Humans of Kurdistan
The "Humans Of Kurdistan" project aims to present the cultural diversity of the country. A look at the faces but also the stories that lie behind each of them.

December 1, 2020

“I am from Rayati village in Balakayaty area so they often call me by Zrar Rayati. I have been singing Hairan since 1973, and because I enjoy singing, I do it for free on many occasions and events so many people also recognize me by Zrar Hairan. In 1986 while I was singing in a wedding, I saw a girl and I wanted to marry her. We are now married. That experience affected me so much that even now I go back to that same spot every time I sing in a wedding. Love is very precious, and because my love for my wife is so genuine, and that's why I believe it's precious. I'm always baffled by how people can get in love several times because I always say that falling in love happens only once, when it happens more it'll lose its value.” ...

December 1, 2020

“I've wanted to have my own business for a long time and make my own money, even if it has a small income. I have always been involved in arts. I have a friend who was an artist and was making dream catchers, for two years of our friendship she knew that I really liked learning from her, but after practicing for several times I was failing at making a good one. Then I started learning on the internet and was getting better. I slowly started making necklaces for my relatives, and then taught my sister as well so we expanded the business. After one year of experience, we started marketing on Instagram and created a page called Palka. I was extremely happy because in a short time I was able to have a good income and send out a good number of handmade products.” ...

November 30, 2020

“I have worked in different fields, making aluminum doors, being a black smith, and now selling ceramic. My job is risky while going from Jzire region to Furat region afraid of Turkish airstrikes. The worst of my days are when I go home from work and I see either my father or mother sick. During the war I have lost a friend and one of my cousins as well. However, the worst one was losing the girl that I loved unilaterally for five years, they informed me that she had gotten married. I was left alone and I'm still depressed about those days, but despite all that I continue living my life hoping that brighter days are coming.” ...

November 29, 2020

“After I left school in 9th grade, I started to become a barber, but because I wasn't taking money from my friends and less fortunate people, my father asked me to leave the job because I was mostly working for free. I started fixing sewing machines after a while. I taught myself, and it took me a short amount of time because I already knew how to sew and I used to fix my machine by myself. I became better and better day by day. Nowadays no one really does this job in Qamishli, because the machines aren't used anymore, there are now advanced machines used in factories. These machines are more used in a household because of their lack of speed, and a lot of times people bring them for fixing, but I don't charge them because they don't have the money. My children don't know how to fix machines, they like education, they like science.” ...

November 28, 2020

“Fear is a natural thing that everyone experiences, but my feelings of fear are for my society. The pandemic had put a great uncertainty in our people's lives as well as the world. I in part, am also afraid because of people's bad situations. Furthermore, people's financial situations are getting worse day by day, and that worries me. The happiest moments of my life were when I used to see people having fun, or when I used to see the girls of my country singing Newroz songs on the stage freely.” ...

November 28, 2020

“When winter starts to come, women from the village have to account for next seasons food despite all the tiredness. One of the authentic Kurdish food is Trkhena, that is served in cold harsh days of the winter. It is also served to special guests that come to our house. Our kids don't really like it, but it's very tasty to us. A lot of the times our guests give us a phone call before they come, and they say that they'll come under the condition of serving them Trkhena. Many women in the village make it for sale, you can buy a portion for IQD 1,000.” ...

November 27, 2020

“As an only girl in Sarkapkan town, I decided to go to Sports institute, this was unacceptable for a lot of people because the people from my town are closed minded and they were telling me that sports are not for girls. However, with the support of my family I started playing in 2006. After graduating from institution I decided to go further until I was noticed by several clubs, and I've played for several of them in Iraq and Kurdistan. I was also a part of the Iraqi's under 23 team to participate in Asia's tournament in Vietnam, but I couldn't go due to some personal reasons. There has been a lot of ups and downs in my career, but the worst thing that's happened was the death of my coach. It shook me inside out because all of my experience and achievements were due to my coach, he always supported me.” ...

November 26, 2020

“One day, with our family's stress, and the crying of a lover, along with 8 other people we went to Gunbadi Caus city to join the military. I was going to bed every night having my girlfriend and her kiss, and my city in mind. That dark day we went back very tired to watch the TV reporting that Baghdad airplanes have bombarded Sardasht city. We did not know what to do. After two day of begging, we were able to go to Sardasht. After one and a night on the road, we arrived at Sardasht, and the city was not the same green city that we had left. A creepy silence had come over the city's trees and sky, it was a foggy place. My father was very sad that I had come back, but he did not know that I had left my girlfriend in the city of blood and death and smoke. The girlfriend that I was exchanging poems with every night from her second floor window. A stranger in my own city, all that I cared about was her. I used to check every wounded and dead to see if it was her.” “After 5 days I collected my stuff and left a populated cemetery behind for a green Gunbadi Caus city. Now when I write these lines after 33 years, I'm holding my tears back, but there is a cry in my throat. Bitter memories come and go through my mind. After two months of returning, she was more loyal than I was. Once again, the window on the second floor, Kurdish clothes and a well known perfume, but unfortunately, coughing, oxygen tank and sickness became our reason to cry. Four years of continuous talking from the window, oxygen tank, coughing and eye contact. One night, God and people became the witness of the destruction of the castle of my hopes and dreams as well as hers. We carried here to her burial in the morning. 33 years passed without her, and I'm still suffering.” ...

November 25, 2020

“I have had drawing talent since I was a kid, I used to draw on school desks and my books at home. I really loved Art class, I used to show off my talent and the teacher appreciated it. They even asked me to prepare some paintings for our gallery in the school, and being different from the other kids made me try to develop myself more. In the beginning, I was drawing just for fun and had no plans in becoming a skilled painter and make paintings a part of my life. However, when I was fourteen, I came across a video showing how art is used in video games and how the characters are created and details are added, and I was really intrigued. From this point on, my life changed. I decided to create video game characters with great details. I have even thought about creating a short animation movie.” ...

November 24, 2020

“I was only seven when I started learning to work on copper from my father, I really liked it. When I used to go back home from school, I used to go immediately to worm with my father. He taught me everything, and I didn't stop after he was gone. We used you make designs on plates of copper, glass, iron and wood. For me, Shahmaran designs looks the best, and I started with Shahmaran as well when I first learned designing. Shahmaran is particularly important among women, when they were getting married, they used to draw Shahmaran on their heads for good luck. There used to be Shahmaran designs on doors and walls, but it doesn't exist as much anymore. Through my work, I try to put life to Shahmaran again, by designing it on copper, glass, iron, rocks and wood. What we do is slowly dying day by day, but I have taught my children to do the same work, and my son works with me as well. I hope this work continues and doesn't die out.” ...

November 23, 2020

“I see cooking as art, and it gives me a great joy, it's not just a day job for me. I can say that I've been fairly successful in it, I've been invited to a lot of important events to cook. When I first started cooking, I was a student so I had to study as well. It was a bit difficult because I didn't want to do it just for the money, but I had to learn as well because it became like an education to me. I remember one day I was practicing on Pizza dough and I was throwing it in the air, and a girl came up to me and complimented me for what I did. It was the first time anyone had said something nice about my cooking so I completely forgot about the dough and it fell right on my face. I was so embarrassed that I sat down and didn't look up again.” ...

November 22, 2020

“Since I was born my ears have been filled with (Lawk w Hairan) singing and (Nay) music because one of my grandfathers was always singing and my other grandfather was always playing the Nay. At a young age, I was getting annoyed by hearing music and singing, but I really wanted to learn to play music. I started learning Santur at the age of 11 and after a while a started learning Persian music scales. Once I started learning the Persian music scales and forms, then I started appreciating how rich the Kurdish music is. Soon I stopped caring about Persian music and started working on Kurdish music. I have been researching on folklore in all of Kurdistan, especially Kurdish Mugham. I believe that one day we will collect all kinds of Kurdish Mughams such as Bait, Hairan, Lawk, Laile, Hora, Siachamana, and Wrda Qam from all part of Kurdistan and will be studied closely and will be preserved to represent the history of Kurdish authentic music.” ...