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Iraq

Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah)

Population
800,000
Coordinates
35.556°, 45.435°
Region
Iraq
Views
3

The cultural capital of the Kurds, founded by Ibrahim Pasha Baban in 1784. Home to the most important Kurdish newspapers and modern poets.

The city's history

Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah)

Founded as the seat of the Baban emirate in the 18th century, it quickly became a beacon of Kurdish culture. The poets Nalî and Salîm were born here, and the first Kurdish newspaper in Iraq, *Pêşkewtin*, was published here in 1916. Silêmanî today remains the city of books, theatres and literary cafés, with the largest open Kurdish bazaar.

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