Sulaymāniyyah, Al-

Al-Sulaymāniyyah, city and muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northeastern Iraq, one of three governorates making up the Kurdistan region.

The city, which is the capital of Al-Sulaymāniyyah governorate, lies on the Tānjarō River and on the lower slopes of the Azmar Dāgh range. It experiences severe temperature extremes in summer and winter. The city was founded in 1781 by a local ruler, who named it for the then pasha of Baghdad. Al-Sulaymāniyyah is a trade centre for local farm products, and through it passes trade between Baghdad and Tabrīz, Iran. Most of the inhabitants are Kurds, and it is a centre of Kurdish nationalism.

Al-Sulaymāniyyah governorate, which is entirely mountainous, lies on the Iranian border and is part of the historic region of Kurdistan. Tobacco, fruits, and cereals are grown, and livestock raising is important. There is a tobacco-processing plant in Al-Sulaymāniyyah built since the 1974 Law of Autonomy. The University of Sulaymāniyyah opened in 1968 with instruction in Kurdish, Arabic, and English. It has faculties in engineering, agriculture, the arts, science, and medicine. A technical institute for medical technology was founded in 1973. In the late 1970s the governorate had several hospitals, health centres, and branch health clinics. The governorate was the scene of much fighting between rival Kurdish factions and Iraqi government troops following the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War. Area governorate, 6,121 square miles (15,852 square km). Pop. (2003 est.) city, 825,000; governorate, 2,159,800.