Ranya, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Ranya, located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, shares a Sister City partnership with Duluth built on friendship, education, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding. The relationship grew from community-led exchanges between 2009 -2014. In 2013, members of Duluth’s Echoes of Peace Choir traveled to Ranya and solidified our connection. After their return, Mayor Don Ness and the City Council approved entering into a formal Sister City relationship. While the choir was in Ranya, they were fortunate to witness the Nawroz Festival or Ranya’s New Year celebrations. This Sister City relationship was formalized in 2015 by Mayor Don Ness of Duluth and Mayor Hiwa Qarani of Ranya.
The Kurdish people are known for their warmth and hospitality, and Duluth visitors have long been welcomed with extraordinary generosity. A daffodil sculpture in a park in Ranya symbolizes the friendship between Duluth and Ranya. Current Website picture of sculpture of daffodil can be used. Daffodils are closely associated with Nowruz, the Kurdish New Year, and represent renewal, hope, and the blossoming connection between our communities.
Ranya is located in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, and is a somewhat autonomous region; with its own Regional Government, a Deputy Prime Minister. With a history dating back thousands of years, it is surrounded by mountains, rivers, and nearby Dukan Lake. The region’s economy is supported by agriculture, livestock, trade, manufacturing, and natural resources. The population is primarily Muslim, with 95,000 people in Ranya and 260,000 in the neighboring areas. It is surrounded by mountains, rivers and lakes. Lake Dukan may not be a “big lake” to Duluthians, but it is huge for that region.
2025 Student Exchange
In March 2025, Duluth welcomed six high school students and a chaperone from Rania for a week-long cultural exchange. Students stayed with local host families, visited area schools and UMD, toured Duluth and the North Shore, learned to curl, attended a Duluth City Council meeting, and shared Kurdish culture with local residents. Several students also toured a Duluth’s children’s hospital as part of their educational experience. The exchange provided meaningful opportunities for students from both communities to learn from one another and build lasting friendships. It reflects the ongoing commitment of Duluth and Ranya to fostering global citizenship, cultural understanding, and people-to-people diplomacy.
Given the current conflict in Iran and it’s affect on the Middle East, the people of Duluth are thinking of our friends in Ranya, hoping for their safety and well-being. We remain engaged as able and committed to our friendship and partnership.
Education and cultural exchange have been central to the partnership. The Rayal Center was established in 2010 in the city of Ranya. It is an official Cultural Exchange Organization registered under the Kurdistan Regional Government with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Culture. It is the first point of contact for incoming and outgoing delegations to and from Ranya. The University of Minnesota Duluth's Alworth Institute has hosted visiting scholars from Rania, while Duluth’s Echoes of Peace Choir helped strengthen ties during a visit to Ranya in 2013.
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