Sulaymaniyah

The surroundings of present-day Sulaymaniyah were known as Zamva until the foundation of the modern city in 1784 as the capital of the Kurdish principality of Baban ( 1649 - 1850 ). During this period, the area was called Kelajivalan . During the reign of the princes of Baban, the territory of the principality was involved in major conflicts between the Safavid dynasty and the Ottoman Empire . Kelajivalan became a battlefield for two rivals ^[5] .

Kelajival was of strategic importance to the Safavids, and not only Nadir Shah, but also Sultan Mahmud II fought for the sympathy of the local princes. The instability at the borders forced Mahmud Pasha Baban in 1781 to think about moving the center of his emirate to a safe place. He chose Melkendi, a village that has become the center of today's Suleimaniya.

In 1783, Ibrahim Pasha Baban became the ruler of the emirate and began the construction of a new city that would become the capital of the emirate of Baban. In 1784, he completed the construction of a number of palaces for trade under the name Kayseris and bazaars, which were also used as baths, and began to invite residents of the surrounding villages and emirates to the city ^[5] .

Since its founding, Suleimaniya has become the center of Kurdish nationalism, and it was here that Mahmoud Barzanji raised the first riot against the British occupation on May 22, 1919 , arresting British officials in Suleimaniya. He tried to proclaim an independent Kingdom of Kurdistan on October 10, 1921 with the capital in Sulaymaniyah ^[5] . Sheikh Mahmoud Barzanji soon reconciled with the British, but not for long. Mahmoud tried to rule independently of the British, and as a result in 1922 he was exiled to the Andaman Islands . In September 1922, Mahmoud returned to Sulaymaniyah. He was proclaimed by the British the chairman of the council of self-government of the region, but immediately declared himself king of Kurdistan again, that the British recognized and even sent him a congratulatory telegram on behalf of the king. Barzanji formed a government (appointing his brother Kader as prime minister), issued his own stamps and banknotes, etc. In February 1923, the British presented him with an ultimatum demand to leave Sulaymaniyah, after which they bombarded the city. Barzanji went into the mountains and for five years waged a guerrilla struggle, taking Suleimaniyah several times with raids. After which the city fell into the hands of the British.

In January 1926, the League of Nations approved a British mandate over the territory of Iraq, with special rights to the Kurds. In 1930-1931, Sheikh Mahmoud Barzanji made his last unsuccessful attempt to free Kurdistan. He retreated to the mountains, and then signed a peace agreement with the Iraqi government and settled in the new Iraq in 1932 .

The first and oldest district in the city is called “Goyija” (Kurdish: Goyija ), which was named after the mountain overlooking the city. The name of the Sabunkran district is translated as "those who make soap" - its residents were mainly involved in the soap industry. Chulekan, a Jewish district, was inhabited mainly by Kurdish Jews. In 1950 , after the creation of the state of Israel , most of its inhabitants migrated to the newly created state.

On April 23, 1982 , during the Iran-Iraq war , a demonstration began in the city against the arrests and torture of young men in the city who were accused of planning an uprising against the ruling Ba'ath party.

After the Persian Gulf War, a series of nationwide uprisings broke out across Iraq against the Ba'ath rule, including the 1991 uprising in Sulaymaniyah, led by Kurdish separatists from the KDP and PUK parties. Since 1991, Sulaymaniyah has been under the control of the Kurdish Regional Government (PKK).

In February 2011, several demonstrations took place in Sulaymaniyah against corruption and the inefficiency of the authorities. The protest escalated into 40-day clashes between security forces and demonstrators. During the suppression of the riots, 10 demonstrators were killed and several hundred were injured.

Population

In 1820 , just 26 years after the founding of the city, a Briton named Rech visited the city and estimated its population at more than ten thousand, out of 2,144 families, 2,000 were Muslim, 130 Jewish and 14 Christian Kurds. Ottoman documents in 1907 show that 8,702 Muslims and 360 non-Muslim residents lived in the city. The newspaper Peshkawtin, which appeared in Sulaymaniyah in 1920 , estimated the population of the city at about ten thousand. According to Iraqi government documents, by 1947 the number of inhabitants increased to 23,475; by 1998 - up to 548 747, and in 2009 (together with the suburbs) up to 2,000,000.

The city is located in northern Iraq. The climate is characterized by cool summer temperatures and rainy winters. The average air temperature ranges from 0 to 39 ° C. In winter, significant amounts of snow may fall. Sulaymaniyah is known as the “windy city” because of the mountains that surround it: because of the mountains in the north and south, the air condenses, condenses, and often rains.

Snow in winter is not a frequent occurrence, but it has been falling regularly in recent years: in January 2008 , January and February 2010 , February 2011 , March 2012 , January 2013 and January 2015 ^{[6] [7]} , ^{[8 ] [9] [10]} .

Public education in the region is free from elementary school to graduation. Sulaymaniyah University was opened in 1968 , disciplines are taught in Kurdish, Arabic and English. The university trains specialists in engineering, agriculture, art, science and medicine. It is the largest university in southern Kurdistan.

The Polytechnic University of Sulaimaniyah ^[12] was established in 2012 , training is also conducted in three languages.

In 2007, the American University in Iraq - Sulaymaniyah ^[13] (AUI-S) was opened in the city, teaching in English only.

The University of Science and Technology (KUST) ^[14] was created and licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Government of Kurdistan on October 18, 2009 . It is a private university, its main campus is located in Sulaymaniyah.

Sulaymaniyah is considered the center of the Soran-speaking Kurdish culture in Kurdistan. It is officially recognized as the cultural capital of southern Kurdistan. The development of sorani as a modern literary language began in the city at the beginning of the 19th century, when many Kurdish poets such as Nali, Piramerd, Mohamed Amin Zaki, Abdullah Suleiman Goran , Muhamad Salih Dilan, Ahmad Hardy, Ibrahim Ahmad, Nuri Sheikh Salih Sheikh Ghani Barz Sherko Bekas and Bakhtiyar Ali published their works.

The city is known for its open, relatively liberal and tolerant society, in comparison with other cities of Kurdistan. According to Al-Jazeera , the city even has Chinatown, formed as a result of attracting foreign investment. About 500 Chinese live in the city ^[15] .

In 2006, a social movement was formed in Sulaymaniyah against the corruption and nepotism of the Kurdish government. The movement received serious support in the city.

Sulaymaniyah is represented by a special style of music, which is borrowed from the traditions of the city. Muhamad Salih Dylan is considered the greatest singer of the city. The city is also considered the birthplace of modern Kurdish music. Sulaymaniyah is the only city in Southern Kurdistan that regularly celebrates World Music Day.

Sulaymaniyah Governorate has a lot of fertile land, such as the plains of Sharazur and Battle, which are considered one of the most fertile plains in the Middle East. Historically, Sulaymaniyah is mainly an agricultural region and one of the largest suppliers of wheat and other agricultural products. His role declined due to Saddam Hussein’s policies aimed at reducing the economic potential of the city when it was the center of the Kurdish revolution.

Since 2003, Iraq has experienced an economic boom. Today, the city’s economy is based on tourism, agriculture ^[16] and a number of small factories, most of which are involved in the construction industry.

Tourism

In 2009, more than 60,000 tourists visited the city ^[17] . In the first quarter of 2010, Sulaymaniyah attracted more than 15,000 Iranian tourists, many of whom decided to mention in the Novruz region ^[18]

In Sulaymaniyah, several large business centers and tourist attractions have been built that attract businessmen and tourists. The city has three 5-star hotels - Grand Millennium Sulaimani, Millennium Kurdistan Hotel and Spa ^[19] - and the 4-star Copthorne Hotel Baranan .

Sulaymaniyah Museum : the second largest museum after the National Museum in Baghdad , stores numerous Kurdish and Persian artifacts from 1792-1750 BC ^[20] .

Amna Suraq Museum : Located at the former headquarters of the Ba'ath Party intelligence and prison, it draws particular attention to the ill-treatment of the Ba'ath regime with local Kurds. Visitors can view the prison cells and interrogation rooms. The museum has many Soviet-era armored fighting vehicles.

Transport

The city depends on road transport. On July 20, 2005, the Sulaymaniyah International Airport was opened, which operates regular flights to various European cities, such as Frankfurt , Stockholm , Malmo , Munich , Eindhoven and Dusseldorf , as well as the cities of the Middle East - Dubai , Amman , Doha , Beirut , Damascus , Istanbul and Ankara .

•   Tucson ^[21]
•   Naples ^[22]

• Gusterin P.V. Cities of the Arab East. - M .: East-West, 2007. - 352 p. - (Encyclopedic reference book). - 2000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-478-00729-4