KAWNABAK, Kurdistan Region — Villager Haris Mohammed Hussein has converted his home in Duhok province into a small museum in an effort to preserve and protect the area’s local heritage.

"I got the idea in 2018 at a cultural festival. I feared many of the antiques could vanish, therefore I either bought them or they (people) gifted them to me," said Hussein, who lives in Kawnabak village in the Bardarash district, and has also inherited much of his collection from his grandparents. 

The man displays traditional farming and food storage equipment, as well as garments and other textiles, at the museum.

Hussein says the antiques are mostly from Kurds, and that his fellow villagers have been helping collect and preserve the pieces in what he describes as a bid to preserve their national identity.

Photos: Bilind T. Abdullah