ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish traveler from Duhok has purchased a seven-square-meter plot of land in Ushuaia, Argentina, to raise the Kurdistan flag as part of his journey to visit more than 180 countries by 2030.
Aras Mohammed Ali, who set out from Duhok on May 1, 2024, has covered more than 30,000 kilometers, visiting 69 countries and 33 US states, he told Rudaw's Zinar Shino on Thursday.
“I set out from Duhok on May 1 of 2024. So far, I visited 69 countries and 33 US states,” Ali said.
The journey fulfills a long-held ambition to explore the world, encounter different communities and learn about other cultures.
“It was a dream; I have had this dream for a long time - to travel the entire world, to meet people, and to get to know different cultures and other countries,” he said.
In Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina, Ali purchased a small plot of land to raise the Kurdistan flag, hoping eventually to register the property in the name of Kurdistan.
“I bought about seven square meters of land there to raise the flag of Kurdistan. I put it under my own name because I wasn't able to put the name of Kurdistan on it, in the hope that [one day] I will be able to register the land in the name of Kurdistan,” he said.
Driving a vehicle bearing Duhok license plates, Ali says his expedition also aims to raise international awareness of Kurdish identity and history while conveying a message of peace.
He hopes to complete his global journey by 2030, visiting more than 180 countries and securing a place in the Guinness World Records.
“The most beautiful of all countries and the strangest I saw was Iceland,” Ali said, describing the country as a distinctive destination among the places he has visited.
The current Guinness World Record for the most countries visited during a continuous journey by car is held by US citizens Jim Rogers and Paige Parker, who traveled through 111 countries and three territories between 1999 and 2002.
