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Kurdish mountains alive with weddings in
Iraqi Kurdistan
25.8.2007
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August
25, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region (Iraq), --
Unlike elsewhere in Iraq where couples find it hard
to celebrate weddings, such ceremonies are being
observed with gusto in picturesque Kurdistan -
Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Duhok - because of its
stable security situation.
Couples planning to wed in Kurdistan, especially in
Kurdistani capital of Erbil, choose to set the
ceremonies on the mountain heights of Bekhal and
Shaqlawa, and also in public gardens especially the
modern, well-designed gardens of Sami Abdul Rahman
near the Kurdistan Parliament.
Mina Abdul Hameed, a bride, told Gulf News: "What
distinguishes my wedding ceremony from others is
simplicity and attachment to nature.
"I decided to set my wedding on the slopes of Bekhal
mountains and it is a wonderful area ... we have a
comfortable atmosphere and have great pleasure. For
me this is the [best place to wed]." |
Kurdish women dance at a wedding party in
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region (Iraq) |
Open air parties
In weddings in Erbil, women and men dance and sing
Kurdish, Iraqi and other traditional Arabic songs,
and distribute drinks, sweets and cakes.
The groom sits encircled by male guests while the
bride sits on the ground in her white wedding dress
surrounded by women guests.
The groom later joins the bride in a single circle
of friends and the couple eventually leaves for
their house or a hotel for honeymoon.
Mohammad Shaker, a groom, told Gulf News: "Choosing
to wed in the foothills and slopes of the mountains
or in public gardens like Sami Abdul Rahman's
gardens has nothing to do with the economical
aspects.
"Wedding ceremonies are set in public areas
especially in summer and spring, unlike winter when
wedding ceremonies take place indoors. This is how
things go in Kurdistan."
He added: "I am a Kurd from Baghdad. I decided to
flee to Erbil to live and work. I was engaged [when
I fled] and set my wedding ceremony amid this
magnificent landscape and scenes, which are very
much similar to European landscapes."
The government of Kurdistan is planning to develop
the mountainous areas through tourism by entrusting
the areas with private companies who in turn engage
expatriate labourers to clean and spruce up the
areas visited by people.
There are plans to attract Arab and foreign
investors to establish tourism facilities in Dukan,
Sarsank, Shaqlawa, Sulaf, Bekhal and Ali Gali Bek.
Some sources in Erbil estimate that Kurdistan needs
$3 to 4 billion (about Dh11 to 14 billion) in the
next five years to develop its tourism industry.
* Since 1991, the Kurds of Iraq achieved self-rule
in part of the country. Today's teenagers are the
first generation to grow up under Kurdish rule. In
the new Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as
Kurdistan region. Kurdistan region has all the
trappings of an independent state -- its own
constitution, its own parliament, its own flag, its
own army, its own border, its own border patrol, its
own national anthem, its own education system, its
own International airports, even its own stamp inked
into the passports of visitors.
gulfnews com
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