ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The seventh Oud Festival was held in Kurdistan Region’s Erbil, and 10 young musicians from all around the Region harmonized the event with their melodies. 

“We have tried to preserve our art like other nations,” Jangi Jalal, an organizer of the event, told Rudaw on Friday.

“This festival can be a way to preserve Kurdish music and avoid copying Turkish, Persian, and Arabic music,” Halmat Ahmad, a musician, said.

Ten oud instruments were distributed as prizes by lottery to the audience at the end of the festival as an appreciation for those who attended and stayed until the end of the festival.

“This is my first time in the Kurdistan Region and I am here today to listen to Kurdish music. I enjoyed the outcomes very much and they were very interesting,” Chris Johanna, a tourist, told Rudaw.

The oud is a traditional stringed instrument with a rich history and is widely used in various musical traditions from the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.