Akre (Akrê): Kurdistan’s Capital of Newroz
- Jamal Latif
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
Introduction
Akre (Kurdish: Akrê; Arabic: Aqrah) is an ancient Kurdish town built into the slopes of a mountain in Duhok Governorate, in the Badinan region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Its stone houses climb the hillside in terraces above a narrow valley — but Akre is famous across the Kurdish world above all for one thing: Newroz.
Every spring, Akre hosts what is widely called the greatest Newroz celebration in Kurdistan, when thousands of people carry flaming torches up the mountain at night and turn the whole hillside into a river of fire. This profile looks at the town, that festival, and the meaning it carries for Kurds everywhere.
Key Takeaways
• Akre (Kurdish: Akrê; Arabic: Aqrah) is a Kurdish town in Duhok Governorate, in the Badinan region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
• It is renowned for hosting the largest and most spectacular Newroz celebration in Kurdistan.
• On Newroz night, thousands carry flaming torches up the mountain, creating a famous cascade of fire.
• The festival is tied to the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith, the myth of Kurdish liberation.
• Akre is an ancient hillside town that once also had Jewish and Christian communities.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Akrê
Arabic Name: Aqrah
Country / Region: Iraq (Bashur / Kurdistan Region)
Governorate: Duhok
Region: Badinan (Bahdinan)
Setting: Built on the slopes of a mountain
People: Kurdish majority
Famous For: The largest Newroz celebration in Kurdistan
Contents
Where Is Akre?
Akre lies in the Badinan region of Iraqi Kurdistan, in Duhok Governorate, north-east of the city of Duhok and not far from the mountain town of Amedi. The old town is built dramatically into the side of a mountain, its houses rising in tiers up the slope above a valley — a setting that becomes the natural amphitheatre for its famous festival.
The surrounding district is a land of mountains and valleys typical of Badinan, with a long history of settlement going back well into antiquity.
The Newroz Capital of Kurdistan
Akre’s fame rests on Newroz, the Kurdish and wider Iranian new year celebrated on 20–21 March. While Newroz is marked across all of Kurdistan, nowhere stages it like Akre. On the eve of the festival, thousands of people climb the mountain above the town carrying flaming torches, until the whole hillside glows with a moving river of fire, watched by tens of thousands of spectators and crowned with fireworks. The images of Akre’s burning mountain have become some of the most recognisable symbols of Kurdish national celebration anywhere in the world.
Kawa and the Meaning of the Fire
The fires of Newroz are not only festive — they carry deep meaning. In Kurdish tradition, Newroz commemorates the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith, who rose up to overthrow the tyrant Zuhak and lit a great fire on the mountains to signal that the people were free. For Kurds, Newroz is therefore a festival of liberation and renewal, and Akre’s torch-lit mountain is its most powerful living expression — a yearly reaffirmation of identity and freedom.
An Ancient Mountain Town
Long before it became the capital of Newroz, Akre was an old and layered town. Its hillside is honeycombed with old houses and caves, and for centuries it was home not only to Kurdish Muslims but also to Jewish and Christian communities, who lived in its quarters until the great upheavals of the twentieth century. That older, mixed Akre has largely passed, but its ancient stone town remains, climbing the mountain as it has for generations.
Akre Today
Today Akre is a Kurdish town that comes into its own each spring, when visitors pour in from across the Kurdistan Region and beyond to witness its Newroz. For the rest of the year it is a quiet mountain town of the Badinan, but its name is fixed in the Kurdish imagination as the place where, every March, the mountain itself is set alight in celebration of a people’s endurance.
Timeline
antiquity — Akre is established as a hillside town in the mountains of Badinan.
Ottoman era — The town is home to Kurdish Muslims alongside Jewish and Christian communities.
mid-20th c. — Akre’s Jewish community leaves in the exodus of Iraqi Jews.
1991 onward — Under Kurdish autonomy, Akre’s Newroz grows into a major national celebration.
today — Akre hosts the largest Newroz festival in Kurdistan, drawing tens of thousands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Akre famous?
Akre is famous for hosting the largest Newroz celebration in Kurdistan, when thousands carry flaming torches up the mountain above the town.
What is Akre’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the town is called Akrê; in Arabic it is Aqrah.
When is Newroz celebrated in Akre?
Newroz is celebrated on 20–21 March; in Akre the great torch-lit procession takes place on the eve of the new year.
What does Newroz commemorate?
In Kurdish tradition Newroz recalls the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith overthrowing the tyrant Zuhak and lighting fires to announce freedom — making it a festival of liberation and renewal.
Related People, Places, and Topics
References and Further Reading
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