At 72, a Koya hiker vows to climb ‘until my last breath’

ERBIL — Khalid Ahmed, a 72-year-old resident of Koya in Erbil governorate, says he plans to keep hiking and mountain climbing for as long as he can, citing both the health benefits and his love of Kurdistan’s landscapes.

“Until my last breath, I will continue hiking,” Ahmed told 964media.

Ahmed said he has spent the past nine years regularly climbing mountains across the Kurdistan Region and has reached some peaks in neighboring Iran. “Many men my age are now sitting in teahouses, but I have been hiking for nine years and I want to keep going,” he said. Among the mountains he has climbed are Halgurd in Erbil’s Soran area and Piramagrun in Sulaymaniyah. For shorter outings, he and his companions visit nearby peaks around Koya, including Mount Haibat Sultan, typically hiking in the morning, stopping for breakfast and returning later in the day.

Ahmed, who is retired, said he often leads his team and has completed routes some younger hikers could not finish. “Hiking requires training,” he said, adding that on some group outings he reached spots younger participants could not because they lacked experience.

His family has urged him to stop because of his age, but he has no plans to. “My family tells me to stop these trips because of my age, but I do not listen,” he said. “Hiking is good for health, and I enjoy it. I also enjoy seeing the different mountains and landscapes of Kurdistan.”