Northeast of Erbil, locals celebrate town, heritage at annual festival

Locals gathered at Mount Karokh in Warte, northeast of Erbil, to celebrate their town and heritage.

“Our goal is to draw attention from both officials and the public to Warte as a tourist destination, to introduce our culture and traditions,” the district administrator, Shorsh Hassan, told Rudaw.

Held each spring, the event honors the town's history and past hardships, passing traditions to younger generations. Residents also hope these celebrations attract tourists and showcase their local culture.

Nazira Ali, a Warte local, told Rudaw, “We’ve come to [Mount Karokh] for the festival, but in the past, we used to come here to pick spring plants. We were born here, this is our hometown, where we raised livestock and lived off the farmland.”

The celebrations include mountain hikes, traditional food, folk performances and heritage crafts.

Horsemen also compete, showcasing the region’s purebred horses.

“This year, 35 horsemen joined the festival. We have three sections: competition, training, and traditional riding. We also award the most beautiful horse,” Rizgar Jalal, head of the Mount Karokh Horsemen Group told Rudaw.

(Source:Rudaw)