The Duhok coffee shop that honors Peshmerga martyrs

In downtown Duhok, a little Kurdish coffee shop has been attracting customers in an unprecedented way.

The coffee shop commemorates the Peshmerga martyred defending the Kurdistan Region on the frontlines.

The shop displays several pictures of Peshmerga who died on the battlefield along with some of the equipment they used.

“We opened this coffee shop at the peak of the fight against ISIS in 2015 when we were receiving heartbreaking news from the frontlines every day,” said owner Mateen Doski.

“Back then, we were receiving heroic Peshmerga as costumers,” he added. “Some of them are now martyrs.”

Through this experience, Doski came up with the idea of decorating his coffee shop with photos and clothes of those Peshmerga with assistance from their families and visitors.

“We collected photos of most of the martyrs in Bahdinan area, with some of their equipment like uniforms and shoes, etc.,” Doski added.

The coffee shop has become a popular destination for foreign delegations, tourists, political and social figures.

It has just been designated as a touristic site by Duhok’s tourism directorate.

“Many citizens visit our coffee shop. The most frequent customers are Peshmerga forces because they are proud to see photos of their comrades who are respected as heroes and never forgotten,” Doski said.

Duhok is unofficially known as the capital of martyrs in the Kurdistan Region “because it has had the lion’s share of sacrifices since the September (1961) revolution for Kurdish freedom,” said Zerevan Abdullah, the son of a martyred Peshmerga.

Doski has received awards from the Kurdistan Parliament and several other political branches for the initiative.

He recalled when a mother of a martyred Peshmerga visited his shop and cried when she saw a photo of her son displayed there. She thanked him for respecting his memory and keeping it alive. Experiences like that motivate him to continue the work he is doing.

Kurdistan 24 met a Spanish tourist named Antonio in the coffee shop. He was in Duhok for a two-and-a-half week visit. He described the coffee shop it as an interesting place worth visiting since it’s the first such shop with the Peshmerga as its main theme.

According to Antonio, armed forces are usually not very well-received in many countries. However, this is not the case in Kurdistan. In Kurdistan, people love the Peshmerga. Even foreign people love the Peshmerga because they bravely fought against ISIS and brought stability to Kurdistan and the wider region.