126 years since the birth of the first Kurdish newspaper

ARK News… Today, April 22, 2024, marks the 126th anniversary of the publication of the first Kurdish newspaper called “Kurdistan” by Prince Miqdad Medhat Badirkhan in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in 1898.

The publication of the first issue of the newspaper represented an important turning point on the political, cultural and social scene.

The first issue was published in the Kurdish language, in the "Kurmancî" dialect, and in Arabic letters. It was published twice a month and on four pages, and 31 issues were issued over four years, with intermittent numbers, until 1902.

The first three issues of the newspaper were printed in the Egyptian Dar al-Hilal Press, and the fourth and fifth issues were printed in the Kurdistan Press owned by the Kurdish cultural figure Sheikh Faraj Allah Zaki al-Kurdi in Cairo.

The other issues were printed outside Egypt due to the pressure exerted by the Ottoman authorities to close the newspaper. Its headquarters were moved to the city of Geneva in Switzerland, and issues 6-19 were issued.

After Kurdistan Press returned to its headquarters in Cairo, it issued issues 20-23, while issue 24 was printed in the British capital, London.

Issues 25-29 were printed in Wolke stone, and issues 30 and 31 were printed in Geneva again.

In 2021, the Kurdistan Parliament designated April 22 of each year as Kurdish Press Day.

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