History of the Emergence of Printing in Sulaymaniyah

In this article, we will take a brief journey through the history of printing and the emergence of printing presses in Sulaymaniyah, highlighting the important role and impact of this profession.

There is no doubt that the introduction or establishment of the printing press in the city of Sulaymaniyah has had a massive impact on all cultural, social, literary, artistic, and even political spheres in Southern Kurdistan. Likewise, the history of our journalism is fundamentally tied to the arrival of the printing machine and the establishment of a printing press in Sulaymaniyah.

The printing of newspapers and books and their distribution among the public led to the preservation of the Kurdish language and literary manuscripts from destruction and loss. It spurred the development of the cultural sphere, the dissemination of science and knowledge, and a greater public awakening regarding the demand for their rights. When the printing press was established, the writers and intellectuals of that era gathered around it, published newspapers, and dedicated their writings and articles to Kurdish history, literature, language, and culture. They also broadcasted their varied thoughts and opinions, which over time collectively influenced different faces of culture, literature, and art, and eventually contributed to the formation of associations, organizations, and political parties in the subsequent years.

For example, the Zhiyan (Life) newspaper became a platform for publishing telegrams, letters, and the dissenting voices of the people of Kurdistan. It played a major role in organizing the protests of the people of Sulaymaniyah and is even considered a catalyst for the demonstration on September 6, 1930, in front of the Saray of Sulaymaniyah.

The First Printing Machine

Major Soane (Ely Banister Soane) brought the first printing machine to Sulaymaniyah and printed the first Kurdish newspaper in Kurdistan, named Peshkawtin (Progress), using this machine—which we will discuss later.

The printing press was a small, old German “Letterpress” machine that he brought from Basra to Sulaymaniyah. He rented the house of Faris Efendi, which was located opposite the house of Hama Awrahman Agha. From April 1920 to July 1922, he published 118 issues of the Peshkawtin newspaper. During this time, Soane's prominent role in paying attention to the Kurdish language became evident.

He taught the printing trade to three educated individuals: Sheikh Majid Sheikh Arif , Adib Aziz , and Muhammad Zuhdi . The newspapers Bangi Kurdistan (The Call of Kurdistan), Bangi Haq (The Call of Truth), Umedi Istiqlal (The Hope of Independence), and Zhiyanawa (Revival) were also printed on this press.

About Major Soane

First, it is important to introduce “Major Soane” to understand who he was, and how and for what purpose he carried out this work.

Soane was an English orientalist, traveler, and political officer. He was born on August 16, 1881, in Kingston, Britain, and graduated with honors from Cambridge University in 1898. From his early youth, he had a passion for learning Oriental languages. Therefore, in 1902, he visited Iran and was employed as an accountant at the Imperial Bank in Tehran. He later moved to the city of Shiraz, where he taught himself Persian.

To better establish himself, he falsely declared his conversion to Islam in 1905. He arrived in the Halabja and Sulaymaniyah regions disguised as a merchant, changing his name to "Mirza Ghulam Hussein Shirazi." He stayed in the house of Wasman Pasha Jaf for 6 months. He mingled extensively with the people, visiting every guest house ( diwakhana ), market, and mosque. It was often said that "Mirza Ghulam" would rather lose his head than miss a prayer. However, after Wasman Pasha grew suspicious of him and the truth was uncovered, he secretly left Kurdistan.

In 1906, he served as a bank manager in Kermanshah, where he learned the Kurdish language exceptionally well and gathered detailed information on the history, geography, and customs of the Kurdish people. He published all of this in a book titled To Mesopotamia and Kurdistan in Disguise in 1912.

During World War I (1914–1918), he returned to Iraq with the British army. With the help of Shukri Fazli, he published 67 issues of the newspaper Tegayshtini Rasti (Understanding the Truth) in Baghdad. After the collapse of Sheikh Mahmud's uprising in 1919, Soane became the direct governor of Sulaymaniyah. He died at sea aboard a ship on February 24, 1923, while returning to his country from medical treatment in Tunisia.

Major Soane's Objective

Although the British brought this printing press to Sulaymaniyah for their own interests and propaganda, "Soane" provided a great service to Kurdish language, literature, and journalism through it. He made the Kurdish language official and issued an order to write the city's name as "Sulaymaniyah" in Kurdish instead of the Arabic form. In the Peshkawtin newspaper, he announced a competition to purify the Kurdish language from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish words, establishing prizes for first, second, and third places. He also placed significant importance on Kurdish history and classical literature.

However, when "Major Soane" evacuated Sulaymaniyah, he took some employees and writers of the Peshkawtin newspaper with him to Kirkuk and removed a shaft (spindle/rod) from the printing press so that no one could operate it after they left. Moreover, the machine was already small and old, its letters were entirely worn out, and its operation had become slow and weak.

Thus, when a gunsmith named “Wasta Salih Sulaiman Jazhne” repaired it in two days, Sheikh Mahmud gave him 200 Rupees instead of the 60 Rupees he asked for. Due to the massive resonance of the newly reissued newspaper, Sheikh Mahmud decided to bring a new, larger printing press from Germany, but due to changing political circumstances, this plan did not succeed.

The Printing Press Employees

The Second Era: The Government of South Kurdistan (October 10, 1922 – March 3, 1923) They managed the printing press as follows:

• Sheikh Abdulmajid Sheikh Arif: Director of the Press.

• Muhammad Adib Aziz: Chief Typesetter.

• Muhammad Tawfiq: Typesetter.

• Muhammad Tayyib: Machinist (Press Operator).

When "Sheikh Mahmud's" relations with the British deteriorated, he evacuated Sulaymaniyah with his army on March 4, 1923, and headed toward the Surdash region. He took Major Soane's printing press with him and set it up inside the Jasana cave. On March 8, 1923, he printed the first issue of the newspaper Bangi Haq using that press. Later, when the Kurdistan Army, led by Sheikh Mahmud, evacuated the Surdash area and moved to “Piran” in the Penjwen district, he sent the printing press back to Sulaymaniyah and handed it over to the Municipality.

The Cultural Environment of Sulaymaniyah

Throughout the history of Sulaymaniyah, dating back to the era of the Baban Principality, alongside religious worship in the cells ( hujras ) and hospices ( khanaqas ) of mosques, great importance was placed on learning to read and write. This ensured that the cultural environment of Sulaymaniyah was highly suitable for the establishment of a printing press.

To prove this point, we cite two historical examples showing how highly they regarded the work of the printing press:

1. Ahmad Mukhtar Beg Jaf, in issue No. 3 of the Bangi Kurdistan newspaper on August 21, 1922 (pages 3–4), discusses the immense importance of the printing press. In praising it, he says:

"The cause of this nation's progress is that press. In truth, today it has beautified the land of Kurdistan."

2. On page 4, issue No. 13 of Roj-i Kurdistan , the names of a group of city personalities and merchants were published who collected between 8 to 20 Rupees for the purpose of buying a printing machine. At the end of their list of names, it was written:

"These esteemed individuals, whose names are written above, have exerted their honorable efforts to bring in a printing machine. We express our gratitude to them."

If we look closely at the list, it contains a variety of titles and names such as: Haji, Beg, Agha, Mullah, Sufi, Efendi, Butcher ( Qassab ), Grain seller ( Allaf ), Weaver ( Jola ), Kirkuki, Banayi, and names like Mikhail, Shamoun, Khawaja, and the sons of Sassoon Ishaq... etc. This indicates that professionals from all social classes, backgrounds, and diverse beliefs and religions were ready to cooperate on a project of this magnitude, fully understanding the significance and value of the printing machine.

As discussed, this was how printing presses first emerged in Sulaymaniyah. In the following years, there were several active printing presses in the city. In addition to meeting daily market needs—such as advertisements and receipts—all the books, documents, and newspapers of that era were printed in these presses. They included:

• Municipality Printing Press: As mentioned, after Sheikh Mahmud evacuated the Surdash area and moved to Penjwen, he sent the press back to Sulaymaniyah to the municipality. On August 18, 1924, the Zhiyanawa newspaper was printed there, continuing until 1926. Later, the Zhiyan newspaper was printed there with Husein Nazim serving as the director. After Nazim passed away in 1932, Piramerd became the director and rented the press from the municipality for 3 years.

• Zhin Printing Press: After the municipality refused to renew their contract, on October 16, 1938, Piramerd obtained the concession for the Zhin newspaper. He mortgaged his own house to fund the establishment of the printing press and printed his newspaper with it.

• Kamrani Printing Press: Established in 1959 by Muhammad Aziz Qaftan on Saywan Street. Sheikh Latif Qaradaghi handled the organizing and typesetting. It was shut down several times by the regime. Besides dozens of books, 18 issues of the Roji Nwe (New Day) magazine were printed here.

• Raperin Printing Press: Established in 1963 by lawyer “Abdulaziz Talibi” on Kawa Street. It was a Letterpress machine, and the Raperin newspaper was printed here in both Kurdish and Arabic.

• Zhin Printing Press (1968): This was the second printing press to bear this name, established by Nawshirwan Mustafa. The Rizgari magazine was printed here, and it operated until 1972.

• Kakai Falah Printing Press: Established in 1972 by Hama Amin Qadir “Kakai Falah”. Initially on Goran Street, it later moved to Piramerd Street. The famous novel Zhani Gal (The Agony of a People) is one of the books printed here.

• University of Sulaymaniyah Printing Press: Established on April 7, 1975. Teacher Amin Baldar was its first director, and Kamran Mukri served as the supervisor.

• Sarkawtin Printing Press: Established on November 27, 1979, by “Kamil Muhammad Aziz Qaftan” on Hamdi Street. Alongside dozens of books and booklets, the Sarkawtin calendar was printed here.

• Nawras Printing Press: Established in 1982 by Sheikh Nawras Ibrahim Hafid, the nephew of Sheikh Mahmud Hafid, on Kak Ahmadi Sheikh Street.

Unsung Heroes of the Printing Presses

Names of some of the employees, typesetters, and machinists who were like unknown soldiers behind these works: Sheikh Abdulmajid Sheikh Arif, Adib Aziz, Muhammad Zuhdi, Sheikh Latif Qaradaghi, Ahmad Shukri, Ahmadi Aziz Agha, Ahmad Mullah Muhammad, Salah Majid, Talib Muhammad, Khalil Amin, Fakhreddin Sheikh Rauf, Qadir Muhammad "Qadiri Allayi", Yusuf Abdullah Zirak, Hama Nawzad, Kamrani Mullah Aziz Sahaf, Omar Darwesh, Sheikh Hussein Daroghayi, Abdulrahman Salih, Majid Kasas, Hama Tahir, Omar Hama Saeed (known as Omar Offset, who worked in the Kamrani, Raperin, and Zhin Kakai Falah presses), Kamal Chalak... etc.

Sources:

• Three Newspapers from the Era of the Immortal Sheikh (1923–1924): Bangi Haq, Bangi Kurdistan, Umedi Istiqlal , Sidiq Salih and Dr. Kamal Fuad, prepared by: Rafiq Salih.

• History of Printing Presses in Sulaymaniyah City , Marif Nasraw (1920–2010), Publications of the Directorate of Printing and Publishing of Sulaymaniyah, 2012.

• An article by Dr. Salam Nawkhosh on Google titled Peshkawtin Newspaper: The First Kurdish Newspaper in Kurdistan .

• Chim Di (What I Saw), Ahmad Khawaja, Volumes (1–4), Third Edition, 2016, Prepared by: Sidiq Salih.

• -چاوی کورد.

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