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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – More than 60 mountaineering teams from across the Kurdistan Region and the Middle East are participating in the Kurdistan Annual Mountaineers Festival taking place in the ‘Newroz capital’ of Akre, Duhok Province.
Up to 600 mountaineers from 64 different groups have come together to participate in the event organized by the Kurdistan Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.
“I am very elated. I hope sport develops further, especially mountaineering, as it is very fun and beneficial,” one woman from Erbil participating in the Ararat Mountaineering Team told Rudaw.
Akre is known as the capital of Newroz, the March 21 Kurdish New Year, where huge fires are lit atop the town’s surrounding mountains to herald the arrival of spring.
Setting off from Akre’s Sari Gire, the mountaineers make the 6-7 km ascent of Mount Akre. From there they go to Razi Mire and descend to Kani Zarke.
“Today, we as the Garmiyan Mountaineering Team have come from Kalar. We hope such festivals are held every year,” one participant told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan Region is known for its tall mountains and beautiful scenery. However, a lack of investment in conservation, landmines dating back to the Iran-Iraq War, and the ongoing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) along the border have held back the region’s tourist potential.
Mazin Mohammed Saeed, the mayor of Akre, thanked the federation for organizing the festival and putting the region on the map.
“We as the mayoralty of Akre and the administration of Duhok Province have supported this festival. I hope the mountaineers spend a joyful time in Akre,” Saeed told Rudaw.
“Holding such events, whether sports, social events or any festival, will have an impact on Akre’s conditions and facilitate its fame spreading to foreigners, because the people of Kurdistan already know Akre to be a tourist attraction,” he added.
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