Erbil: Entrepreneur blends Italian design with Kurdish heritage in cafe

Shafaq News – Erbil

In Qaysariyah Market, Erbil’s oldest marketplace, Kurdish entrepreneur Hangaw Majid has launched a cafe featuring a distinctive design that merges Italian architecture with traditional Kurdish elements inspired by the region’s mountain caves, creating a space that seamlessly blends heritage and modernity.

Majid told Shafaq News that he returned to Kurdistan in 2018 after seven years in Italy. He initially opened a small coffee-selling venture, but four years later expanded the space to include a seating area for customers.

His project represents part of a rising trend among young entrepreneurs in Erbil, who are increasingly investing in projects that combine creativity with local identity.

“My ambition for this project grew, and I chose not to return to Italy,” he explained. “I wanted to develop my own business here, especially after gaining valuable experience abroad, and I found running my own project far more rewarding than traditional employment.”

He noted that shops in Qaysariyah are typically small, so he designed the cafe to fit this reality by converting it into a two-story space. The upper floor showcases traditional Kurdish design with subtle Italian artistic touches, a concept he also applied to the ground floor.

“The idea was to craft something unique that embodies a fusion of Kurdish and Italian cultures,” Majid emphasized, “but I intentionally made Kurdish style the dominant element throughout the cafe.”