ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Erbil authorities have issued a directive that will require all businesses to include Kurdish writing on their commercial signs, in a move to preserve the language amid a growing use of foreign languages.

“We have issued strict directives regarding the changing of all commercial signs and advertisements from foreign languages to the sweet Kurdish language,” Karzan Abdul Hadi, head of Erbil’s municipality, told The New Region.

Businesses in the Kurdish capital have increasingly adopted foreign language signages, especially English and Arabic, in recent years, to the dismay of the general Kurdish population.

“We have also decided on the immediate removal of all commercial signs that have been hung in violation on pavements, walls, and street electricity poles,” he added.

The announcement came following a board meeting which also saw other orders issued to better the aesthetic of the city, such as clearing markets and public spaces of obstacles, enforcing legal procedures for the construction of houses and buildings, and increasing green spaces.

Another decision made by the board is collecting stray dogs to be vaccinated at shelters, a move that has previously sparked controversy as shelters in the Kurdistan Region are underdeveloped, unhygienic, and lack the basic necessities for life, such as food and water.

The shelters also lack proper shade and are usually constructed on barren fields, making it especially grueling for the strays during the scorching summer months.

The Kurdistan Region passed its first-ever animal protection law in late 2022, deeming the killing of stray animals forbidden by any means. But four years later, little has been done to safeguard their lives, with killings, beatings, and other forms of abuse remaining rife.

Over 300,000 stray dogs roam the streets of the Kurdistan Region, according to the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Green Party.