principality · Mesopotamia and Iran

Soran emirate

1400 CE – 1836 CE (approx.) · capital Rawanduz

A Kurdish emirate based at Rawanduz that, under Mir Muhammad Kor, briefly became a powerful state with its own cannon foundry before Ottoman reconquest.

Origins

The Soran emirs ruled the mountains between the Great Zab and the Iranian frontier, in the north-east of modern Iraq. Sharaf Khan Bidlisi's 16th-century history, the Sharafnama, traces their line back to around 1400. For most of their history they were tribal lords under Ottoman suzerainty, competing with the Baban emirate and the Bahdinan emirate.

Rule and society

Soran reached its height under Mir Muhammad, known as Mir Kor ('the blind prince'), who ruled from about 1814 to 1836. He built a standing army, made muskets and cannon in Rawanduz, imposed order on the tribes and conquered neighbouring districts, including Bahdinan, while his campaigns against the Yazidis were notoriously brutal. The Sorani form of Kurdish takes its name from this region.

Decline and legacy

In 1836 an Ottoman army under Reşid Mehmed Pasha, supported by Qajar pressure, forced Mir Muhammad to surrender. He was taken to Istanbul and disappeared on the return journey, and the emirate was brought under direct Ottoman rule.

Connections (2)

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻