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Heritage

The deep history of the lands where Kurds live, from Göbekli Tepe to today. The memory of genocide and survival, and the faiths, arts, literature and food of Kurdish communities.

TimelineCalendar

01Explore

  • 01

    Timeline

    34 moments from deep history to today.

  • 02

    Calendar

    Festivals, remembrance and civic days.

  • 03

    Faiths

    Sunni Islam (Shafi’i), Alevism, Yazidism (Êzidîtî)

  • 04

    Arts

    Dengbêj, Maqam and stran, Tanbur and daf

  • 05

    Literature

    Melayê Cizîrî, Ehmedê Xanî, Nalî

  • 06

    Food

    Dolma (yaprax), Kubba (kutilk), Nanê sêlê

  • FaithsIslam, Alevism, Yazidism, Yarsan, Christianity and Judaism among Kurds, each in its own words.
    • Sunni Islam (Shafi’i) The majority; Naqshbandi and Qadiri Sufi orders
    • Alevism Kurmanji and Zaza Alevis; cemevi houses of worship
    • Yazidism (Êzidîtî) Monotheistic faith of Lalish, Shingal, Armenia, Georgia and Germany
    • Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq, Kaka’i) Scriptures in Gorani; tanbur sacred music
    • Shia Islam Feyli Kurds and many Southern Kurdish speakers
    • Christianity Kurdish-speaking Christians and neighbouring Assyrians and Armenians
    • Judaism Kurdish Jews of Zakho, Amadiya and Sanandaj, now mostly in Israel
    • Secular and non-religious Kurds Significant in the diaspora

    Faiths

  • ArtsDengbêj, maqam, dance, cinema and crafts.
    • Dengbêj Singer-storytellers of the Kurmanji oral tradition
    • Maqam and stran Sorani and Hawrami song traditions
    • Tanbur and daf Sacred and Sufi instruments
    • Govend and halparkê Circle dances at weddings and Newroz
    • Cinema Yılmaz Güney, Bahman Ghobadi, Hiner Saleem
    • Kilims and carpets Senneh and Bijar weaving
    • Klash Hand-made cotton shoes of Hawraman
    • Dress Kiras, fistan, şal û şapik

    Arts

  • LiteratureFrom Melayê Cizîrî and Ehmedê Xanî to the modern novel.
    • Melayê Cizîrî Classical Sufi poet
    • Ehmedê Xanî Mem û Zîn, 1692
    • Nalî Baban-school poet of Sorani
    • Hacî Qadirê Koyî Precursor of Kurdish nationalism in poetry
    • Mastoureh Ardalan Poet and historian, 1805 to 1848
    • Abdulla Goran Father of modern Sorani poetry
    • Cegerxwîn Kurmanji poet
    • Sherko Bekas Sorani poet
    • Mehmed Uzun The modern Kurmanji novel, written in exile in Sweden
    • Bachtyar Ali Novelist

    Literature

  • FoodRegional cuisines from the mountains and plains.
    • Dolma (yaprax) Stuffed vine leaves and vegetables
    • Kubba (kutilk) Bulgur shells with spiced filling
    • Nanê sêlê Thin saj flatbread
    • Kalaneh Herb-stuffed flatbread of Hawraman
    • Tirşik Sour herb stew of Dersim and Maraş
    • Ser û pê Head and trotters
    • Dokhwa Yoghurt soup
    • Penîrê giya Herbed cheese aged in skins
    • Gezo Manna sweet of the Zagros oaks
    • Mastaw (do) Yoghurt drink

    Food

At a glance

Next in the calendar

  1. NewrozMarch 21
  2. Kurdish Journalism DayApril 22
  3. Kurdish Language DayMay 15
  4. Kurdistan Flag DayDecember 17
  5. Republic of MahabadJanuary 22
  6. End of the Kobanî siegeJanuary 26
  7. Halabja remembranceMarch 16
  8. Anfal remembranceApril 14
  9. Yazidi genocide remembranceAugust 3
  10. Dersim remembrance1937 to 1938 (communities mark different dates)
  11. Çarşema Sor (Red Wednesday)first Wednesday of April in the Julian-based Yazidi calendar
  12. Cejna ÊzîdDecember (variable)
  13. Eid al-Fitr (Cejna Remezanê)1 Shawwal
  14. Eid al-Adha (Cejna Qurbanê)10 Dhu al-Hijjah

02Timeline

From the deep history of the Zagros and Taurus to today. Dates are approximate where marked.

  1. c. 9500 BCE

    Göbekli Tepe

    Monumental enclosures near Urfa: deep human heritage of the lands where Kurds live today.

    Deep history

  2. c. 7000 BCE

    Jarmo

    One of the earliest farming villages, in the foothills of the Zagros.

    Deep history

  3. 401 BCE

    Xenophon meets the Carduchoi

    The Anabasis describes the mountain people of the Carduchoi, often linked to Corduene.

    Antiquity

  4. 959

    Hasanwayhid dynasty

    Kurdish dynasty in the Zagros around Dinawar and Kermanshah.

    Medieval dynasties

  5. 990

    Marwanid dynasty

    Kurdish dynasty of Diyarbakır (Amed) and Silvan, patrons of learning.

    Medieval dynasties

  6. 1187

    Saladin takes Jerusalem

    Salah al-Din, of a Kurdish family from Dvin, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.

    Medieval dynasties

  7. 1514

    Battle of Chaldiran

    Ottoman victory over the Safavids begins the division of the Kurdish lands between two empires.

    Ottoman-Safavid partition

  8. 1597

    The Sharafnama

    Sharaf Khan Bidlisi writes the first history of the Kurds, in Persian.

    Ottoman-Safavid partition

  9. 1639

    Treaty of Zuhab

    Fixes the Ottoman-Safavid frontier across the Kurdish lands.

    Ottoman-Safavid partition

  10. 1692

    Ehmedê Xanî’s Mem û Zîn

    The Kurdish national epic, often read as a call for Kurdish unity.

    Ottoman-Safavid partition

  11. 1847

    End of the Bohtan emirate

    Ottoman centralisation defeats Bedir Khan Beg; the emirates are abolished.

    Ottoman centralisation

  12. 1898

    First Kurdish newspaper

    Kurdistan is published in Cairo on 22 April 1898; the date is now Kurdish Journalism Day.

    Ottoman centralisation

  13. 1915

    Armenian Genocide and the Sayfo

    Historians document that some Kurdish tribes took part in the killings while other Kurds sheltered victims; Kurdish political figures later acknowledged this and apologised.

    Ottoman centralisation

  14. 1920

    Treaty of Sèvres

    Articles 62 to 64 envisage Kurdish autonomy; never ratified.

    Partition

  15. 1922

    Sheikh Mahmud’s kingdom

    A Kingdom of Kurdistan is declared in Sulaymaniyah and suppressed by British forces.

    Partition

  16. 1923

    Treaty of Lausanne

    The Republic of Turkey is recognised without Kurdish provisions; the Kurdish lands are divided among four states.

    Partition

  17. 1925

    Sheikh Said rebellion

    Uprising in Turkey, followed by military suppression, deportations and policies that denied Kurdish identity, as historians document them.

    Partition

  18. 1932

    Hawar journal and the Kurmanji Latin alphabet

    Celadet and Kamuran Bedirxan publish Hawar in Damascus; 15 May is now Kurdish Language Day.

    Partition

  19. 1937

    Dersim massacres and Soviet deportations

    Military operations in Dersim (1937 to 1938) kill thousands of civilians and deport many more, as documented by historians; the death toll is contested. In 1937 Kurds of the South Caucasus are deported to Central Asia.

    Partition

  20. 1946

    Republic of Mahabad

    Proclaimed on 22 January 1946 under Qazi Muhammad; it falls within the year, and he is hanged in 1947.

    Partition

  21. 1961

    September Revolution in Iraq; labour migration to Germany

    Mustafa Barzani’s uprising begins; the Turkey-West Germany recruitment agreement starts the labour migration.

    Cold War

  22. 1962

    Hasakah census in Syria

    About 120,000 Kurds are stripped of citizenship.

    Cold War

  23. 1970

    Iraqi-Kurdish autonomy agreement

    Signed on 11 March 1970; it collapses after the 1975 Algiers Agreement.

    Cold War

  24. 1980

    Military coup in Turkey

    Mass arrests, documented torture in Diyarbakır Prison, and a wave of political exiles to Europe.

    Cold War

  25. 1988

    Anfal campaign and Halabja

    Chemical weapons attack on Halabja on 16 March 1988, within the Anfal campaign (1986 to 1989) against Kurdish civilians; the Iraqi High Tribunal ruled Anfal a genocide in 2007.

    Cold War

  26. 1991

    Uprising and exodus

    About 1.5 million flee to Iran and Turkey; the safe haven leads to self-rule in the Kurdistan Region.

    After 1991

  27. 1992

    Mykonos assassinations, Berlin

    Four Iranian Kurdish opposition figures are killed at the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin; a Berlin court’s 1997 judgment attributed the order to Iran’s leadership.

    After 1991

  28. 2005

    Iraqi constitution recognises the Kurdistan Region

    Kurdish becomes an official language of Iraq.

    After 1991

  29. 2014

    Yazidi genocide in Shingal

    Attack on Shingal (Sinjar) by ISIL on 3 August 2014: mass killings, abductions and enslavement; the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria found it a genocide (2016).

    After 1991

  30. 2017

    Kurdistan Region independence referendum

    Held on 25 September 2017; Iraqi federal forces take control of Kirkuk on 16 October.

    After 1991

  31. 2022

    Jina Amini and Jin, Jiyan, Azadî

    The death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, a young Kurdish woman from Saqqez, after her arrest by Iran’s morality police is followed by nationwide protests under the Kurdish slogan Jin, Jiyan, Azadî.

    After 1991

  32. 2024

    Fall of the Assad government

    8 December 2024; a new phase for Kurds in Syria.

    After 1991

  33. 2025

    PKK announces dissolution

    Reported on 12 May 2025, after Abdullah Öcalan’s call of 27 February 2025; to verify against primary sources.

    After 1991

  34. 2026

    Syrian decree on Kurdish rights

    Reported in January 2026: citizenship restored to stateless Kurds and Kurdish recognised as a national language; to verify.

    After 1991

Timeline

03Calendar

Days of the calendar by monthDays placed on the Gregorian year by the month the content gives.

  1. Jan

  2. Feb

  3. Mar

  4. Apr

  5. May

  6. Jun

  7. Jul

  8. Aug

  9. Sep

  10. Oct

  11. Nov

  12. Dec

Not placed, because the date moves from year to year: Dersim remembrance, Eid al-Fitr (Cejna Remezanê), Eid al-Adha (Cejna Qurbanê).

Sources KCO content, counted at each build.

Show as a table
#
Jan2
Feb0
Mar2
Apr3
May1
Jun0
Jul0
Aug1
Sep0
Oct0
Nov0
Dec2

04What this platform does

Deep history, memory, faiths, arts, literature and food, with the public heritage bodies, archives, libraries and museums of each country.

  • Timeline

    From the Zagros and Taurus to today, each entry being cited.

    How to use it

    1. Open the timeline.
    2. Read each entry with its era.
    3. Report a missing source.

  • Calendar of Kurdish days

    Newroz and the other days, each with its own page.

    How to use it

    1. Open the calendar.
    2. Filter by kind.
    3. Read how each date is set.

  • Collections

    Archives, libraries and museums that hold Kurdish heritage.

    How to use it

    1. Choose a country in the directory.
    2. Open its archives, library or museum.
    3. Search that body’s own catalogue.

  • World Heritage

    Each country’s page at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

    How to use it

    1. Open the international bodies.
    2. Open the World Heritage List.
    3. Read the official description of each site.

05Find your country

Public heritage bodies in each country: heritage authorities, World Heritage, archives, national libraries and museums.

The directory

Every country

06Where to start

The steps most people need, in order. Each country page fills them with that country’s official bodies.

  1. Find the heritage authority

    Heritage authorities protect monuments and collections.

    Heritage authority

    Learn Heritage studies

  2. See World Heritage

    The UNESCO World Heritage Centre lists each country’s sites.

    World Heritage

  3. Search the archives

    Public archives hold records, photographs and maps.

    Archives

    Learn Library, archival and information studies, Oral history

  4. Use the national library

    National libraries hold books, manuscripts and catalogues.

    National library

  5. Visit museums

    National museums hold collections from many cultures.

    Museums

  6. Join the culture

    Cultural bodies hold festivals and events.

    Culture and festivals

07Official updates

From official sources only, never commentary. Each source shows items once it clears licence review.

Heritage notices

Awaiting licence review The latest official items appear here once the source’s licence is approved.

Source: Internet Archive

08Take part

  • 01

    Share a collection

    Share a public collection or archive. A steward checks it first.

  • 02

    Cite the timeline

    Help an expert reviewer source an entry.

  • 03

    Record oral history

    Take the Academy’s oral history courses.

  • 04

    Fix an entry

    Report a broken link or a missing public body.

How to take part · Sources and method

Cite this page
APA

The Kurdish Cooperation Organization. (2026). Heritage. kurds.global. https://kurds.global/heritage/

Chicago

The Kurdish Cooperation Organization. 2026. “Heritage.” kurds.global. https://kurds.global/heritage/.

BibTeX
@misc{kco2026_heritage_home,
	author = {{The Kurdish Cooperation Organization}},
	year = {2026},
	note = {Licence: CC BY 4.0},
	title = {Heritage},
	url = {https://kurds.global/heritage/},
	howpublished = {https://kurds.global/heritage/},
}

Download .bib

RIS
TY  - ELEC
AU  - The Kurdish Cooperation Organization
DA  - 2026///
PY  - 2026
ID  - kco2026_heritage_hom
N1  - Licence: CC BY 4.0
TI  - Heritage
UR  - https://kurds.global/heritage/
ER  -

Download .ris

Licence CC BY 4.0

09Learn in the Academy

Courses and disciplines of the Academy on the subject of this page.

Courses

Disciplines

A completion record shows what was studied and assessed. It is not a certificate or a qualification.

All disciplines

10Research and sources

Recent and relevant work on this page’s subject, from approved open scholarly sources. Metadata and links only. Titles stay as published. Not yet reviewed.

  1. Heritageization of Kurdish Oral Traditions

    Joanna Bocheńska · 2025 · Springer eBooks

    OtherOpenAlexCrossrefOpenAIREOpen access

  2. Being sick of politics: The production of dengbêjî as Kurdish cultural heritage in contemporary Turkey

    Marlene Schäfers · 2015 · European journal of Turkish studies

    ArticleCrossrefDOAJOpenAIREOpen accessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

  3. A Cultural Heritage in Kurdish Women’s Clothing: The Tradition of Wearing Kofi (Headdress) in Adiyaman

    Tekin Çifçi · 2025 · International Journal of Kurdish Studies

    ArticleCrossref

  4. Negotiating and Representing Cultural Heritage: An Art Intervention in Kurdish Transnational Settings

    Maria Six-Hohenbalken · 2024 · Journal of Migration Studies

    ArticleDataCite

  5. An Intellectual on a Mission: Abdullah Jalal Fatah, his dissertation on Kurdish culture (1978) and heritage making inspired by Józef Chałasiński and Polish academia

    Joanna Bocheńska, Karwan Fatah-Black · 2021 · Kurdish Studies

    ArticleCrossref

  6. The making of Newroz: intangible cultural heritage and Kurdish ethnopolitical mobilisation

    Delal Aydin · 2026 · International Journal of Heritage Studies

    ArticleCrossrefCC-BY-4.0

  7. After decades spent gathering Kurdish literature and cultural artifacts for an “exile museum,” one man’s life’s work is under threat.

    2026 · Kurdish Exile Museum

    ArticleKurdish Exile Museum

  8. Kurdish-Sorani-Culture-A-Transmodal-Analysis

    Hemn Aghabawa · 2026 · Unpublished

    ArticleDataCite

  9. The Influence of Kurdish Culture on English-Kurdish Written Translation

    2023 · The 13th VESAL conference book of proceedings

    ArticleCrossref

  10. Humanising the Actors and Working through the Conflict: The Role of Kurdish Literary Narratives and Culture in the Reconciliation Process in Turkey

    Joanna Bocheńska · 2018 · International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV)

    ArticleDataCiteDOAJOpen access

  11. Exploring the perceptions of Kurdish EFL university students towards culture as the fifth language skill

    Omar Fouad Ghafor · 2020 · Studies in English Language and Education

    ArticleDOAJOpen access

  12. Kurdish and Arab views on folklore and the cultural dimension of heritage

    Unknown Author · 2026 · Journal of Raparin University

    ArticleCrossrefOpenAIRE

Sources, licences and fetch dates: Crossref (Metadata facts, any use; abstracts may be publisher-owned and are never shown), 2026-10-23; DataCite (CC0 1.0 (DataCite metadata)), 2026-10-23; DOAJ (Metadata CC0 1.0 (DOAJ); articles under their own open licences), 2026-10-23; Kurdish Exile Museum (Site feed; headline and link only), 2026-10-23; OpenAIRE (CC BY 4.0 (OpenAIRE Graph)), 2026-10-23; OpenAlex (CC0-1.0 data; metered API (free key)), 2026-10-23.

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