The participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Nowruz celebrations on March 21, and the fact that he jumped—according to tradition—over the “Nowruz fire,” which he also lit, sparked a wave of interest within Turkey and beyond. Although Erdoğan stated that Nowruz does not belong to “any ethnic group, but to the entire nation and to all of our geography,” it is evident that his participation in the celebrations was intended as a gesture toward the Kurdish minority in the country, which traditionally celebrates Nowruz. This gesture is part of his attempt to attract votes from the Kurdish minority, in order to amend the Turkish constitution in a way that would allow Erdoğan to run for another term as executive president.
However, it seems that the pro-Kurdish party remains unimpressed by the gesture, and following the arrest of Erdoğan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, it joined the protests against the arrest. In response, the authorities did not allow the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish underground—who had recently called for the group to disarm—to send his Nowruz greeting to party representatives for public reading.
Erdoğan’s framing of Nowruz as a holiday with Turkish roots sparked outrage and criticism in Iranian media and social networks, with claims that this reflects an attempt by the Turkish president to appropriate the holiday from the Iranians. A commentary article on the news site Tabnak argued that Erdoğan is using Nowruz to strengthen his political position amid growing protests against him, while appropriating Iranian cultural and historical heritage. The site claimed this is not the first time Ankara has taken such steps, pointing to Turkey’s recent references to key historical figures of Persian origin—such as the 13th-century poet Jalal al-Din Rumi and the 11th-century physician, philosopher, and scientist Avicenna (Ibn Sina)—as being of Turkish origin. The article stated that while there is nothing inherently wrong with Erdoğan wanting to designate Nowruz as a Turkish national holiday, he cannot ignore the holiday’s Iranian historical roots or treat it as a purely Turkish tradition.
From Iran’s perspective, Nowruz serves both its efforts to strengthen national solidarity and patriotic sentiment among its citizens, and to consolidate its regional standing. Despite its pre-Islamic roots, over the years spokespersons for the regime have presented Nowruz not only as a key part of Iran’s cultural heritage, but also as a holiday with symbolic significance within Shi'ism. Moreover, Iran uses Nowruz ceremonies to promote its cultural influence in the Arab world—particularly among Kurds in Syria and Iraq, who are culturally closer to the Persians—as well as in Central Asia.
In conclusion, the battle over the cultural roots of Nowruz serves both Iran and Turkey in their efforts to bolster national and social cohesion and to strengthen their influence in the regional sphere. Notably, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a Nowruz greeting to the Iranian people, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar greeted only the Kurds—demonstrating that Israel, too, uses selective messaging around these celebrations for political purposes.
The participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Nowruz celebrations on March 21, and the fact that he jumped—according to tradition—over the “Nowruz fire,” which he also lit, sparked a wave of interest within Turkey and beyond. Although Erdoğan stated that Nowruz does not belong to “any ethnic group, but to the entire nation and to all of our geography,” it is evident that his participation in the celebrations was intended as a gesture toward the Kurdish minority in the country, which traditionally celebrates Nowruz. This gesture is part of his attempt to attract votes from the Kurdish minority, in order to amend the Turkish constitution in a way that would allow Erdoğan to run for another term as executive president.
However, it seems that the pro-Kurdish party remains unimpressed by the gesture, and following the arrest of Erdoğan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, it joined the protests against the arrest. In response, the authorities did not allow the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish underground—who had recently called for the group to disarm—to send his Nowruz greeting to party representatives for public reading.
Erdoğan’s framing of Nowruz as a holiday with Turkish roots sparked outrage and criticism in Iranian media and social networks, with claims that this reflects an attempt by the Turkish president to appropriate the holiday from the Iranians. A commentary article on the news site Tabnak argued that Erdoğan is using Nowruz to strengthen his political position amid growing protests against him, while appropriating Iranian cultural and historical heritage. The site claimed this is not the first time Ankara has taken such steps, pointing to Turkey’s recent references to key historical figures of Persian origin—such as the 13th-century poet Jalal al-Din Rumi and the 11th-century physician, philosopher, and scientist Avicenna (Ibn Sina)—as being of Turkish origin. The article stated that while there is nothing inherently wrong with Erdoğan wanting to designate Nowruz as a Turkish national holiday, he cannot ignore the holiday’s Iranian historical roots or treat it as a purely Turkish tradition.
From Iran’s perspective, Nowruz serves both its efforts to strengthen national solidarity and patriotic sentiment among its citizens, and to consolidate its regional standing. Despite its pre-Islamic roots, over the years spokespersons for the regime have presented Nowruz not only as a key part of Iran’s cultural heritage, but also as a holiday with symbolic significance within Shi'ism. Moreover, Iran uses Nowruz ceremonies to promote its cultural influence in the Arab world—particularly among Kurds in Syria and Iraq, who are culturally closer to the Persians—as well as in Central Asia.
In conclusion, the battle over the cultural roots of Nowruz serves both Iran and Turkey in their efforts to bolster national and social cohesion and to strengthen their influence in the regional sphere. Notably, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a Nowruz greeting to the Iranian people, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar greeted only the Kurds—demonstrating that Israel, too, uses selective messaging around these celebrations for political purposes.