, King of
Simurrum. It dates back to the
Old Babylonian Period. From
Qarachatan Village,
Slemani Governorate,
Iraqi Kurdistan. Located in the
Slemani Museum, Iraq. The region of Slemani was known as
Zamwa prior to the foundation of the modern city in 1784. The capital of the
Kurdish Baban principality (1649–1850), before Slemani, was a territory named "Qelaçiwalan". At the time of the Babani's rule there were major conflicts between the
Safavid dynasty and the
Ottoman Empire. Qelaçiwalan became a battleground for the two rivals. In 1783,
Ibrahim Baban became ruler of the emirate and began the reconstruction of a city which once constructed by
Ottoman Sultan Sulayman (the name of Sulaymaniyah came from his name) new city which would become its capital. In 1784 he finished erecting a number of palaces for trade called
Qeyserîs and bazaars, which were also used as baths, and began inviting people from the surrounding villages and emirates to move to the newly established city. Soon Melkendî, which was originally intended to be the city itself, instead became one of its quarters. Haji Aziz Bey Aghal Dwanze Swarey Meriwane Jawamer Agha Rangena is not to be confused with the
royal and
aristocratic Jwamer Agha, although they share family ties through marriage. He was the
billionaire Bey of the noble and aristocratic Kurdish Noori-Aghal family, who founded the city of Slemani in collaboration with
Ibrahim Pasha Baban and Azim Beg. Ibrahim Pasha Baban invited Haji to help build Slemani, and together, they founded the city of Sarkarez. Haji Aziz Bey Aghal was the first individual to establish a cemetery in Slemani, using his land, which had originally been designated for
sumac cultivation. Aghal asserted that he had no intention of generating profit, stating that his personal wealth was sufficient to support the impoverished. He further demonstrated his altruistic nature by opening the doors of his
palace, allowing the poor to take whatever they needed. He provided them with
nuts,
chicken,
rice, and other food items that were typically consumed by the aristocracy of his era. Additionally, he constructed the first bridge in Slemani, testing its stability by riding his
horse across it. He expressed indifference to his own safety, stating that if he were to perish due to the bridge's collapse, it would serve as a testament to its inadequacy and raise awareness among the citizens. He also built the first
mosque in Slemani, which is currently in poor condition, but has "Aghal" written on its walls. The house was later sold and converted into a car park by the buyer, a decision that drew criticism from many older Kurds who had known him and disapproved of the change. Despite his death, Haji Aziz Bey Aghal is still highly respected as a nobleman. Many peasants offered to convert to his religion for his actions, but he refused, stating that he did not need any recognition and was content with everything he had. He was also offered royal titles, but he turned them down. His wife, the noblewoman Princess Fatima
Khanum, sold all her
gold including her belongings to support her husband in saving hundreds of thousands of peasants with his wealth during the
First World War. For their acts of charity, they are buried together in a sacred private grave on the sumac farm. According to Jewish tradition, Sulaiman Baban emphasized the importance of a town having Jewish residents for its completeness. A mission was then sent to
Qaradagh, a town with a thriving Jewish community, and surrounding villages. The Jews of Qaradagh responded by sending the first group of Jewish inhabitants to Sulaymaniyah. From 1922 to 1924, Slemani was the capital of the
Kingdom of Kurdistan, a short-lived
unrecognized state declared by
Iraqi Kurds following the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire. ==Demographics==