ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdish leaders on Saturday marked the 242nd anniversary of Sulaimani’s founding, congratulating the people of the city and highlighting its contribution to Kurdish culture, literature and national history.

Sulaimani, the Kurdistan Region’s second-largest city, was founded on November 14, 1784, by Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha, who named it after his father, Sulaiman Pasha.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani marked the occasion in a statement, congratulating “all loyal and patriotic Kurdistanis” and describing Sulaimani as “the city of struggle and sacrifice.”

“The beloved citizens of Sulaimani deserve more services, freedom, progress, stability, and peace,” he wrote on X.

President Masoud Barzani also congratulated the people of Sulaimani, describing it as “an important part of the history, identity, and national struggle of the people of Kurdistan.”

“This city has always been, and will remain, a wellspring of national thought and sentiment, intellectualism, and heritage,” he said, wishing the city “lasting peace and prosperity.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also extended his “warmest congratulations” to Sulaimani’s residents, describing it as “the center of literature and art, the capital of culture,” in a post on X.

“Sulaimani has always been a center of innovation and struggle of the Kurdish people. I wish more development, prosperity, and peace to Sulaimani and the whole of Kurdistan,” he added.

Located in the eastern part of the Kurdistan Region, Sulaimani is surrounded by the Azmar, Goizha, and Qaiwan mountains to the northeast. It is known as the cultural capital of the Kurdistan Region and is recognized by UNESCO as a City of Literature.