What Statue? Donkey?
One of the reasons I love Sulaymani is because it has alot of parks, and every park is special. Nali Park is located in the city center. The name is taken from the name of a famous Kurdish poet, Nali, who was born in 1797 in Khakukhul village in Sulaymaniyah and died in 1855. He wrote a poem about donkeys (Himari).
If you walk around the Nali Park, you will find a Donkey Statute. So what is the story of this donkey?
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| A Sign of Nali Park |
If you walk around the Nali Park, you will find a Donkey Statute. So what is the story of this donkey?
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| Bronze Donkey Statue |
The statute is made of bronze with a size of 1.8 by 1.1 meters. It shows a donkey in a suit, shirt and tie. Zirak Mira, a Kurdish sculptor took seven months to create the 2500 USD statue. The idea is to remind people about the importance of donkeys and treat the animal with respect. Donkeys played important roles to help Kurdish armed struggle against the former Iraqi government as well as in the Kurdish liberation movement, it carried logistics (e.g. weapons food supplies) from the villages to the mountains. Donkey has been called as the Kurdish fighter's only friend.
The statue was officially launched in April 2012 by Omar Klol who represented the Donkey Association. The Arabic name of the party is Jamiat Al Hameer Al Iraqiya (The Iraqi Donkey's Association, also known as the Abu Saber Party). The philosophy is we should live like donkeys, because they don't kill one another for power, money or politics. They don't lie either.
I like the philosophy. Donkeys don't pollute and since I don't drive, I don't mind riding a donkey.
