At a huge rally to mark Kurdish new year, or Newroz, in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) called for the militant group to hold discussions on ending their 30-year armed struggle against the Turkish state. However, he stopped short of declaring an immediate end to the hostilities.
Hundreds of thousands of Kurds had gathered to hear Abdullah Ocalan's message and celebrate new year. Organisers claimed a million people attended, but there were no official figures. Large screens showed Ocalan's face while many waved the flags of his militant group. The mere display of Kurdish insignia, let alone an image of Ocalan, could have brought arrest and imprisonment less than a decade ago.
Thousands of Kurds gather to celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in the southeastern Turkish city of DiyarbakirIlyas Akengin/AFPA man takes a selfie as tens of thousands of Kurds gather to celebrate Newroz, which marks the arrival of spring and the new year, in Diyarbakir, TurkeyUnit Bektas/ReutersA Kurdish woman attends a gathering celebrating Newroz in Diyarbakir, south-eastern TurkeyUmit Bektas/ReutersBoys pose in front of a banner bearing a portrait of jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah OcalanYasin Akgul/AFPKurdish girls in traditional dress take part in new year celebrations in DiyarbakirCarl Court/Getty ImagesPeshmerga fighters pose for a photograph during Kurdish new year celebrations in DiyarbakirCarl Court/Getty ImagesKurds from Turkey and Syria celebrate Newroz in DiyarbakirCarl Court/Getty ImagesPeople reach up to touch a large Kurdish flag during Newroz celebrations in Istanbul, TurkeyBulent Kilic/AFPPeople watch the Newroz celebrations, marking the Kurdish new year, in Istanbul.Bulent Kilic/AFPA Turkish Kurdish man jumps over a bonfire during a rally celebrating Newroz in IstanbulMurad Sezer/ReutersKurds rally during Newroz celebrations in Ankara, TurkeyAdem Altan/AFPPeople from the Kurdish community gather on a hillside and light a fire as part of Newroz celebrations in Cizre, in Turkey's Sirnak provinceYasin Akgul/AFP
Newroz is an important festival marking the arrival of spring and the Persian new year.
Newroz (also spelled Nowruz) is also celebrated in other countries that use the Persian calendar, such as Iraq, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The calendar takes as its start date the time when the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina in 621 AD. The current Persian year is 1394.
Afghan revellers gather in front of the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine in Mazari-i-Sharif for Newroz festivitiesFarshad Usyan/AFPAfghan women gather to celebrate the new year in front of the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine in Mazari-i-SharifFarshad Usyan/AFPBalloons are released at the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine in Mazari-i-Sharif, AfghanistanFarshad Usyan/AFPAfghans try to touch and kiss a religious flag to celebrate the new year (Newroz) in KabulMohammad Ismail/ReutersAfghan men take part in a ritual in front of the Hazrat-e-Ali shrine in Mazari-i-SharifFarshad Usyan/AFPA girl plays with a toy gun during Newroz celebrations in Kabul, AfghanistanMohammad Ismail/ReutersAfghan women walk inside a shopping mall ahead of Newroz in JalalabadParwiz/ReutersKurdish men carry lit torches up a mountain as they celebrate new year, in the northern Iraqi town of AqrahAzad Lashkari/ReutersKurds carry torches up a mountain where a giant flag of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is laid, in the town of Aqrah, Northern IraqAzad Lashkari/ReutersResidents release sky lanterns during Newroz festivities in Baghdad, IraqAhmad Mousa/ReutersKurdish residents celebrate Newroz in Dohuk, northern IraqAri Jalal/ReutersKurdish Peshmerga forces celebrate Newroz, a festival marking spring and the Persian New Year, in Kirkuk, IraqAko Rasheed/ReutersKurdish men stand guard with their guns during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood of Aleppo, SyriaAmmar Abdullah/ReutersSyrian Kurdish people gather on Mistanur hill in the town of Kobani, destroyed in the fight against IsisYasin Akgul/AFPSyrian Kurdish people gather to celebrate Newroz on Mistanur hill in Kobani, also known as Ain al-ArabYasin Akgul/AFP
