MNA – Khanom Sheykhan border market in Marivan County on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan region has resumed activities after it received official approval from the government.


The governor of the border city of Marivan Mohammad Shafiei said on Wednesday that Khanom Sheykhan border market reopened this morning, a week after the cabinet approved a bill to govern and organize the trade activities at border markets in Iranian provinces of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah and Sistan and Baluschestan.

Shafiei said that 10,318 local merchants and businessmen in Marvian Country in Kurdistan province are allowed to trade across the border and import basic goods based on their families' needs.

Marivan governor further said that the border market opened at the start of this Iranian year (21 March, 2018) and served as a gateway to transit goods from Iranian southern ports to Iraqi Kurdistan. The market was forced to shut down on the government order with the aim at fighting smuggling of illegal goods and foreing exchange.

He further said that Khanom Sheykhan is the first border market among the four mentioned provinces that resumed activities in Kurdistan Province.

Khanom Sheykhan is just one of several border markets in Kurdistan Province and Marivan on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. The most important border crossing in Marivan is Bashmagh which is one of the main crossings with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The two others are Parwezkhan and Haj Omran in Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan provinces, respectively.