The Malik Mahmoud Museum, a Cultural Development Organization (CDO) project, has presented a rare British military photo album to Sulaimani University’s Kurdistan Center for Document and Academic Research. The collection features nearly 100 images from the 1920s documenting Sulaimani, Kirkuk, and Halabja, many seen by Kurdish researchers for the first time.
In a significant contribution to Kurdish historical scholarship, the Malik Mahmoud Museum has donated a valuable British military archive to the Kurdistan Center at Sulaimani University. The collection contains photographic documentation from a pivotal period in Kurdish history.
The archive, presented during a scholarly seminar, includes approximately 100 photographs dating back to the 1920s. These images capture the British Mandate period and military operations during the confrontations with Sheikh Mahmoud Barzanji’s governments in the Kurdistan region. The photographs specifically document life and events in Sulaimani, Kirkuk, and Halabja, offering unprecedented visual evidence of this transformative era.
Preserving Kurdish Historical Memory
Bakhtiar Ahmad Salih, president of the CDO, presented the collection during the seminar, detailing the meticulous process of retrieving the archive from Britain and the subsequent classification work. The images provide rare glimpses into military movements, civilian life, and the complex political landscape of 1920s Kurdistan under British administration.
A digital copy of the complete album has been entrusted to the Kurdistan Center’s digital archive, ensuring its preservation for future generations. This transfer makes the collection accessible to historians and researchers studying southern Kurdistan’s history, filling crucial gaps in the historical record.
Academic Recognition and Future Research
The seminar concluded with an engaging discussion where participants enriched the discourse with observations and insights about the archive’s historical significance. Dr. Azhi Azad, director of the Kurdistan Center, expressed profound gratitude to the CDO for this invaluable contribution, recognizing its importance for Kurdish historical scholarship and cultural preservation.
This donation represents a milestone in documenting Kurdish history, providing researchers with authentic primary sources from a critical period that shaped modern Kurdistan’s political and social landscape.
