ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An elderly Kurdish woman from Iran’s Piranshahr city in West Azerbaijan province works as a kolbar, carrying goods across the Haji Omaran border crossing despite health problems, in a bid to earn a meagre living.
Zubaida, who crosses the mountainous border despite serious health problems, said poverty has left her with no alternative.
“My heart is uncomfortable [I feel unwell]. Both my kidneys have stones. My legs have arthritis. God is my witness, I have diabetes, but I have no choice. This is better than begging,” she said.
The job used to be illegal and often risky, as those detected by Iranian border guards were shot before a bill was passed in the parliament last year. Now, each kolbar is allowed to work three days a week and can transport 10 to 30 kilograms of goods and items per day.
Men working the same route describe similar hardships. One porter said he had been on the mountain since five in the morning without time to eat, surviving on bread and cheese along the way. His main concern, however, was that the income earned from carrying goods did not cover even a single day’s expenses.
Rahman Taymouri said restrictions on crossings and low earnings make the work unbearable.
“Truly, no one is satisfied with this border crossing. They let us come once a week, and even that, 15 kilos cost a million and a half [tomans, around $11] to reach the top, and you return at 12 o'clock at night. What kind of life is this? What life is this? By God, death is better,” he said.
The beneficiaries of this trade are poor and low-income border residents on the Iranian side, who have been issued work cards by the Iranian government. The most common goods transported from the Kurdistan Region to Iran are fabric, tea, coffee, and auto parts.
Azima, another porter, said she leaves her infant child behind while going on the journey.
“We come because of hardship and our children and misfortune. I've left my one-year-old child at home. This work is not suitable for women. Men should have a better income. The men are unfortunate; expenses are high. They cannot manage [to provide] for the home,” she said.
Transportation costs for a load of 15 kilograms 1.5 million tomans, roughly $11, significantly cutting into already meagre earnings.
Azad Ariyan, a border officer, said the restrictions are due to congestion and logistical limitations at the crossing.
“According to law, they can cross the border and return every day, but due to border congestion, and because of the size of the crossing, and so that problems don't arise, they've set a schedule where some get one or two days per week when they can go,” he said.
For many porters, the dangerous and physically demanding work remains the only option to support their families amid rising living costs and limited employment opportunities.
More than 5,000 residents of Iran's border areas have been given kolbari work cards, and their movement is official through the Haji Omaran residence and passport department. According to the border crossing statistics, 1,000 to 1,500 kolbars come and go daily, and 60 tons of goods and items are transported from the Kurdistan Region to Iran.
Jaafar Mubashrnia contributed to this report.