Kurdistan Region marks Flag Day with ceremonies, giant flags

KURDISTAN REGION — Residents across the Kurdistan Region marked Kurdistan Flag Day on Wednesday with ceremonies and public events, including the display of oversized flags in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.

The day is observed annually on Dec. 17 after the Kurdistan Parliament designated it in 2009 under Resolution No. 48. Flag Day commemorations follow a 1999 parliamentary decision recognizing the current version of the Kurdistan flag as the region’s official flag. Schools, government offices and other institutions typically mark the occasion by raising the flag and holding celebrations.

In Sulaymaniyah, officials displayed what organizers described as one of the longest Kurdish flags raised to date, measuring 1,300 meters. Sulaymaniyah Mayor Layla Omar said the gesture was intended to emphasize unity.

“Under this flag, we want to show the world the Kurdish message of unity and cohesion. It is important that we demonstrate this flag should always remain raised and dignified,” she told 964media.

Shaho Mu’min, an engineer with the municipality, said he proposed the idea for this year’s display and that a team spent seven days preparing it before it was raised Wednesday morning.

In Halabja, students and teachers at Bane Basic School organized a second event despite cold weather, displaying a flag measuring 132 meters long and five meters wide. Organizers said 156 students participated in holding the flag.

Teacher Srwa Fattah said the dimensions were chosen for symbolic reasons, with the 132-meter length marking the 132nd birthday of Kurdish leader Qazi Muhammad and the five-meter width representing what she described as the five main Kurdish cities: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Kirkuk and Duhok.

The Kurdistan flag is raised across government buildings and institutions in the region and has become a prominent symbol of Kurdish identity, including during and after the 2014 battles against ISIS, when it was widely associated with the Peshmerga’s role in fighting the group.