A comparative study on the transition period practices (birth-marrriage-death) in Erbil

Culture is the treasure and national memory of nations. The traditions and customs of each nation or country form the funamental richness of their own culture. There are many traditions, customs, beliefs and practices within the culture. These beliefs and practices can vary from nation to nation and from one society to another. Transition periods have a special place among these beliefs and practices. In this thesis entitled "A Comparative Study on The Transition Period Practices (Birth-Marriage-Death) in Erbil", the transitional period customs of the Turkmen, Kurd and Arab societies living in Erbil region are discussed in a comparative manner. These societies, which have devloped the culture of coexistence in the city of Erbil, have created a cultural diversity and influenced each other over the centuries. However, based on the data we obtained from historical documents and sources, the basis of this study was the thesis Turkmen culture in Erbil fed other cultures as the dominant culture. The discovery of traces of the mythological roots of Turkish culture in many of the transitional period beliefs and practices in Erbil confirmed our thesis. Methods and techniques of resource analysis, interviews and observations were used in the preparation of our study. Based on the data obtained, an attempt was made to establish the origins of transitional period practices in Erbil and to reveal the influence of Turkmen culture on other societies. Our study consists of an introduction, two chapters, conclusion, bibliography and appendices. In the introduction, information about the study's topic, objectives, method, scope, tools and literature review of the study are given. The first part introduces, the history, geography and culture of the city of Erbil. In the second part of the study, the concept of transitional periods was discussed, and then the practices and beliefs of each society in Erbil related to birth-marriage-death customs were examined separately. At the end of each chapter, a comparative review of these beliefs and practices is made. In the conclusion part of the thesis, a general evaluation is given, and the determinations made based on the data obtained are revealed. Our study; It is important to ensure that the Turkmen, Kurd and Arab communities that have absorbed the culture of living together in Erbil have information about the cultural norms of birth-marriage-death beliefs and practices. Keywords: Erbil, Transitional Periods, Ritual, Kurd, Turkmen, Arab.