 2009 to 648000.
and Bitwen plains which are considered two of the most fertile plains in the Middle East.
Historically, Sulaymaniyah was mainly agricultural and one of the major suppliers of wheat and other agricultural products. Its role declined due to the policies of Saddam Hussein
aimed at reducing the city's economical potential as it was a center of the Kurdish
revolution.
Since 2003 Iraqi Kurdistan
has seen a huge economic boom. Sulaymaniyah's economy today relies on tourism, agriculture and a number of small factories, most involved in the building trade.
In 2004 the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis in Iraq released a in-depth survey of Sulaymaniyah Governorate in which they surveyed each city. In this survey one can see the economic boom of 2003 mentioned earlier.
has become a safe haven and a tourist attraction for Iraqis and non-Iraqis due to its beauty and security. It was home to more than 60,000 tourists in 2009.
Sulaymaniyah attracted more than 15,000 Iranian tourists in the first quarter of 2010, many drawn by the fact it is not subject to strict laws faced at home. Newroz 2010 drew an exodus of Iranian tourists choosing to celebrate the event in the region.
.
A new University of Sulaymaniyah was established in 1991, teaching in Kurdish, English and Arabic.
In 2007 The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani, The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani (AUI-S) was a new addition to the American universities in the Middle East, holding its first classes in October 2007. Instruction is in English only.
In 2008 the University of Human Development was opened in Qaradax with three colleges and four departments. Its first year courses include law, politics, computer engineering and English language.
Kurdistan University of Science and Technology (KUST) - Sulaymani was established and licensed by the Ministry of High Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan Region Government, by the official letter no. 17867/7 on October 18, 2009. KUST is a private university governed by a Board of Trustees and run by an Administration Council. Its main campus is located in the city of Sulaymani, in Kurdistan- Iraq.
KUST offered its first teaching classes in 2010 with an English language summer course (levels 1 and 3).
Kurdish
culture in Kurdistan. It is recognized officially as the cultural capital of Iraqi Kurdistan
. Development of Sorani as a modern literary language
started in this city in the early 19th century, when many Kurdish poets such as Nalî
, Piramerd
, Muhamed Amin Zaki
, Abdulla Goran
, Muhamad Salih Dilan, Ahmad Hardi
, Ibrahim Ahmad
, Sherko Bekas
and Bachtyar Ali
published their works.
The city is known for its open, relatively liberal and tolerant society when compared to other cities of Kurdistan and Iraq
.. In 2006 the Movement for Change
started in Sulaymaniyah and challenged what it called the "corrupt" and "nepotistic
" Kurdish Government
. The movement gained massive support from the city.
The two independent newspapers Hawlati
and Awena
and the only independent political magazine Lvin, are published and distributed in Slemani city.
Sulaymaniyah assumes its own style of music which have borrowed from traditions of the city, Muhamad Salih Dilan is widely considered to be the greatest singer from the city and had the greatest role in developing Kurdish maqam
.The city is also considered to be the birth place of modern Kurdish music, the key figures in this field are Karwan Osman (born in 1968) who was executed by the Ba'ath regime in 1991 after in his imprisonment for one year in the Abu Ghraib prison
and more academically Xalîd Reşîd
.
It is the only city in Iraq that regularly celebrates world music day or Fête de la Musique
.
In one trip to the city a journalist working for BBC writes about Sulaymaniyah's distinct culture:
"Culture is hugely important to Kurdish people, especially in Sulaymaniyah, but there is a strong pull to the west – the modernisation and consumerism – driven perhaps by the satellite televisions they have had access to since they started running their own affairs."
"And at the university, students mill around the campus, chattering with each other and doing some last minute cramming for their exams. Remarkably in this part of Iraq, the war only stopped lectures for a few weeks. "
There are probably more women than men and they are happy to air their views to anyone who asks."
opened, with regular flights to various eastern and European destinations such as Ankara
, Frankfurt
, Stockholm
, Malmö
, Munich
, Eindhoven and Düsseldorf
as well as Middle Eastern cities like Dubai
, Amman
, Beirut
, Damascus
and Istanbul
.
Arbil
, Kirkuk
, Dahuk
. Sanandaj
, Mahabad
. Van
, Diyarbakir
. Al-Qamishli. Tucson, Arizona
.
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with very hot and dry summers and very cold winters. Sulaymaniyah served as the historic capital of the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
principality of Baban
Baban
Baban were a Kurdish principality and ruling family originating from Darishmana in the region of Pijder. The founder of the dynasty and its first ruler was Fakih Ahmed a descendent of the ancient house of Soran. He also had a brother named Khidder Ahmed who lived with him...
from 1784 to 1850.
The modern city of Sulaymaniyah was founded on 14 November 1784 by the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban who named it after his father Sulaiman Pasha. Because it was founded as the capital of a powerful Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
principality, Sulaymaniyah has developed into a large city with a population of about 1.041.490 people.
It is the cultural center of the Sorani
Soranî
Soranî is the name of a Kurdish language that is spoken in Iran and Iraq. Soranî is one of the main Kurdish languages, which are a branch of the Iranian languages.- Name :...
-speaking Kurds and an important economic center for Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
.
History
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
Baban
Baban
Baban were a Kurdish principality and ruling family originating from Darishmana in the region of Pijder. The founder of the dynasty and its first ruler was Fakih Ahmed a descendent of the ancient house of Soran. He also had a brother named Khidder Ahmed who lived with him...
principality (1649–1850), before Sulaymaniyah was a territory named "Qalachwalan". At the time of the Babani's rule there were major conflicts between the Safavid dynasty
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Qalachuwalan became a battle ground for the two rivals.
Being of strategic importance and lying deep inside Safavid territory, there was major concern that Qalachwalan would be attacked and captured if the Baban
Baban
Baban were a Kurdish principality and ruling family originating from Darishmana in the region of Pijder. The founder of the dynasty and its first ruler was Fakih Ahmed a descendent of the ancient house of Soran. He also had a brother named Khidder Ahmed who lived with him...
ies did not give the Safavids military support, as both Sultan Mahmud II
Mahmud II
Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
and Nadir Shah were trying to gain the support of the dispersed Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
Emirates. This obliged Mahmud Pashah of Baban in 1781 to think about moving the center of its Emirate to another safer place. He chose Melkandi, then a village, to construct a number of Serahs for his political and armed units.
In 1783 Ibrahim Pasha of Baban undertook the rule of the Emirate and began the construction of a new city which would become the capital of the Baban Emirate. In 1784 he finished erecting a number of palaces for trade called Qaiseries and bazars, which were used as baths as well, and began inviting people from the surrounding villages and even Emirates to move over to the newly established city, soon Malkandi which was originally intended to be the city itself instead became one of its quarters and still is today.
Sulaymaniyah has since its foundation been the center of Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
nationalism, and it was from here that Mahmud Barzanji
Mahmud Barzanji
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Mahmud Berzenji was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in Iraqi Kurdistan...
sparked the first rebellion against the British occupation on May 22, 1919 with the arrest of British officials in Sulaymaniyah and declared an independent Kurdistan at that same year.
On 10 October 1921, a statement was issued in Sulaymaniyah, then the capital of Kurdistan, to establish the Kingdom of Kurdistan
Kingdom of Kurdistan
The Kingdom of Kurdistan can refer to two short-lived unrecognized states formed in the 1920s in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, in the territory officially under the jurisdiction of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia.-Northern Iraq:During the collapse...
. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji
Mahmud Barzanji
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Mahmud Berzenji was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in Iraqi Kurdistan...
, now backed by the British, declared himself as the King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan
Kingdom of Kurdistan
The Kingdom of Kurdistan can refer to two short-lived unrecognized states formed in the 1920s in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, in the territory officially under the jurisdiction of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia.-Northern Iraq:During the collapse...
The British occupation declared Sheikh Mahmud as king in order to silence the residents of Sulaymaniyah and stop their rebellion, but Sheikh Mahmud acted and ruled independently from the British, and wanted them out of the kingdom. As a result, in the same year, he was exiled for several years to the Andaman islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
in India by the British occupation, only to return and raise another unsuccessful rebellion centered in Sulaymaniyah in 1923.
In 1925 mass revolts broke out against British and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
argued ‘in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes’ but contrary to recent claims, there is no evidence that it was ever used.
In January 1926 the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
gave the mandate over the territory to Iraq, with the provision for special rights for Kurds. In 1930-1931,Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji made his last unsuccessful attempt to free Kurdistan, he retreated into the mountains, and later signed a peace accord with the Iraqi government and settled in the new Iraq in 1932.
The first and oldest neighborhood in the city is called "Goija", which was named after the mountain overlooking the city.
"Sabunkaran" was of the cities first neighborhoods, its name means "those who make soap" in Kurdish, its residents were mainly involved in the soap industry.
"Julakan" or the Jews neighborhood where it was mainly inhabited by Kurdish Jews. In the fifties and after the establishment of the state Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, most of its inhabitants migrated to the newly created state.
In 23 April 1982 a demonstration broke out in the city against the arrests and torture of the city's youths who were accused of palnning revolt against the ruling Arab Ba'ath regime.
Since liberation in 1991, it has been administered by Kurdish Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
and serves as one of the metropolises of Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
.
Demographics
In 1820 and after only 26 years of the creation of the city, a British man named Rech had visited the city and estimated that the number of its residents is more than ten thousand, containing 2144 families of which 2000 were muslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, 130 Jewish, and 14 Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
families.
Ottoman documents dating back to 1907 suggests that there were 8702 muslim and 360 non-muslim residents living in the city.
According to "Peshkawtin" newspaper which was distributed in Slemani in 1920 estimated its population to be around ten thousand.
According to Iraqi government documents of 1947 the number of residents moved up to 23475.
In 1998 to 548747, and in 2009 to 648000.
Geography
The city is located in the northern part of the Iraq and although the weather in the summer is rather warm, with temperaturs ranging from 15 C (60 F) to 35 C (95 F) and some times up until 40 C (104 F). In the winters, there are a significant amount of snow and the Sulaymania temperatures are both dense in the summer and dry and windy in the winter. The city is actually known as the "windy-city" in the region among Kurds. One of the reasons for that is the mountains that surround the city. From north, there are mountain Gouixa and to the south Chuarta, forcing the air in the city to be condensed and compacted and often quite rainy.Economy
Sulaymaniyah governorate has much fertile land such as the SharazorSharazor
Sharazor was the name of a Sassanid district , Kurdish kingdom, Ottoman vilayet and finally a Sanjak of Mosul vilayet situated to the southern and eastern part of what is now known as Iraqi Kurdistan....
and Bitwen plains which are considered two of the most fertile plains in the Middle East.
Historically, Sulaymaniyah was mainly agricultural and one of the major suppliers of wheat and other agricultural products. Its role declined due to the policies of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
aimed at reducing the city's economical potential as it was a center of the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
revolution.
Since 2003 Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
has seen a huge economic boom. Sulaymaniyah's economy today relies on tourism, agriculture and a number of small factories, most involved in the building trade.
In 2004 the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis in Iraq released a in-depth survey of Sulaymaniyah Governorate in which they surveyed each city. In this survey one can see the economic boom of 2003 mentioned earlier.
Tourism
Iraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
has become a safe haven and a tourist attraction for Iraqis and non-Iraqis due to its beauty and security. It was home to more than 60,000 tourists in 2009.
Sulaymaniyah attracted more than 15,000 Iranian tourists in the first quarter of 2010, many drawn by the fact it is not subject to strict laws faced at home. Newroz 2010 drew an exodus of Iranian tourists choosing to celebrate the event in the region.
- Sulaimani Museum: It is the second biggest museum after the national museum in Baghdad. It is home to many Kurdish and ancient Persian artifacts dating back to 1792–1750 BC.
- Amna Suraka Museum (Kurdish:"Red Intelligence Museum"): Located in a former Ba'ath intelligence headquarters and prison, it draws particular attention to the Ba'ath regime's brutal treatment of local Kurds. Visitors are guided through the prisons and interrogation rooms. The museum features many Soviet-era armored fighting vehicles.
- Zamoa Gallery: Open year-round, it displays the works of the artists of the city. It is run by "Rostam Aghala", a well-known modern Kurdish artist.
- Aram Gallery: Another place for artistic activities. It started the night cinema project where people can go to watch Kurdish and foreign films.
Education
Education is free from primary school until graduation from university. The University of Sulaymaniyah was opened in 1968 with instruction in Kurdish, Arabic, and English. It has faculties in engineering, agriculture, the arts, science, and medicine.It is the largest university in Iraqi Kurdistan. The University was moved during the 1980s to Erbil which is now known as the Salahaddin UniversitySalahaddin University
Salahaddin University is an educational institution in in Arbil , capital of Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. One of the oldest and largest institutions of higher learning in Kurdistan Region, Salahaddin University was established in 1968 and was originally based in Sulaimaniya. It was...
.
A new University of Sulaymaniyah was established in 1991, teaching in Kurdish, English and Arabic.
In 2007 The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani, The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani (AUI-S) was a new addition to the American universities in the Middle East, holding its first classes in October 2007. Instruction is in English only.
In 2008 the University of Human Development was opened in Qaradax with three colleges and four departments. Its first year courses include law, politics, computer engineering and English language.
Kurdistan University of Science and Technology (KUST) - Sulaymani was established and licensed by the Ministry of High Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan Region Government, by the official letter no. 17867/7 on October 18, 2009. KUST is a private university governed by a Board of Trustees and run by an Administration Council. Its main campus is located in the city of Sulaymani, in Kurdistan- Iraq.
KUST offered its first teaching classes in 2010 with an English language summer course (levels 1 and 3).
Culture
Sulaymaniyah is considered the center of the SoraniSoranî
Soranî is the name of a Kurdish language that is spoken in Iran and Iraq. Soranî is one of the main Kurdish languages, which are a branch of the Iranian languages.- Name :...
Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
culture in Kurdistan. It is recognized officially as the cultural capital of Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. Development of Sorani as a modern literary language
Literary language
A literary language is a register of a language that is used in literary writing. This may also include liturgical writing. The difference between literary and non-literary forms is more marked in some languages than in others...
started in this city in the early 19th century, when many Kurdish poets such as Nalî
Nali
Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî (1800-1873 in Istanbul, Turkey, was a Kurdish polymath, who is considered to be one of the greatest Kurdish poet in Kurdish...
, Piramerd
Piramerd
Tawfeq Mahmoud Hamza or Piramerd, , , was a Kurdish poet , writer, novelist and journalist. He was born in the Gwêje neighborhood of Sulaimaniya city in Iraq. In 1926, he became the editor of the Kurdish newspaper Jîyan...
, Muhamed Amin Zaki
Muhamed Amin Zaki
Muhamed Amin Zaki, , was a Kurdish writer, historian, statesman and politician. He was born in Sulaimaniya, attended the Military and Staff College at Istanbul and served as a staff officer in the Ottoman army. He also served in the Iraqi administration under the British mandate in the 1920s and...
, Abdulla Goran
Abdulla Goran
Abdulla Goran was a Kurdish poet. He undoubtedly brought about a revolution in Kurdish poetry, and is also called the father of modern Kurdish literature. At this time Kurdish poetry was loaded with hundreds of years of foreign heritage, especially Arabic...
, Muhamad Salih Dilan, Ahmad Hardi
Ahmad Hardi
Ahmad Hardi was a prominent Kurdish poet.He was born into an intellectual family in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. He possessed a deep knowledge of classical Kurdish, Arabic and Persian poetry and has had an enduring influence on the modern Kurdish poetry...
, Ibrahim Ahmad
Ibrahim Ahmad
Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) (Alternatively spelled Ibrahim Ahmed or Ibrahîm Ehmed (Kurdish: ئبراهیم هحمهد), was a Kurdish writer, novelist and translator.-Biography:...
, Sherko Bekas
Sherko Bekas
Sherko Bekas , , is a prominent contemporary Kurdish poet. He was born on 2 May 1940 in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan as a son of the Kurdish poet Fayak Bekas....
and Bachtyar Ali
Bachtyar Ali
This article is about the Kurdish writer. For the Indonesian professor and ambassador, see Bachtiar Aly.Bachtyar Ali Muhammed, also spelled as Bakhtiyar Ali or Bakhtyar Ali, Ali was born in the city of Slemani , in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1960...
published their works.
The city is known for its open, relatively liberal and tolerant society when compared to other cities of Kurdistan and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.. In 2006 the Movement for Change
Movement for Change
The Movement for Change also known as Change List or Gorran is a reformist Iraqi Kurdish political party under the leadership of Nawshirwan Mustafa, founded in 2009 it is the official opposition to the ruling two-party coalition of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan...
started in Sulaymaniyah and challenged what it called the "corrupt" and "nepotistic
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
" Kurdish Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
. The movement gained massive support from the city.
The two independent newspapers Hawlati
Hawlati
Hawlati is an independent Kurdish newspaper, published in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan and London. Tariq Fatih is the owner of the paper.Hawlati is a biweekly newspaper issued by Ranj Publishing House, published on Sundays and Wednesdays....
and Awena
Awena
Awena is a weekly independent Kurdish newspaper, published every Tuesday in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan .Awena means “The Mirror” in Kurdish...
and the only independent political magazine Lvin, are published and distributed in Slemani city.
Sulaymaniyah assumes its own style of music which have borrowed from traditions of the city, Muhamad Salih Dilan is widely considered to be the greatest singer from the city and had the greatest role in developing Kurdish maqam
Arabic maqam
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
.The city is also considered to be the birth place of modern Kurdish music, the key figures in this field are Karwan Osman (born in 1968) who was executed by the Ba'ath regime in 1991 after in his imprisonment for one year in the Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
and more academically Xalîd Reşîd
Xalîd Reşîd
Xalîd Reşîd ; was born in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, and currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden. He is recognized as one of the most influential interpreters of Kurdish music academically with an extended knowledge in Persian and Azerbaijani music...
.
It is the only city in Iraq that regularly celebrates world music day or Fête de la Musique
Fête de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.-History:The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the...
.
In one trip to the city a journalist working for BBC writes about Sulaymaniyah's distinct culture:
"Culture is hugely important to Kurdish people, especially in Sulaymaniyah, but there is a strong pull to the west – the modernisation and consumerism – driven perhaps by the satellite televisions they have had access to since they started running their own affairs."
"And at the university, students mill around the campus, chattering with each other and doing some last minute cramming for their exams. Remarkably in this part of Iraq, the war only stopped lectures for a few weeks. "
There are probably more women than men and they are happy to air their views to anyone who asks."
Transportation
The city is dependent on road transport. 0n 20 July 2005 Sulaimaniyah International AirportSulaimaniyah International Airport
Sulaimaniyah International Airport is an airport 15 kilometers outside of the city of Sulaimaniyah, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The airport has facilities for both cargo and passengers. Sulaimaniyah International Airport has three terminals for departures, arrivals and VIP...
opened, with regular flights to various eastern and European destinations such as Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Eindhoven and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
as well as Middle Eastern cities like Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
2011 Sulaymaniyah protests
In February 2011 multiple demonstrations took place in Sulaymaniyah against corruption and lack of services. The protest escalated and lasted for more than 40 days causing clashes between security forces and demonstrators until an eventual crackdown on the demonstrators left 10 dead and several hundred wounded.Notable people
- Hadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i BaghdâdîHadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i BaghdâdîHadhrat Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî was an Iraqi sufist, the founder of a branch of the Naqshbandi Sufi order - named Khaledi after him - that has had a profound impact not only on his native Kurdistan but also on many other regions of the western Islamic world...
(1779–1827),sufist and Islamic thinker - NalîNaliNalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî Nalî also known as Mullah Xidir Ehmed Şawaysî Mîkayalî (1800-1873 in Istanbul, Turkey, was a Kurdish polymath, who is considered to be one of the greatest Kurdish poet in Kurdish...
(1800–1873), Poet. - SalîmSalîmAbdul-Rehman Begi Saheb-Qiran Famous by his pseudonym as Salim, , was born in 1800 in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, died 1866. He is considered to be one of the greatest Kurdish Poets.-References:* *...
(1800–1866), Poet. - MahwiMahwiMahwi or Mehwî , , was one of the most prominenet classical Kurdish poets and sufis from Iraq. He studied in Sablakh and Sanandaj in Iranian Kurdistan. He became a judge in the court of Sulaimaniya, in today's Iraq, in 1862, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. He travelled to Istanbul and...
(1830–1906), Poet. - Mustafa Zihni PashaMustafa Zihni PashaMustafa Zihni Pasha was a high Ottoman official who held a number of ministerial posts and a founding member of the nationalist Kürt Teali Cemiyeti society.- Early life :...
(1838–1911) Ottoman official, Kurdish nationalist. - Mustafa Yamulki (25 January 1866 - 25 May 1936), Minister of education in the Kingdom of Kurdistan.
- PiramerdPiramerdTawfeq Mahmoud Hamza or Piramerd, , , was a Kurdish poet , writer, novelist and journalist. He was born in the Gwêje neighborhood of Sulaimaniya city in Iraq. In 1926, he became the editor of the Kurdish newspaper Jîyan...
(1867–1950), poet and journalist. - Mahmud BarzanjiMahmud BarzanjiSheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Mahmud Berzenji was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in Iraqi Kurdistan...
(1878 – 9 October 1956), king of Kurdistan(1922–1924) - Muhamed Amin ZakiMuhamed Amin ZakiMuhamed Amin Zaki, , was a Kurdish writer, historian, statesman and politician. He was born in Sulaimaniya, attended the Military and Staff College at Istanbul and served as a staff officer in the Ottoman army. He also served in the Iraqi administration under the British mandate in the 1920s and...
(1880–1948), historian, statesman and politician. - Taufiq WahbyTaufiq WahbyTaufiq Wahby was a prominent Kurdish writer, linguist and politician. He first served in the Ottoman army as a colonel, but after the creation of Iraq by the British in 1920, he became an influential officer in the new Iraqi army. He also served eight terms in ministerial posts in the Iraqi...
(1891–1984), linguist, politician and poet. - Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani BarzinjiSheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani BarzinjiSheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani Sheikh Abdul Qadir was an Iraqi Kurdish newspaper editor, activist, and poet. He was from the Barzinji tribe of Kurdistan....
(1896–1958) journalist and poet. - Abdulla GoranAbdulla GoranAbdulla Goran was a Kurdish poet. He undoubtedly brought about a revolution in Kurdish poetry, and is also called the father of modern Kurdish literature. At this time Kurdish poetry was loaded with hundreds of years of foreign heritage, especially Arabic...
(1904–1962), founder of modern Kurdish poetry. - Ibrahim AhmadIbrahim AhmadIbrahim Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) Ibrahim Ahmad (1914-2000) (Alternatively spelled Ibrahim Ahmed or Ibrahîm Ehmed (Kurdish: ئبراهیم هحمهد), was a Kurdish writer, novelist and translator.-Biography:...
(1914–2000), novelist, poet and translator. - Mohammad Qudsi ( 1919–1947 ) An officer in the army of Republic of Kurdistan.
- Ahmad HardiAhmad HardiAhmad Hardi was a prominent Kurdish poet.He was born into an intellectual family in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. He possessed a deep knowledge of classical Kurdish, Arabic and Persian poetry and has had an enduring influence on the modern Kurdish poetry...
(1922—2006), poet. - Muhamad Salih Dilan (1927–1990), a prominent musician and poet.
- Shahab Sheikh NuriShahab Sheikh NuriShahab Nuri Salih Barzinji was a Kurdish politician born in the city of Suleimani in 1932. Shahab Nuri was the son of renowned Kurdish poet, Sheikh Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani Barzinji...
(1932–1976) Kurdish freedom movement activist in Iraq. - Jamal NebezJamal NebezJamal Nebez is a Kurdish linguist and mathematician. He studied Islamic law, philosophy, theology, physics and mathematics of the University of Baghdad in the 1950s...
(born 1933), linguist. - Mahmoud OthmanMahmoud Othman- Timeline :*1954 - Joined the Kurdish Struggle*1962 - Became a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party .*1968 - Became Mustafa Barzani's Deputy dealing with foreign affairs of the revolution....
(born 1938), Politician. - Sherko BekasSherko BekasSherko Bekas , , is a prominent contemporary Kurdish poet. He was born on 2 May 1940 in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan as a son of the Kurdish poet Fayak Bekas....
(born 1940), a prominent contemporary poet. - Nawshirwan MustafaNawshirwan MustafaNawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :...
(born 1944), politician and media proprietor. - Feryad Fazil Omar (born 1950), Professor at the Free University Berlin (Germany), linguist, writer, historian.
- Rizgar Mohammed AminRizgar Mohammed AminRizgar Mohammed Amin is the former chief judge of the Iraqi Special Tribunal's Al-Dujail trial. He is the only judge whose name was revealed on the trial's opening on 19 October 2005, the names of the other four judges and all but two of his four colleagues faces not allowed to be shown during...
(born 1958), chief judge. - Bachtyar AliBachtyar AliThis article is about the Kurdish writer. For the Indonesian professor and ambassador, see Bachtiar Aly.Bachtyar Ali Muhammed, also spelled as Bakhtiyar Ali or Bakhtyar Ali, Ali was born in the city of Slemani , in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1960...
(1960) intellectual, novelist - Barham SalihBarham SalihBarham Ahmad Salih is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. He is currently the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He is married and has a daughter who attended Princeton University and a son who graduated from King's Academy in Madaba, Jordan and currently attends Columbia.-Early life:Dr....
(born 1960) politician, current PM of Iraqi KurdistanIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Mariwan KanieMariwan KanieMariwan Kanie is a Kurdish intellectual, journalist, and political scientist. Since 1993 he lives and works in Netherlands.Kanie fled Iraq in 1993...
(born 1966), intellectual. - Xalîd ReşîdXalîd ReşîdXalîd Reşîd ; was born in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, and currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden. He is recognized as one of the most influential interpreters of Kurdish music academically with an extended knowledge in Persian and Azerbaijani music...
(born 1968), Musician - Choman HardiChoman HardiChoman Hardi , is a contemporary Kurdish poet, translator and painter. She was born in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. In 1975 her family fled to Iran after the Algiers Accord but returned to Iraq after a general amnesty in 1979. They were forced to move again in 1988 during the Anfal campaign...
(born 1974) poet, painter.
Sister Cities
ArbilArbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
, Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, Dahuk
Dahuk
Dohuk or Duhok may refer to:*Dohuk Governorate, an administrative division of northern Iraq*Dohuk, Iraq, the capital city of Duhok Governorate in Iraq...
. Sanandaj
Sanandaj
Sanandaj , also Romanized as Senneh and Sinneh) is a city in and the capital of Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 311,446, in 81,380 families....
, Mahabad
Mahabad
-Culture:Muhammad Qazi translated more than 70 important literary works into Persian. Other writers and poets have hailed from Mahabad in the 19th and 20th century including Wafaei , Hejar , Hêmin , Abdorrahamn Zabihi and Giw Mukriyani...
. Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
, Diyarbakir
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
. Al-Qamishli. Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
.
See also
- ArbilArbilArbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
- DahukDahukDohuk or Duhok may refer to:*Dohuk Governorate, an administrative division of northern Iraq*Dohuk, Iraq, the capital city of Duhok Governorate in Iraq...
- Sulaymaniyah Governorate
- Erbil Governorate
- Dahuk Governorate