ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Thousands of people have gathered around Erbil citadel on Sunday to commemorate Prophet Muhammed’s birthday, or al-Mawlid al-Nabawi al-Sharif.

 

Marking al-Mawlid around Erbil citadel has become an annual tradition where sweets and drinks are distributed to visitors free of charge, with the citadel being decorated with the name Mohammed, and flags bearing his name and Islamic symbols.

 

On Prophet Muhammed’s birthday, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Region is set to award 100 retired religious clerics to pay homage to their service.

 

“One-hundred retired clerics will be awarded, in addition to several other figures who have had a role in spreading good deeds and generosity,” Nabaz Ismael, spokesperson of the KRG religious affairs ministry, told The New Region.

 

“Additionaly, this year's top students of Islamic studies will be awarded,” in the ceremony, Ismael added.

 

The Mawlid celebrations will be held across the Kurdistan Region on Sunday.

 

In the meantime, more than 300 volunteers took part in a one-day blood donor campaign for hospitals in Duhok in celebration of al-Mawlid, Shari Nazif, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official told The New Region.

 

Mawlid is an annual festival to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammed on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar.