Mzkhwty Hajji Hbdwlhzyzy Kۆshy Ban

The mosque known in Kurdish as Mazgewti Haji Abdulazizi Kosey Ban serves a hilltop neighbourhood in the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. The name pays tribute to Haji Abdulaziz, a local benefactor from the Kosey Ban quarter whose generosity funded the construction and maintenance of the building. Sulaymaniyah, founded in 1784 by the Baban emir Ibrahim Pasha, is a relatively young Iraqi city by regional standards but carries an outsized cultural reputation as the intellectual capital of Iraqi Kurdish life, home to celebrated poets, writers, and musicians whose work has travelled across borders. The Kosey Ban neighbourhood climbs the slopes above the city centre and is home to families from across the surrounding Sulaymaniyah plain and the upland valleys of Sharbazher and Penjwen. Architecturally the mosque is a sturdy example of modern Kurdish urban masjid construction: walls of grey stone and reinforced concrete, a central dome finished in green tile, a square minaret with loudspeakers, and a courtyard paved in broad tiles and shaded by walnut and pomegranate trees. The interior is floored in deep red carpet, the qibla wall faced with a pale plaster mihrab and calligraphy in green, and the minbar carved from local oak. A lattice screened section at the rear serves the women of the neighbourhood. The congregation is drawn from the surrounding hillside streets, with a strong showing from shopkeepers of the old bazaar and teachers from the nearby schools. Daily prayers follow the measured Kurdish pace, and the imam often recites from Surah Yusuf and Surah Maryam during the evening salah. Jumu'ah sermons are delivered in Kurmanji and Sorani alternately, and frequently draw on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and his companions, may God be pleased with them. Ramadan fills the hall each night with tarawih and community iftars of kibbeh, dolma, and fresh Kurdish bread. Eid prayer opens the hillside street for embraces and exchanges of sweets. Close by stand the Amna Suraka museum preserving the memory of the Anfal years, the Sulaymaniyah bazaar, the Slemani museum with its prehistoric treasures, the high cable car to the top of Mount Azmar, and the scenic Azmar mountain that rises behind the city.