Erbil adds Kurdish to commercial and public signs

ERBIL, November 23 — The Erbil governorate said on Wednesday that 2,389 commercial and public signs across the city had added Kurdish-language text, further announcing a new campaign to also clean up city walls and remove unauthorised advertisements and graffiti.

Erbil launched a campaign in February of this year to adopt the Kurdish language alongside other languages on shops, hotels, restaurants, and private institutions. The initiative followed orders from Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

A statement from the governorate said:

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw held a meeting with the relevant authorities involved in the signage language change campaign and said, ‘The results are good and encouraging.’

During the meeting, Governor Khoshnaw instructed departments and institutions involved to inform all private sector companies, public places, and businesses to comply with the decision and change their signs to the Kurdish language. Failure to comply will result in fines or the closure of their establishments.

The governor expressed gratitude to the relevant authorities for implementing the recommendations of the Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, on Mother Language Day, emphasizing the importance of the Kurdish language. The authorities reported successfully changing 2,389 signs into Kurdish in downtown Erbil.

The meeting also discussed some shop owners and traders writing their promotions and phone numbers on the walls of public places and homes. Therefore, during the meeting, it was decided to launch a campaign next week by the Municipality of Erbil and all departments to clean these areas. Anyone repeating this action will face measures and arrest.