Norouz, the traditional Persian new year's celebration, heralds the arrival of spring throughout Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.
Happy Norouz! Welcoming The Persian New Year
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Iraqi Kurds mark Norouz with a torch-lit procession up a mountain above the town of Aqrah, some 100 kilometers east of Mosul.
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The torch-lit procession snakes up the mountainside.
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An Afghan girl looks out a window at Norouz festivities happening in the courtyard of the Hazrat-e-Ali Shrine in Mazar-e Sharif.
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A Kurdish woman dances around a bonfire in the Turkish town of Diyarbakir on March 21.
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A column of cotton candy offers a flash of color to the landscape of Kabul, Afghanistan, during Norouz festivities on March 21.
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Young Azerbaijani musicians take part in Norouz celebrations in central Tbilisi on March 21.
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Locals gather around a bonfire as the torch procession winds up a hill above Aqrah, in northern Iraq, on March 20.
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Kurdish women dance during Norouz celebrations in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on March 21.
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Crowds around a bonfire during the celebrations in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on March 21.
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Goldfish for sale on a Tehran street on March 17. The fish are a frequent feature of Norouz holiday displays known as "haftsin."