Multimedia

The town of Akre in Duhok province, considered the capital of Newroz, lit up on Wednesday evening as fireworks filled its skies and tens of thousands of people flocked to the area to celebrate Newroz – the Kurdish New Year.

Despite the cold, windy, and rainy weather, over 75,000 people and representatives of 40 countries gathered in the town to celebrate this year’s Newroz festival, with the presence of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Muslims in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil prayed on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan at the Haji Abdullah Jawan Mosque.

With the arrival of Ramadan, mosques in the Kurdistan Region experience heavier traffic as the Region’s majority Muslim population turns to prayer.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.