King of Kurdistan

Shaikh Mahmoud and the Kurdish Revolt

Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge

12th May 2023

The defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I left Britain controlling the three Ottoman vilayets of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. To counter Ottoman claims in the Mosul vilayet, the British appointed Shaikh Mahmoud from one of the leading Sufi dynasties of Kurdistan as ‘Hukmdar’ (ruler).

Shaikh Mahmoud found the restrictions placed upon him by his British ‘advisors’ too severe and led a Kurdish revolt. A struggle for power ensued (encouraged by the Turks), leading to the Shaikh proclaiming Sulaimani as the capital of Kurdistan in October 1922, forming a cabinet, and declaring himself King.

In 2023 I produced a series of events and films about Shaikh Mahmoud to mark the 100th anniversary of the short-lived Kingdom of Kurdistan. My talk at the University of Cambridge told the narrative using British accounts from the period. Dr Ako Shwani from the University of Sulaimani then discussed this same history from the perspective of Kurdish sources.