ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - August is among the hottest months of the year in the Kurdistan Region, with temperatures in the capital, Erbil, reaching nearly 48 degrees celsius. But the scorching heat hasn't stopped many locals, who tell Rudaw they remain committed to a healthy lifestyle.
As dawn breaks, the Region's largest park, Sami Abdulrahman - located on the western side of Erbil and spanning roughly 200 hectares with more than 400,000 trees - fills with people of all ages out for a walk, run, ride, or other form of exercise.
Talat Akram, a 54-year-old citizen, is one of the park's longtime regulars, having been seen there almost every morning for a decade and a half.
"I've been coming here regularly since 2011 without missing a day," he said. "In the beginning I was quite overweight and suffering from several health problems, but through my commitment to exercise I managed to lose 18 to 19 kilograms. Exercise has had a very positive effect on both my physical and mental health."
Having kept up his routine through both summer heat and winter cold, Akram expressed concern that fewer people than should are taking advantage of having a park like Sami Abdulrahman, among the largest in the Middle East, on their doorstep.
"The population of Erbil has reached nearly two million," he said. "More people should be coming out to exercise. It's a great blessing to have a park like this - it should be put to the best possible use."
Besides those pursuing a healthy lifestyle, Sami Abdulrahman Park is also a key training site for athletes like Holia Herbosh, a young coach and professional marathon runner who leads a group of young trainees.
"We are about 20 to 50 athletes. Every single day at 6:00 am [local time], regardless of the temperature or weather conditions, we gather at the park and do our training," Herbosh told Rudaw, noting that the group's members range in age from 10 to 25.
"The main goal of this training isn't just ordinary running," she added. "It's preparing these young people to take part in local and international championships and marathons through scientific training methods that build up their physical capacity and endurance."
Over the past decade, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has increasingly prioritized urban green spaces, public health, and sports development as part of a broader effort to modernize civic life and address rising rates of lifestyle-related illness.
Central to this effort is an urban planning policy mandating green space quotas for new developments, alongside heavy investment in multi-functional public parks such as Sami Abdulrahman, Shanadar, and Hawler Park. These spaces are built for active living, with paved running tracks, marked walking loops, outdoor calisthenics areas, and sports courts that make fitness free and accessible to the public.
Beyond infrastructure, the KRG promotes exercise through public health campaigns, event sponsorship, and sports diplomacy - most notably the Erbil International Marathon, launched in 2011 under themes such as "Running for Peace and Coexistence.”