Zheen Centre for Documentation and Research

Overview

The Zheen Centre for Documentation and Research (Kurdish: بنکەی ژین; also known as the Zheen Archival and Research Centre) is a non-governmental, non-profit archival institution in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is one of the most significant repositories for Kurdish social, political, and cultural history, and one of the largest archival repositories in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Centre collects, preserves, organizes, and provides access to resources pertaining to Kurds and Kurdistan, including documents, manuscripts, journals, books, photographs, and oral history materials.

History and Founding

The Zheen Centre was established in Sulaymaniyah to address the urgent need to document and preserve Kurdish historical and cultural heritage. Following the 1991 uprising in Kurdistan-Iraq, large public records from the Ottoman period through 1991 were collected by local authorities, and the Centre has since worked to assess, preserve, and digitize these endangered materials. The Centre has collaborated with international institutions including the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme, the University of Exeter, and the Nahrein Network (University College London) on digitization and research projects.

Collections and Holdings

The Zheen Centre has assembled a comprehensive collection of endangered Kurdish newspapers, magazines, hundreds of rare books, manuscripts, and historically and culturally significant materials. Its holdings include over 700,000 culturally significant photographs and valuable personal archives of Kurdish and Iraqi intellectuals, including those of Tawfiq Wahbi (1891–1984), a prominent Kurdish writer, linguist, and politician. The Centre also holds approximately 35 tons of Kurdish public records from the Ottoman, British colonial, and Hashemite Iraqi eras that required systematic evaluation, preservation, and digitization. The thematic and regional scope prioritizes Greater Kurdistan, Iran, the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, and Islam and Islamic history.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

Among the most significant holdings are endangered Kurdish newspapers and periodicals from the early to mid-twentieth century, including reprinted collections of publications such as Rozi Kurd (1913), Bangi Kurd (1914), Galawezh (1939–1949), and other journals that represent foundational texts of Kurdish journalism and intellectual publishing. These materials are of exceptional rarity and form a critical archive of Kurdish-language media history.

Access and Usage

The Centre provides access to local and international scholars, students, and researchers. A growing online catalogue is accessible to users worldwide. Physical access is available at the Centre's premises in Sulaymaniyah. The Centre has worked with international institutions on digitization projects to expand remote access to its holdings.