“Kobani has rich, ancient culture”

Women took part in the “Return to Mother Culture” festival, held on October 18 in the village of Albalur in the Kobani countryside, sharing their views on the festival and the city’s culture with our agency.

Mother Nazeih Mohammed Ali highlighted one of the traditional dishes for which Kobani is known, saying: “Tirşikaholikan is one of the oldest dishes in Kobani. In the past, women would gather to prepare this food collectively, working together in a spirit of cooperation. This is why the dish is so beloved by the people of Kobani.”

For her part, young woman Ilham Ahmed, who participated in the festival with her handicrafts, spoke about the importance of preserving Kobani’s culture. She said: “Kobani has an authentic and rich culture of handicrafts. Every nation preserves its culture and passes it down from one generation to the next through its handicrafts. My own work, which involves threads and woven bags, is among the oldest forms of Kurdish culture.”

Dendi Musa spoke about the beauty of life in the past, saying: “Life used to be very beautiful. Despite all the difficulties, we would spin wool and make textiles. We would go to the pastures to milk the sheep and carry out agricultural work by hand.”

She continued: “All household chores were done by hand. We baked bread in the tannour oven and on the saj, fetched water from springs and wells, and washed clothes by hand.”

Led by women from Kobani, the Kongra Star women's movement organized the “Return to Mother Culture” festival on Sunday in the village of Albalur in the Kobani countryside, where Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish leader, spent some time.

The festival featured a variety of handicrafts made by women, along with tools once used in daily life, including wool spindles, millstones, churns for making buttermilk, grinding tools and wheat pestles.

The participating mothers, dressed in traditional Kurdish clothing and head coverings, also presented a selection of traditional dishes for which Kobani is known.

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