Hawler Textil Museum

I have very many things to tell about my journey to South Kurdistan. Instead of writing long reports I will put here pictures. I start with Hawler Textil Museum which is located in the Citadel and is open every day.

Iraqi Kurds love everything what is new - and made in factories (which are of course in other countries and do not produce things according the Kurdish style).

I do not want to be unpolite towards Iraqi Kurds but they seem to lack such knowledge and respect of their own culture than people in North Kurdistan have. There Kurdish kelims and handicrafts can be seen every where - in South Kurdistan I saw traditional Kurdish carpets during three weeks only in the museum. The long years of isolation and economical hardship have taken its toll also in this sense: 25 000 old Kurdish rugs were exported to Iran during early 90s (also other second hand things are usually sold to Iran).

Now this hundreads years knowledge of carpet weaving is not passed to next generation in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan. I really hope that people there understand what they will lose if this thing does not change quikly. Kilims are the traditional art of Kurdish women.

For the tourists who travel Hawler I recommend to visit the shop of the Textil Museum. There are still some nomad women who know carpet weaving and traditional designs of their tribe. Their carpets can be bought in museum's shop. I did not buy any as my bag was very heavy. I regret it now - it would have been better to pay the over weight cost in the airplane.

Here are some pictures from the museum:

Back at home!

I returned yesterday to Finland from South Kurdistan, after spending some days in Stockholm.

I start putting pictures to Sahmaran within a few days. I was too busy for that in Hawler but there are quite many things to do also at home, after one month's journey.

Hawler

I am still in Hawler, journey to South Kurdistan has been a fantastic experience. There are too many things to tell from here. I have so much material and experiences that it would be better to write a book than some newspaper articles or posts in the blog.

And besides, things are so amazing here, that one can understand them fully only by coming here by oneself. To put it short, everything is opposite to Turkey.

When I get back to Finland, I put more pictures to my blog, here internet is very slowly even when there is a good computer.

Kirkuk Citadel - 1

Here in Hawler has been sand sand storm for some days and the internet has not been working well. I try to write more as soon as I have time.

Here is a picture of me taken in the Citadel of Kirkuk the 28th April 2008 with some Kurdish students of the KOMAK journalism school. The school is located in the Kurdish part of Kirkuk. I tell more about it later, but it might be only when I am in Finland as I am busy here.

Spring in Hewler

Readers of Sahmaran have maybe wondered that I have become lazy as I have not written much blogs during this spring.... but I have written other things.

Now I promise to use more time on blogging. I am now in Hewler (Erbil), I came here yesterday. I tried to put here pictures but it seems to be very difficult with the computer which I use now. I will do it later.

How is Hewler?

I would have so much to say after just one day, but I will do it later. To put it short: everything is different than in Turkey. Only police men whom I have seen today are traffic police. After seing the normal Kurdish life here one understands better the depth of opression of the Kurds in Turkey.

Final Call for the Kurdish Mayors

One of the mayors is Ayhan Erkmen from Dagpinar/Kars.
This picture is taken in autumn 2005 in Ani . In the background there is both Turkey (on left) and Armenia and in between river Arpacay.
Ayhan Erkmen is member of the board of the Turkish PEN.
Photo: Kristiina Koivunen


This week’s freedom of expression case:

Suspects : 56 Mayors of Democratic Society Party(DTP).

Court and Date of hearing : Diyarbakir High Criminal Court Num.5, 15 April 2008, at 10:40 am.

Explanation : The case is about a letter sent by 56 mayors of DTP to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Mayors asked Rasmussen that Roj TV not to be shut down.

Joost Lagendijk, study the court decision!

Joost Lagendijk, MEP and Chairman of Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. Photo: Kristiina Koivunen

The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 3 April 2008 is a crisis for European Union.

The court decision states that the 2002 decision of the European Council to put the PKK on its terrorism list because of an “error of procedure.” The court said that when the European Council created the list and applied sanctions to the organisation and its members, it did not announce its justification in time.

In Turkey courts are the places where the legacy of political decisions are being surveyed. It is a well known fact that Turkish politicians are not able to follow even the Turkish law. What this tells about the level of decision making?

Is the same happening now in the EU? Cooperation between EU and Turkey and Turkey’s EU membership negotiations should increase Turkey’s democratic development, not the opposite. Also move EU towards Turkish type of political life. But PKK’s inclusion to EU list of terrorist organisations proves that this has happened already.

The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from the court decision on 3 April 2008 is that how many other EU’s decisions are illegal?