On Saturday, President Masoud Barzani congratulated the people of Sulaymaniyah on the 242nd anniversary of the city’s founding.

“Sulaymaniyah holds a special place in the history, identity, and national struggle of the people of Kurdistan. It has long been — and will always remain — a cradle of national thought, culture, and enlightenment,” President Barzani said.

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also congratulated the people of Sulaymaniyah on the anniversary of the city’s founding. “Congratulations to every patriotic and devoted Kurd,” he posted on X. “ Dear people of Sulaymaniyah, you deserve greater services, freedom, progress, stability, and peace.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also extended his congratulations to Sulaymaniyah, which is widely known as the cultural capital of Kurdistan for its poets, literature, and art.

“Sulaymaniyah has always been a center of creativity and struggle for the people of Kurdistan. I wish Sulaymaniyah and all of Kurdistan further development, prosperity, and peace,” President Nechirvan Barzani stated.

Famous Kurdish poets and writers from Sulaymaniyah include Nali, Mawlawi, Piramerd, and Sherko Bekas. 

The city was founded on November 14, 1784 by the Ottoman Kurdish Prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban, who made it the capital of the Kurdish Emirate of Baban.