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EveryShaadi

Wedding traditions of Diyarbakir

The inner-walled Kurdish city of drum, halay and long weddings, with wide extended-family guest lists.

Diyarbakir is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. Kurdish weddings here are public and communal, with dances led by the davul and zurna and a long guest list that may take in a whole neighbourhood. The wedding gathers distant kin and village neighbours alike.

Diyarbakır: A pond park in Diyarbakir
Photo: Cemallamec, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A wedding here

The community dances halay, a line or circle dance with linked hands, for hours. The bride's family may host a henna night and the groom's family the main feast. Traditional Kurdish clothing, brightly coloured and layered, is worn in many families.

Law and change

Bride price (basliq) has been practised in some rural communities, and religious-only marriages without registration exist; the civil code requires registration, and marriage of minors is illegal in Turkey. Many urban families now hold simple halls and civil ceremonies.

Wedding customs of Diyarbakir

HalayThe circle dance.Bride priceBride price and its legal and social context.Henna nightThe bridal henna.

Also part of it, and being written: Kurdish people (The community and its customs.).

A wedding trail idea for Diyarbakir

  1. Diyarbakir City Walls The ancient basalt ring around the old city.
  2. Hasan Pasha Han A historic caravanserai in the old quarter.
  3. Dengbej houses Places where Kurdish bards perform songs that appear at gatherings.
About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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