The first Kurdish diploma in history was supposedly issued in Sulaimaniya, and the first four Kurdish newspapers in Iraq were published in Sulaimaniya. The city has experienced many dark periods in its history. In 1985, when Sadam Hussein was in power, more than 200 surrounding villages were reduced to rubble.

More than 90% of the Behdini speaking Kurds in Iraq are Sunni Muslim, but in reality most practice superstitious folk Islam. Some Northern Kurds are involved in the Yezidi religion, which is a complex pre-Islamic belief possibly related to Zoroastrianism.