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h2 style=”font-size: 1.5em;”span style=”font-size: 14px;”Culture/span/h2
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h4span style=”font-size: 14px;”Kurdish People/span/h4
pspan style=”font-size: 14px;”The Kurds are a distinct, non-Arab ethnic group, mostly Sunni Muslims, with their own language, customs, dress, and ways of life. The people living in the Kurdistan Region are Kurds as well as Assyrians, Chaldeans, Turkmen, Armenians and Arabs. Traditionally, the majority of people in the Kurdistan Region lived in villages and survived on farming and animal husbandry of mainly sheep and goats thanks to the land’s fertile soil. The Region was known as the breadbasket of Iraq. Today this has reversed, with the majority living and working in the three cities of Erbil, Duhok and Suleimaniah and working in the government, construction, and trade.[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]/span/p
pspan style=”font-size: 14px;” /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;”Kurdish Lifestyle/span/p
pspan style=”font-size: 14px;”Chonee? Which means “how are you?” in Kurdish. Kurdistan is rich with the resonance of its glorious history and is host to many different ethnicities living peacefully together. Kurds love music, poetry and dancing. Many Kurdish villages have their own dances. Romance and heroism are usually the theme of dances or folk legends. Kurdish musicians play a type of flute (emzornah/em) and drum (emdohol/em). The Kurdish culture has survived even though they have never had a country to call their own. Traditional Kurdish dance is a form of round dancing. Kurds sing and dance in all of their festivals, birthdays and marriage ceremonies. Kurdistan is famous for their rugs. The rugs are stout and solid in structure and the traditional Kurdish Rugs uses Kurdish symbols. It is possible to read the dreams, wishes and hopes of the Kurdish rug maker from the sequence of symbols they use.[/one_fourth] [one_fourth]/span/p
h4span style=”font-size: 14px;”Kurdish Cuisine/span/h4
pspan style=”font-size: 14px;”Fresh herbs are the essence of Kurdish cuisine. People also love to cook with an abundance of vegetables. Lamb and chicken are the primary meats. /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px;”A typical Kurdish breakfast is flat or raised bread with honey, delicious sheep or buffalo yoghurt and a glass of refreshing black tea. /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px;”Savoury dishes are usually served with rice or flat bread. Lamb and vegetables are simmered in a tomato sauce to make a delicate stew that is usually served with rice. In the spring and summer, salads and fresh herbs are often on the dinner table. Kurds also make many types of kofta and kubba, dumplings filled with meat. /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px;”During Nawroz, the Spring Equinox New Year, Kurds celebrate by dressing in their finest clothes and setting off to the countryside for picnics, often taking a large pot of yaprakh. Also known throughout the Mediterranean as dolma, yaprakh is a dish of freshly picked vine leaves stuffed with rice, meat, herbs and garlic, and then simmered in a large pot. /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px;”Black, sweetened tea is Kurdistan’s favorite drink. /spanspan style=”font-size: 14px;”The Kurdistan Region has fertile soil and a hot summer climate ideal for growing grapes and orchards such as pomegranate, fig, and walnut. The Region’s honey has a clear light taste and is often sold with the honeycomb. Kurdistan also produces excellent sheep, goat and buffalo dairy products.[/one_fourth]/span/p
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h4span style=”font-size: 14px;”Weather/span/h4
pspan style=”font-size: 14px;”Kurdistan has long hot summers but locals and visitors enjoy cooler weather in the Kurdistan hillside resorts just outside of Erbil. Summer months (May-September) are very hot and dry, especially on the Erbil Plain, often reaching temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius. It is slightly cooler in the evenings and in the mountainous regions around Dohuk and Sulaimania. The winter months can be cool with rain and snowfall.[/one_fourth_last]/span/p
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