As the Kurdistan Region braces itself for an independence referendum on September 25, many shops and streets are adorned with the Kurdish flag and other national emblems.
The colorful Kurdish flag hangs on many shop windows, doors and walls in downtown Erbil particularly near the ancient citadel.
Kurdish political parties decided in a meeting under President Masoud Barzani to go for a referendum through which the region will decide whether to stay with Iraq or separate and form an independent Kurdistan.
