Daytime Erbil offers a lot of interesting activities

You might be familiar with Erbil’s vibrant nightlife. But what about Erbil’s daytime activities? Locals and foreigners alike have found that the city has a lot of interesting activities to offer during the day.

For example, on Wednesday, June 15, alone, one could visit an art gallery featuring Farhad Pribal’s latest paintings, attend a debate on positive and negative thinking, a poem festival for a number of talented young poets, a literary seminar on novels, and even a performance of the play The Last Days of Bablo.

“I attended three activities today. They were all near each other,” Karwan Rasti, a local resident in Erbil, told Kurdistan 24. “I refreshed my knowledge about negative and positive thinking, which was an insightful debate. Then I enjoyed the latest paintings by an artist and then listened to some live poetry in the Ashti Library downtown. These made my day today.”

Ala Center for Arts, the Kurdish Writers Union, Mam u Zin Bookstore, Tafseer, Amazon, Mali Wafayee, Rosa Foundation, Baldar Library, and Haval Bookstore all hold literary and art events at least once a week.

“There is always more than one thing to do in Erbil that is so convenient. I mean, if you don’t catch one activity, don’t worry because there are a lot more you can enjoy the next day,” said Fatima Jalal, an engineer from Baghdad residing in Erbil. “It is true that I don’t know Kurdish, but still, I have options from which to choose. For instance, today I enjoyed the paintings and a seminar on negative thinking, which was in both Kurdish and Arabic.”

“There is a group on social media called Erbil art and literary activities where they post everything you need to know about the activities,” said Shamal Aziz, an expat living in Erbil. “When I came back from the United States, I thought Erbil would not have such activities, but when I looked around, it exceeded my expectations.”

People see these activities as a way to get around the heat.

“Summer has started, so you have to stay indoors. You cannot go outside and just walk,” said Alya Khidir, a tourist from Baghdad. “If you are in the mountains, it is good. If not, you have to choose indoor activities, and I personally like events about art and literature.”