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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An olive tree believed to be more than 1,000 years old has been identified in Haji Qala village near the city of Koya in Erbil Province, serving as a testament to the Kurdistan Region’s agricultural heritage amid plans to expand local olive oil production.
The ancient wild olive tree stands on a mountain known locally as Sari Zaytuna “Olive Mountain” and was identified by Italian experts working with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) identified during research under a project aimed at developing the Region’s olive oil sector.
The tree holds personal significance for Sangar Kamal, a 46-year-old farmer from the area, who recalls visiting the tree with his father in 1987 before he was killed during the 1988 Anfal campaign.
“That tree... my first memory of going up to it was in 1987. I went with my father, and I remember he picked some green olives for me,” Sangar told Rudaw's Dilnya Rahman, fondly recounting the final memories with his father connected to the olive tree.
Since 2025, an Italian team has been assisting olive farmers and oil producers in the Kurdistan Region under the KORES project, which aims to develop rural areas of the Kurdistan Region and promote the sustainable development of the olive sector and its value chain.
Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Begard Talabani said the research team found that the tree is more than 1,000 years old and has characteristics that distinguish it "with a quality different from most trees currently producing fruit in the world.”
“Here in the Kurdistan Region, we are working to strengthen the olive oil supply chain,” said KORES project manager Kuzy Motendi. “Through various activities designed to assist decision-makers, farmers, and consumers, we believe that the Kurdistan Region has great potential for producing olive oil,” he said.
The project also aims to improve consumers’ understanding of olive oil quality, according to Halkawt Abdulrahman, director general of horticulture and forestry.
“The project generally aims to enhance the capabilities of all links in the chain, from the farmer all the way to the consumer,” Abdulrahman said, adding that consumers should be able to distinguish high-quality, first-pressed extra virgin olive oil from lower-grade or recycled oils.
The KORES project was launched in July 2025 following a memorandum of understanding signed between the KRG Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and CIHEAM Bari in February 2025.
CIHEAM Bari, the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Italy, provides technical assistance, consultancy and financing. It aims to improve olive and olive oil production, introduce modern cultivation methods, strengthen farmers’ and entrepreneurs’ skills, and develop processing, branding and marketing.
KRG authorities say the longer-term goal is to expand olive cultivation and production across the Region to meet domestic demand while improving the entire value chain.
The ancient tree in Haji Qala adds another dimension to that effort, connecting the Region’s current push to develop olive production with a tradition that, according to the research, has survived for more than a millennium.
