ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Talab Khalaf, 92, recently married a woman nearly half of his age in Iraq’s Salahaddin province, a move warmly received by his children and neighbors who say it brought new joy and stability to the family.
The couple got married several days ago in Salahaddin’s al-But’ama village, a step widely welcomed by the local community too.
The bride, 49, agreed to the marriage following an arrangement that included gold worth five million dinars (around $3,800), a dowry of ten million dinars (around $7,600), and a promise of living in an independent house.
"Things are good. My wife and I are fine. Lost is he who has no wife. I searched and got married,” Khalaf told Rudaw on Wednesday.
"I encourage every unmarried person to get married because marriage gives a person tranquility and dignity, and he who has no wife may transgress against others," he said.
Khalaf married his first wife at age 22. She died two years ago. Together, they had a large family of nine daughters and three sons, all of whom are now married to individuals within the extended family. He said he has about 200 grandchildren, and his eldest son is 68 years old.
Less than two weeks have passed since the wedding, but signs of joy have prevailed since the first moment, with relatives and locals flocking to the groom’s house to congratulate him.
Khalaf’s children expressed joy in their father’s marriage.
"We felt that our father had free time when our mother died. In our areas, a wife represents protection for the man, and the Hajj [Khalaf] cannot go on without a wife, because she serves him and helps him. My brothers, I, and the area are happy, especially since the [people in this] area consider the Hajj their father,” Khalaf’s son, Shakir, told Rudaw.
Another son, Ahmed, said they have done “what is incumbent upon us, and fulfilled the moral, religious, and social duty that requires us to honor our father, and we are very happy with his marriage."
