Nowruz celebrations begin in Diyarbakir
Crowds have started rushing into Nowruz Park on Thursday in the southeastern Diyarbakir city to celebrate the Nowruz festival, which marks the first day of the spring and the beginning of the new year in the Iranian calendar.
Citizens coming from 85 different spots from across the city were transported by vehicles of the Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality and they are gathering at the park.
Banners celebrating the Nowruz Festival both in Turkish and Kurdish were visible all across the festival area.
A 5,000-strong team of volunteers are helping police officers at security checkpoints leading to the park.
Around 500 Turkish and foreign TV channels are broadcasting the celebrations live.
The UN's General Assembly, in 2010, recognized the International Day of Nowruz, and it was officially registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
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