Kurdistan Region President Congratulates Sulaimani On Its 242nd Anniversary
The Kurdistan Region president praises the city as a center of literature, art and culture, and wishes it more development, prosperity and calm
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated the city of Sulaimani and its residents on Saturday on the 242nd anniversary of its founding, in a message on his official account on X.
لە ٢٤٢-هه‌مین ساڵیادی بنیاتنانیدا، گەرمترین پیرۆزبایی ئاراستەی شاری سلێمانی، مەڵبەندی ئەدەب و هونەر، پایته‌ختی ڕۆشنبیری و تەواوی دانیشتووانی خۆشەویستی دەکەم. سلێمانی هەمیشە ناوه‌ندێكى داهێنان و تێکۆشانی گەلی کوردستان بووە. هیوای گەشەسەندن، ئاوەدانی و ئارامیی زیاتر بۆ سلێمانی و سەرتاسەری کوردستان دەخوازم.
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) November 14, 2026
He sent his warmest congratulations to the city, which he called the center of literature and art, the capital of culture and all its dear residents.
Barzani said Sulaimani has always been a center of creativity and struggle for the people of Kurdistan, and wished the city and all of Kurdistan more development, prosperity and calm.
Sulaimani was founded on November 14, 1784, by Ibrahim Pasha Baban, the ruler of the Baban emirate, who named it after his father, Suleiman Pasha, and moved the emirate’s capital there from Qalachwalan.
The city served as the capital of the Baban emirate until 1850, became a commercial and cultural hub, and the Sorani dialect developed there as a language of writing and teaching.
Between 1922 and 1924 it was the capital of the Kurdish government under Sheikh Mahmud Hafid, and it has been a cradle of revolutions and uprisings in Kurdistan’s history.
UNESCO named it a Creative City of Literature in 2019.
Every year on November 14 the anniversary is marked with cultural and artistic events. this year’s include dance performances, a photography exhibition and the planting of 242 saplings to green the city, at the Saray courtyard, the old neighborhoods and the city’s Hawari park.