Repairing electronics and bridging cultures in Tikrit
Kurdish roots and Tikriti life: Mujahid Naqshbandi’s journey
TIKRIT – To the tune of Arabic music, Mujahid Naqshbandi focuses on repairing the main board of an old television set in his Tikrit workshop in Salah Al-Din governorate. Dust-covered electronic appliances are scattered around his shop, on the floor, and on the shelves.
Naqshbandi’s Kurdish family moved from Sulaymaniyah to Baghdad in the 1970s, eventually settling in Tikrit. Naqshbandi’s father, a teacher, started working in the Hamadi Shihab area of the city. By 1990, a young Mujahid had learned electronic device repair at his older brother Muhammad’s workshop on Doctors’ Street in Tikrit. Fluent in both Kurdish and Arabic with the local Tikriti dialect, Naqshbandi married a woman from the Arab Janabi tribe, which influenced his culinary preferences towards Arabic cuisine.
Naqshbandi briefly left Tikrit in 2014 after the Islamic State’s takeover of the city, relocating to nearby Kirkuk. After Tikrit’s liberation, he returned home.
Reflecting on his journey, Naqshbandi recalls his early days repairing iconic devices like the Iraqi-manufactured Qithara radio, black-and-white televisions, and video cassette players. Over the years, he evolved his skills to master the repair of modern devices and screens. He maintains strong ties with the Kurdish community in Tikrit and has never felt out of place among its residents.
“My wife is Arab from the Janabi tribe, and sometimes I prefer Arabic food over Kurdish. I still speak Kurdish but am fluent in Arabic, especially the Tikriti dialect,” Naqshbandi told 964media. “There are several Kurdish families in Tikrit, and we have good relations with them and other families in the city,” he added.
During the ISIS era, Naqshbandi worked temporarily for Kar Oil Company in Kirkuk. After Tikrit’s liberation, they returned, and Naqshbandi now works at the Salahuddin Health Directorate while continuing to repair electronics in his spare time.
“I was 12 when my brother Muhammad opened this workshop on Doctors Street in 1990. Since then, I’ve been learning to repair electronic devices from him,” Naqshbandi said. His brother has returned to Kurdistan and lives there now.
“I started with the small Qithara radios, black-and-white televisions, and later old German Siemens color television sets. The technology evolved from UHF to video cassettes, then CD and DVD players and I repaired all of them,” Naqshbandi added.
Mastering retail in Tikrit’s clothing sector
