Category
hospitality
'The guest is dear' — an old Kurdish saying. Hospitality is one of the foundations of mountain Kurdish identity: a special guest room — the mêwanga — was kept in every house, and the host was bound to protect his guest even at the cost of his own life, a survival of the tribal honour code. A visit opens with at least three glasses of tea: one for welcome, the second for affection, the third for friendship. To refuse the third was to insult. Small bites are offered first, then a full meal; the guest is never asked the purpose of the visit or when he plans to leave. On departure, the host walks with him to the threshold and watches until he is out of sight. This hospitality saved countless travellers' lives in the mountains, well into living memory.