SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The city of Sulaimani marks the 236th anniversary of its founding on Saturday amid coronavirus outbreak across the Kurdistan Region.
The city was founded by Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban on Nov. 14, 1784, who named the city after his father, Sulaiman Pasha.
The ambition Kurdish prince had spent years studying in the vibrant cities of Baghdad and Istanbul. He had brought with him dreams of building a Kurdish city just like the most sophisticated cities of the Persian and Ottoman empires he had left behind.
The city was established in the mountainous region described. It is surrounded by the Azmar, Goizha and Qaiwan mountains to the northeast, Baranan to the south and the Tasluja Hills to the west.
In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Sulaimani as a creative city.
Authorities in Sulaimani did not carry out any activities to celebrate the anniversary due to the coronavirus outbreak in the Region.
In a tweet, Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani congratulated residents of the city on the occasion of the founding of Sulaimani.
“Happy 236th anniversary to the city of cities, the city of struggle and sacrifice, the city of vitality! Slemani,” Talabani tweeted.
As of Friday, the Kurdistan Region had recorded 88,456 COVID-19 cases, of which 2,788 died and 54,458 recovered, according to the health ministry’s figures.
