Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) was a renowned Kurdish Jewish woman who lived in Mosul, Iraq. Her writings demonstrate her mastery of Hebrew, Torah, Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalah.

She is considered the first female rabbi of Jewish history by some scholars; additionally, she is the oldest recorded female Kurdish leader in history.

Barzani was given the title Tanna’it, a rare honor for a Jewish woman. The title of Tanna'it, and her role as head of a yeshiva or rabbinical school, is not equivalent to being a rabbi, and hence she is regarded as a rare example of a female Rabbinical Teacher (but not an actual rabbi which equals a judge) in pre-20th century traditional Judaism.

Source: Wikipedia