UK consul general’s Kurdish outfit is ready for Newroz

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – David Hunt, Britain’s Consul General to Erbil, is now fully prepared to celebrate the approaching Kurdish New Year with friends and colleagues now that his newly tailored traditional Kurdish outfit is done.

Touring the Erbil bazaar alongside the Erbil governor on Feb. 1, the English diplomat visited a tailor shop to get his Kurdish outfit. Such traditional outfits are widely worn every Mar. 21 by the Kurds to mark their new year. 

“Very comfortable,” Hunt said of his Kurdish clothes, even for the sweltering Erbil summer. 

The diplomat chose the style and color, olive green, of his garments based on the tailor’s recommendation. 

Primarily composed of three clothing pieces – Shalwar (pant), Qamis (shirt), Kurtak, or Choxa (jacket) – the outfit is a national symbol for millions of Kurds in various areas of the Iraqi, Turkish, Syrian, and Iranian Kurdistan.

To make Hunt look more Kurdish, Kurdistan 24 gifted the British diplomat a Jamadana (Kurdish turban) and a pair of Kilash (shoes). 

“The cultural aspect of my job, I consider to be a very important one,” Hunt told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday, adding that he enjoys Kurdish culture. 

“The relationship between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the UK is a very rich one,” he added. 

On Mar. 10 each year, the people of the Kurdistan Region wear Kurdish clothes to celebrate their culture.