Syria
An aerial view of Kobane (left) and a welcome billboard in the entrance of Kobane (right). Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kobane municipal council in a session on Thursday decided to make it mandatory for shops and restaurants to add Kurdish names to billboards and signs in the city in northeast Syria (Rojava).
“All owners of shops and restaurants in Kobane city should write the names of their shops and restaurants in Kurdish alongside Arabic language,” read a decree from the municipality.
It gave businesses two months to implement the decision.
The new rule was inspired by a shopkeeper who added Kurdish to the name of his business, a municipality source told Rudaw English on Friday.
Kobane has been held by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) for more than a decade. It is part of the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES) where Kurdish is an official language.
Kurdish language has flourished in the enclave after government troops withdrew at the start of Syria’s civil war and a Kurdish-led administration took over. The language is being taught in schools and universities.
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