Slemani, founded in 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban, who named it after his father, Sleman Pasha, has always been the center of great historians, politicians, journalists, scholars, artists, singers, poets and writers such as Nali, Mahwi, Bekas and Piramerd. The city is the largest in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with a population of 2,486,486 citizens and a total territory of 21,071 km2. Alongside
arts and culture, its primary industries are agriculture, education, healthcare,
and tourism, with developing fields of manufacturing and renewable energy.
Kashkul, with Slemani Governor, its Directorate of Culture, and major literary stakeholders in the city applied to designate Slemani as UNESCO’s Creative City of Literature. On October 31, 2019, UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network welcomed Slemani into a global network of 246 cities. The network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. The Creative Cities are working together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.
Dr. Haval Abubaker, Governor of Slemani, welcomed Dr. Hawre Hosseini, an AI expert based in Canada, and Mr. Ibrahim Alipoor, a renowned international Kurdish photographer.
Dr. Haval Abubaker, the Governor of Slemani, received the board members of the Birmingham Kurdish Film Festival (BKFF) at the Governorate. The delegation consisted of
In commemoration of Dr. Jemal Nabez’s birthday. The Jemal Nabez Cultural Organization Inside the Jemal Nabez Museum, in the presence of various literary and academic
On November 29–30, the General Directorate of Culture and Art in Slemani organized the first scientific forum on cultural policy under the slogan “Culture as
In the presence of Mr. Hama Hama Saeed, Minister of Culture and Youth; and under the supervision and initiative of Dr. Mohsin Adib, Director General
As part of the first edition of the Québec International Poetry Festival , which will take place from March 5 to 7, 2026, we invite
