In the 19th century, the village was the residence of a Naqshbandi Sheikh and his followers, now known as the Barzani tribe.

[4] In 1918, under the leadership of Agha Petros, the Assyrian volunteers stormed Barzan, and burned and looted the village.

In the early 20th century, the village had a conflict with the neighboring Bıradost tribe which necessitated intervention from Iraqi authorities.

[3] Barzan has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.

Winter nights average below freezing most of the time, providing frost in the city.