kingdom · Mesopotamia and Iran
Kingdom of Kurdistan
Origins
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a Sufi leader of the Qadiri order and notable of Sulaymaniyah, was appointed governor by the British in 1918. He rebelled in 1919, was defeated and exiled to India. In 1922, with Turkish forces threatening the Mosul region, the British brought him back to restore order, and in November 1922 he proclaimed himself King of Kurdistan.
Rule and society
The kingdom had a cabinet, issued stamps and a newspaper, and claimed authority over the Kurdish districts around Sulaymaniyah, but its administration was rudimentary and depended on tribal support. Mahmud negotiated with Turkey while the British sought to include the region in the new Iraqi state. The Royal Air Force bombed Sulaymaniyah in 1923, one of the first uses of air power to police a colonial territory.
Decline and legacy
British and Iraqi forces took Sulaymaniyah in 1924, and the region was incorporated into Mandatory Iraq. Sheikh Mahmud led further revolts until 1931 and remains a symbol of Kurdish nationalism.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Kurdistan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurdistan
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Kurdistan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurdistan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Kurdistan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurdistan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Kurdistan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-kurdistan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻