Kurdistan Flag Day

December 17th of each year is the Kurdistan Flag Day, designated by the Kurdistan Region parliament in 2009. In this context, the Dean of Students at Tishk International University held a ceremony to commemorate this day on December 18th, 2022.

The Kurdish flag’s main characteristic is the blazing golden sun emblem (Roj in Kurdish) at its centre. The emblem’s sun disk has 21 rays, equal in size and shape, with a single odd beam at the top and two even rays at the bottom. Number 21 is venerated, standing for rebirth/renaissance in the ancient Kurdish religion. Red symbolises the blood of the martyrs and the continued struggle for freedom and dignity. Green expresses the beauty and landscapes of Kurdistan, life, and vitality. Yellow represents the source of energy and light for the people. The sun is an ancient symbol; twenty-one sunbeams represent March 21st, Newroz, and white represents peace and equality.

The ceremony starts with the Kurdish national anthem, “Ay Raqib”. Then Dr. Idris Hadi, Head of the Board of Trustees, presented a speech to the students and staff. After that, a group of talented students with music club instructors Rebwar Abdulla, Goran Jalal, Mohammed Kamal, Yusuf Namiq are invited to perform  live music, followed by raising the Kurdistan flag in front of the main building.

On the same day, there was an art exhibition regarding the Kurdistan flag in which portraits were drawn by our students and supervised by Mrs.Khumar, Art Club Instructor. Finally, the students enjoyed the day with Kurdish dance and music.