The Kurdistan Center for Documentation and Academic Research is a research institution affiliated with Sulaimani University and the Ministry of Higher Education. Its primary goal is to focus on five key areas of historical documentation:
Kurdistan Manuscripts
Establishment of a physical and digital library
Archival sales and research activities
This center was founded under ministerial decree No. 368, dated March 26, 2018, with the support of Dr. Yousef Goran, the former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. On April 15, 2018, under university decree No. 7/3/3, Dr. Reza Hassan Hussein, the Rector of Sulaimani University, officially launched the project. Dr. Hardi Mahdi Mika served as the first director of the initiative. The center was inaugurated on August 12, 2018, by Mr. Gubad Talabani, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Thanks to the direct support from Sulaimani University and the Ministry, the center has successfully published thousands of manuscripts, documents, books, and scholarly research.
Objectives of the Center
Documentation: Preserve and collect both domestic and international documents, with a particular focus on Kurdish journalism archives.
Oral History Collection: Record and preserve the unwritten, contemporary history of Kurdish culture through oral history.
Kurdistan Manuscripts: Gather, preserve, classify, and introduce Kurdish manuscripts.
Library Development: Create both physical and digital libraries containing written, visual, and audio materials related to the above areas.
Research and Academic Activities: Conduct research through conferences, scientific journals, and publications.
Publishing and Translating: Publish and translate books focusing on Kurdish history and society, with an emphasis on Kurdish manuscripts and documents.
Cultural Preservation: Revive and preserve both the written and oral heritage of Kurdistan, focusing on documenting various stages of its history.
Oral History as a Source: Organize and develop processes for recording contemporary Kurdish history, particularly through oral histories.
Academic Collaboration: Establish partnerships with academic departments in Kurdistan’s universities, such as History, Archaeology, Sociology, Geography, Islamic Studies, and Social Sciences, to conduct joint research projects.
Research Focus Areas: Specialize in documenting, publishing, and conducting research in the following areas:
The political and liberation movements in Kurdistan.
Proceedings from the Kurdistan Parliament.
Social history of Kurdistan, both written and oral.
The Center also has a dedicated archival and search software that helps organize and classify documents, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, maps, books, newspapers, magazines, and academic research, with advanced search features.
Departments at the Center
Manuscripts, Documents, and Oral History Department
This department houses hundreds of original and digital Kurdish manuscripts sourced from various regions of Kurdistan and from renowned global archives. These manuscripts have been brought into the center through dedicated efforts.
As of December 1, 2019, the center houses over 200,000 documents, including:
50,000 original documents from Kurdistan, especially related to the liberation movement and social affairs.
60,000 documents in Arabic.
40,000 documents in Persian.
40,000 documents in Turkish (Ottoman).
10,000 documents in English.
Of these, around 8,000 have been classified and identified, with the registration of the remaining documents ongoing.
Research and Publication Department
This department handles the research, preparation, and evaluation of books, manuscripts, and other scholarly works. It also manages the dissemination of documents and manuscripts to researchers for study and publication purposes.
Oral History Department
This department focuses on recording contemporary Kurdish history through oral archives, which include interviews, photographs, and the testimonies of key figures and participants in significant events such as the Kurdistan Liberation Movement, the Kurdish genocide, the Iran-Iraq War, and issues related to borders, Peshmerga forces, and social life in Kurdistan.
Additionally, the department collects and organizes photographic archives of Kurdistan’s regions, digitizes them, and publishes them in both print and digital formats.
Kurdistan Central Library
Within a year of its establishment, the library has accumulated over 958 titles, including:
369 books in Kurdish,
268 books in Arabic,
301 books in Persian, and
22 books in other languages.
The library also contains an extensive collection of Iraqi and Kurdish newspapers and magazines, including those in Persian, Kurdish, and Arabic.
The digital archive includes 66 Iraqi magazines, 282 Iraqi newspapers from the monarchy era until 1979, and 126 Arabic dictionaries, which are available to researchers for academic work.
Documentation: Preserve and collect both domestic and international documents, with a particular focus on Kurdish journalism archives.
Oral History Collection: Record and preserve the unwritten, contemporary history of Kurdish culture through oral history.
Kurdistan Manuscripts: Gather, preserve, classify, and introduce Kurdish manuscripts.
Library Development: Create both physical and digital libraries containing written, visual, and audio materials related to the above areas.
Research and Academic Activities: Conduct research through conferences, scientific journals, and publications.
Publishing and Translating: Publish and translate books focusing on Kurdish history and society, with an emphasis on Kurdish manuscripts and documents.
Cultural Preservation: Revive and preserve both the written and oral heritage of Kurdistan, focusing on documenting various stages of its history.
Oral History as a Source: Organize and develop processes for recording contemporary Kurdish history, particularly through oral histories.
Academic Collaboration: Establish partnerships with academic departments in Kurdistan’s universities, such as History, Archaeology, Sociology, Geography, Islamic Studies, and Social Sciences, to conduct joint research projects.
Research Focus Areas: Specialize in documenting, publishing, and conducting research in the following areas:
The political and liberation movements in Kurdistan.
Proceedings from the Kurdistan Parliament.
Social history of Kurdistan, both written and oral.