Kingdom of Kurdistan

Kingdom of Kurdistan
Keyaniya Kurdistanê شانشینی کوردستان
Unrecognized state
1922–1924
Flag Flag
Capital		Sulaymaniyah
Languages		Kurdish
Government		Monarchy
Malik		Mahmud Barzanji
Prime Minister		Qadir Barzanji
Historical era		Interwar period
•	Treaty of Sèvres	10 August 1920
•	Proclaimed	September 1922
•	Treaty of Lausanne	24 July 1923
•	Disestablished	July 1924
•	British Mandate of Mesopotamia	3 October 1932
Preceded by Succeeded by Ottoman Iraq Mandatory Iraq

The Kingdom of Kurdistan refers to a short-lived unrecognized state proclaimed in the city of Sulaymaniyah following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Officially, the territory involved was under the jurisdiction of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia.

Sheikh Mahmud revolts

Main article: Mahmud Barzanji revolts

During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kurds in Iraq attempted to establish a semi-independent state. On at least one occasion they succeeded and formed the Kingdom of Kurdistan, which lasted from September 1922 until July 1924.

The Shaykh of the Qadiriyyah order of Sufis, the most influential personality in Southern Kurdistan, was appointed Governor of the former sanjak of Duhok, but rallied against the British and declared an independent Kurdistan in May, 1919. He was defeated in June.

On the 10 October 1921, a statement was issued in Sulaymaniya, the capital of Kurdistan, to establish a Kurdish government. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji declared himself as the King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan.

After the Treaty of Sèvres, which settled some territories, Sulaymaniya still remained under the direct control of the British High Commissioner. After the subsequent penetration of the Turkish "Özdemir" Detachment into the area, an attempt was made by the British to counter this by appointing Shaykh Mahmud Governor again, in September 1922. The Shaykh revolted again, and in November declared himself King of the Kingdom of Kurdistan. Members of his cabinet included:

• Abdulkarim Alaka, a Christian Kurd - Finance Minister
• Ahmed Bagy Fatah Bag - Customs Minister
• Hajy Mala Saeed Karkukli - Justice Minister
• Hema Abdullah Agha - Labour Minister
• Mustafa Pasha Yamolki- Education Minister
• Shaikh Qadir Hafeed - Prime Minister
• Shekh Mohammed Gharib - Interior Minister
• Zaky Sahibqran - Defence Minister of the Kurdish National Army

Barzanji was defeated by the British in July, 1924, and 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, Shaykh Makhmud Barzanji made his last unsuccessful attempt.

The British Royal Air Force's Iraq Command acting on behalf of the Iraqi government in Baghdad played a part in bringing the Kingdom of Kurdistan to an end.

See also

• List of Kurdish dynasties and countries
• Republic of Ararat
• Republic of Mahabad
• Kurdistan Regional Government

References

General

1. McDowell, D. (1996) A Modern History of the Kurds, pp. 155–163, 194-196

External links

• The Kingdom of Kurdistan
• Footnotes to History (Kurdistan, Kingdom of)
• Sheik Mahmmud Barzanji

• Prince, J. (1993), "A Kurdish State in Iraq" in Current History, January.
• Eskander, S. (2000) "Britain's policy in Southern Kurdistan: The Formation and the Termination of the First Kurdish Government, 1918-1919" in British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 27, No. 2. pp. 139-163.
• Fatah, R. (2005) Mustafa Pasha Yamolki: his life and role in the Kurdish nationalist movement
• Fatah, R. (2006) The Kurdish resistance to Southern Kurdistan annexing with Iraq
• Mustafa Paşa bir müddet sonra Süleymaniye'de İngiliz destekli bir hükümet olan Şeyh Mahmud Berzenci hükümetinde Eğitim Bakanlığı görevine getirilmiştir. (Ferudun Ata, Süleymaniyeli Nemrut Mustafa Paşa: Bir İşbirlikçinin Portresi, Temel, 2008, ISBN 9789754101003, p. 103.)