Pleasant Valley Sunday

We went out into the Kurdish countryside on Friday, which is the equivalent of Sunday in the States. It was a beautiful sunny day, temperature in the 70s. The area has rolling hills and is very green, and has a great deal of agricultural activity.

We saw many families picnicking in fields, near streams, and even just along the road. The families were dressed up and on an outing. The females wore bright clothing, reds and greens; I saw a long orange dress with a silver vest. We stood near a police checkpoint (check-nothing point) and saw the Kurds up close. The bright female clothing was worn mostly by children and young women, but the older women occasionally wore a bright scarf over their head or around their neck. Most of the colorful clothing had sequins, often of the same color, but often silver. I saw one young woman who had a pink cloud of silk around her neck.