AKRE, Kurdistan Region – On the occasion of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed, over two thousand followers of the Qaderi Sufi Order arrived in Duhok province’s Akre town on Friday and gathered at their mosques to celebrate the holy event. 

Dervishes from all over Iraq and abroad flocked to Akre to participate in the occasion and visited the Takiya, or designated mosques that Sufis gather at as part of their tradition. 

People in the Kurdistan Region celebrate the Prophet’s birthday every year in nearly 5,000 mosques and celebrate by praying, chanting religious hymns, and giving out sweets. 

Sufism has a long history in the Kurdistan Region. There are four main tariqas: Qaderi, Naqshbandi, Chishti, and Suhrawardi. 

The Qaderi tariqa got its name from its founder – Abdul Qader Gilani. 

The tomb of Gilani in Baghdad is the site of pilgrimage from dozens of countries around the world, where the order has followers.