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In the historical town of Shaqlawa, nestled in the autonomous Kurdish Region of Iraq, a centuries-old lodge continues to protect some of the rarest handwritten artifacts in the region, including a nearly 700-year-old poem by Seljuk-era poet Enveri and books printed during the Ottoman Empire for Sultan Abdulaziz.
Located in the Hiran district of Shaqlawa, the Hiran Lodge (Tekke) holds immense religious and historical importance, with a legacy spanning over four centuries. Despite suffering damage during the Iraqi regime’s military campaigns in 1961 and 1987, caretakers have managed to preserve what remains of these precious artifacts.
Among the most notable pieces in the collection is a single remaining page from a book of poetry written by Enveri, a renowned poet from the Seljuk Empire. Compiled in 1297 (Hijri 696), the manuscript was nearly destroyed during a bombardment by the Iraqi regime. The rescued page contains Persian quatrains, offering a rare glimpse into the literary heritage of the era.
"This manuscript is one of the oldest known in the Kurdish Region," said Hana Kaki Hiran, the lodge’s caretaker. "It survived great destruction, and we store it in a special library room to protect it."
Hiran detailed how an attack by the Iraqi government in 1961 targeted the Hiran area, with one rocket striking the lodge directly and incinerating many documents and manuscripts. Further bombardments in 1987 dealt additional blows to the archive, reducing the number of surviving texts even further.
Despite these attacks, some manuscripts remain intact, offering insights into the region’s spiritual and literary history. One such piece, written in 1731, includes a 6-meter-long document that mentions both the Hiran family and the influential Islamic scholar Abdulkadir Geylani.
The lodge also holds several rare books printed during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz, approximately 170 years ago. These works, written in Ottoman Turkish, focus on grammar, rhetoric, and Islamic jurisprudence. They are carefully preserved alongside Turkish, Persian, and Arabic poetry collections.
"This lodge was a hub of learning and religion for the region, and we take pride in preserving its legacy," Hiran said.
Tweet: In Iraq’s Erbil, a 400-year-old lodge preserves a 1297 manuscript from poet Enveri and books printed for Sultan Abdulaziz
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