ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The chamber of commerce in Turkey’s Kurdish Diyarbakir (Amed) province has updated its official logo for the first time in 143 years, adding the Kurdish translation of the organization’s name.
In a rare move, the phrase Odeya Pîşesazî û Bazirganiyê - Kurdish for Chamber of Commerce and Industry - was added beneath the Turkish text on the institution’s official logo. The updated version was first seen Tuesday during a meeting between chamber head Mehmet Kaya and Russia’s trade representative to Turkey, Aidar Gashigullin, who was visiting for the 17th Mesopotamia Exhibition for Agriculture.
“That council unanimously decided to include Kurdish writing on our logo,” Kaya told Rudaw. "No obstacles were put in our way, and the work was carried out in accordance with the law.”
The Diyarbakir Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in 1883 under the name Diyarbakır Commercial Council. It is one of the oldest professional institutions in the city and has around 26,000 members, with a 43-member administrative council.
Kaya said the chamber had initially planned to change “the overall design of the logo” as well, but later “reversed that decision” without elaborating, opting instead to only add Kurdish text to the existing design.
He added that when the proposal was presented to the council, all 43 members “voted yes to the decision.”
“Moving forward, we will use this logo everywhere,” he said.