By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj

Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 22 May 2026

Exiled, imprisoned, wounded, and betrayed, Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji transformed Sulaymaniyah into the center of one of the earliest Kurdish independence movements against British colonial rule in the Middle East.

 Explore the story of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, the Kurdish leader who rebelled against the British Mandate in Iraq, declared himself King of Kurdistan, and became a lasting symbol of Kurdish resistance and nationalism.

In the chaotic aftermath of the First World War, as the Ottoman Empire collapsed and European powers rushed to redraw the map of the Middle East, one Kurdish leader emerged as an early symbol of anti-colonial resistance: Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji.

Born in 1878 in Sulaymaniyah, Sheikh Mahmud became one of the most consequential Kurdish figures of the twentieth century. To the British, he was initially a useful intermediary who could stabilize the mountainous Kurdish regions after the collapse of Ottoman authority. To many Kurds, however, he became something much larger: a king, a rebel, and a symbol of Kurdish national aspiration.

His struggle against British rule would lay the foundations for modern Kurdish nationalism in Iraq and establish Sulaymaniyah as a historic center of Kurdish political resistance.

Britain’s Postwar Gamble in Kurdistan

Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, Britain occupied Mesopotamia and sought to consolidate control over what would eventually become modern Iraq. London faced a difficult challenge in Kurdistan: how to govern fiercely autonomous Kurdish territories without triggering large-scale rebellion.

British officials believed that indirect rule through local leaders would provide stability. Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji, a powerful religious and tribal authority from Sulaymaniyah, appeared to be the ideal candidate.

The British appointed him governor of Sulaymaniyah after the war, hoping he would cooperate with their administration and help integrate Kurdish regions into the new Iraqi political order being constructed under British supervision.

But Britain fundamentally misunderstood Kurdish political ambitions.

Many Kurds feared that British rule would ultimately hand power to Arab elites in Baghdad while denying Kurds autonomy or statehood. Sheikh Mahmud increasingly positioned himself not as a British administrator, but as a defender of Kurdish national rights.

What began as cooperation quickly transformed into confrontation.

The 1920 Kurdish Revolt Against Britain

By 1920, tensions exploded into open rebellion.

Using his authority in Sulaymaniyah, Sheikh Mahmud mobilized Kurdish fighters and launched an uprising against British control. His objective was not simply local autonomy; it was the creation of a Kurdish political entity independent from British domination and Arab rule from Baghdad.

The revolt became one of the earliest organized Kurdish uprisings against European colonial administration in the Middle East.

British forces responded aggressively. The rebellion was eventually crushed after Sheikh Mahmud was wounded in battle. He was captured by British authorities and exiled to India — a common imperial tactic used to isolate anti-colonial leaders from their local support bases.

Yet Britain’s victory proved temporary.

The suppression of the revolt deepened Kurdish hostility toward British rule and exposed the fragility of London’s strategy in northern Iraq.

Britain’s Strategic Fear and the Return of Sheikh Mahmud

The geopolitical environment soon changed dramatically.

Turkey, emerging from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, posed growing strategic concerns for Britain. London feared instability in Kurdish areas could create vulnerabilities along Iraq’s northern frontier.

British authorities concluded that direct rule over Kurdistan was unsustainable. Ironically, the same leader they had imprisoned now appeared necessary for restoring order.

Sheikh Mahmud was allowed to return to Kurdistan.

But instead of serving British interests, he escalated his challenge to imperial authority.

The Declaration of the Kingdom of Kurdistan

Upon his return, Sheikh Mahmud openly rejected the Anglo-Iraqi political arrangement designed by Britain. Refusing to accept subordination to Baghdad, he declared himself King of Kurdistan.

The move was revolutionary for its time.

At a moment when the Middle East was being partitioned by colonial powers through agreements like Sykes–Picot Agreement, Sheikh Mahmud attempted to establish Kurdish sovereignty on the ground.

His kingdom centered around Sulaymaniyah and represented one of the earliest modern Kurdish state-building efforts in Iraq.

The declaration alarmed Britain.

London feared that an independent Kurdish entity could destabilize Iraq, weaken British influence, and encourage broader nationalist movements across the region.

As a result, British policy shifted decisively against Kurdish independence.

The British Reversal on Kurdish Statehood

In 1923, Britain withdrew any serious support for Kurdish autonomy or participation in shaping Iraq’s political future.

For many Kurdish nationalists, this moment became a historic betrayal.

Despite earlier discussions about Kurdish self-determination after World War I, Britain ultimately prioritized the territorial unity of Iraq and the strategic interests of the British Empire over Kurdish aspirations.

Sheikh Mahmud continued resisting British authority, but the balance of power had turned against him.

By 1924, British forces once again arrested him and exiled him — this time to Baghdad.

The Kingdom of Kurdistan collapsed, but the political memory it created survived.

The Legacy of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji

Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji died on October 9, 1956, but his legacy remains deeply embedded in Kurdish political consciousness.

To many Kurds, he represents one of the first leaders in modern Iraqi Kurdistan to openly challenge colonial rule and demand Kurdish sovereignty. His resistance predated many later Kurdish nationalist movements and helped define the political identity of Kurdish struggles throughout the twentieth century.

His revolts also revealed a recurring pattern in Kurdish history: major powers repeatedly engaging Kurdish actors tactically while denying long-term Kurdish statehood when strategic priorities shifted.

That historical memory continues to influence Kurdish political thinking today — not only in Iraq, but across the wider Kurdish regions of the Middle East.

In modern Sulaymaniyah, Sheikh Mahmud remains more than a historical figure. He is remembered as the king who dared to challenge an empire at the height of its power.

Why Sheikh Mahmud Still Matters Today

The story of Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji is not merely a historical episode. It reflects enduring geopolitical questions that continue to shape the Middle East:

• The unresolved issue of Kurdish self-determination
• The legacy of colonial border-making after World War I
• The tension between centralized states and ethnic nationalism
• The strategic use — and abandonment — of Kurdish alliances by global powers

More than a century later, the Kurdish question remains one of the region’s most consequential unresolved political issues.

And long before modern Kurdish parties and administrations emerged, Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji had already attempted to answer that question with a declaration that still echoes across Kurdish history:

Kurdistan should govern itself.

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