kingdom · Mesopotamia and Iran

Kingdom of Kurda

1780 BCE – 1761 BCE (approx.) · capital Kurda

A small kingdom of the Sinjar region known from the Mari letters, one of the rival states that filled the gap left by Shamshi-Adad's empire.

Origins

Kurda lay in the Sinjar plain of northern Iraq, probably near Andarig and Karana; its site is not identified. It emerged as an independent kingdom when the Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia dissolved around 1776 BCE.

Rule and society

The Mari letters name a king Simah-ilane and later a Hammurabi of Kurda, not to be confused with his famous namesake of Babylon. Kurda's rulers concluded and broke oaths with Mari, Andarig, Eshnunna and Babylon, and their envoys appear at the courts of greater kings. Nothing is known of its institutions beyond this diplomatic record.

Decline and legacy

After Hammurabi of Babylon conquered Mari in 1761 BCE, the Sinjar kingdoms fell under Babylonian control, and Kurda drops out of the record.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Kurda. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurda
MLA
“Kingdom of Kurda.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurda. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Kurda.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurda.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Kurda’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurda (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻