The University of Sulaimani, founded in Sulaymaniyah on October 23, 1968 pursuant to the Iraqi law No. 143, is the oldest public university in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its foundation was decided after negotiations between Kurdish delegates from Kurdish political leadership and officials in the Iraqi government of the time.
On April 24, 1974, the University of Sulaimani’s campus in Qaladiza was bombed, and as a result a number of students were martyred.
To punish Sulaymaniyah’s courageous people for their constant strife against the Ba’ath Regime's unjust rule, the University of Sulaimani was moved to Erbil (Hawler) by force in 1981.