According to ibn al-Athir, the Arabic name "ʿAmadiyya" is eponymous to Imad al-Din Zengi, who built a Citadel in 1142 on the site of an earlier fortification called āšib.

[6] From the Early Bronze Age until it came under the control of the Mitanni in the 16th century BC, Amedi region was part of Kurda and it was entirely inhabited by Subartu, which did not speak a Semitic language.

[15] eventually it became an integral part of Sasanian Empire in the district of Adiabene until it was conquered by the Muslims in 640s, after they defeated the Kurds in Tikrit, Mosul and Saharzor.

There are ruins of the Qubahan School in Amedi which was founded during the region of Sultan Hussein Wali of Bahdinan(1534-1576) AD for the study of Islamic Sciences.

One of the icons of the city is the Great Mosque of Amedi, which dates back to the 12th century and the oldest and largest in the region.

The dictionary is a key work because it represents the first study of the Kurdish grammar and language; for this reason, Garzoni is often called the “father of Kurdology”.