Ey Reqîb

Ey Reqîb (Central Kurdish: ئەی ڕەقیب‎, [ɛj raˈqiːb]) is the Kurdish national anthem. It was written by the Kurdish poet and political activist, Dildar in 1938, while in jail. "Ey Reqîb" means "O Enemy!" or "Hey Enemy!", in reference to the jail guards in the prison where Dildar was held and tortured and who also symbolized the occupying countries of Turkey, Iraq and Syria. The song was originally written in Sorani Kurdish but nowadays it is sung in both the Sorani and the Kurmanji dialects. In 1946, the song was adopted as the official anthem of the Kurdistan Republic of Mahabad, a short-lived Kurdish republic of the 20th century in Iran that lasted for a year. The song alludes to revolutionary socialism and mythical Kurdish history, and is usually performed in a traditional style (as opposed to a Western-style band).

"Ey Reqîb" has been adopted by the Kurdistan Regional Government as the official national anthem of the Iraqi Kurdistan.