Foreigners attend Kurdish language course in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The demand to learn the Kurdish language has increased among foreigners living in the Kurdistan Region over the past years.

Rukhsar Abdullah, a tutor from Erbil, taught over 50 foreign students over the past four years, and the number is increasing day by day.

“The students come from different backgrounds and nationalities. We have students from Canada, Italy, Greece, and Australia. Many of my students are entrepreneurs and they run their own businesses,” Abdullah told Rudaw’s Payam Sarbast on Monday.

One of Abdullah’s students is an American citizen who has married a Kurdish woman and is learning the language to communicate with her family members.

“I'm from the US, but I have moved to Erbil to live with my Kurdish wife. So, I have to learn Kurdish so I can speak with her family and speak with people in the city,” Connor said.

Abdullah has written two Kurdish learning books for those seeking to learn the language. She teaches in-person and online classes.