ERBIL — Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad, Iranian Kurdistan, which was soon destroyed by the Iranian government.

The republic was established by Qazi Mohammad, Mulla Mustafa Barzani and several other nationalist figures of Kurdistan who hoped to create a state where the Kurds will feel finally home.

The Republic of Kurdistan continued for only 11 months before the Iranian government and world powers, once again, stood against the Kurdish wish for self-determination.

It ended on 15 December 1946, but left a landmark effect on the regional politics, reminding the entire region of the Kurdish legitimate right to hold and govern their own land.

Every year on this day, Kurds in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, as well as around the world, celebrate the first-ever republic of Kurdistan despite the short life it had.

Since the capital of the Republic of Kurdistan was the city of Mahabad and it, at that time, included a small area in today’s Iran, it is often referred to as the Republic of Mahabad.

Bas News