Shopkeeper Hidayet Sheikhani says of the istiftah: 'He's carrying wealth and well-being straight from God to the businessperson in the early morning.' AFP
An Iraq man opens his shop in the old bazaar in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. As the sun rises over Arbil's historic bazaar, shopkeepers sweep their stoops and eagerly await the istiftah, the first customer of the day. AFP
The istiftah is believed to be a good omen. AFP
The first customer of the day gets to name his or her price for the goods or service being purchased. AFP
So they go without the usual process of haggling and compromise that is quintessential to street markets. AFP
Shopkeeper Hidayet Sheikhani says of the istiftah: 'He's carrying wealth and well-being straight from God to the businessperson in the early morning.' AFP
An Iraq man opens his shop in the old bazaar in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region. As the sun rises over Arbil's historic bazaar, shopkeepers sweep their stoops and eagerly await the istiftah, the first customer of the day. AFP
The istiftah is believed to be a good omen. AFP
The first customer of the day gets to name his or her price for the goods or service being purchased. AFP
So they go without the usual process of haggling and compromise that is quintessential to street markets. AFP
Shopkeeper Hidayet Sheikhani says of the istiftah: 'He's carrying wealth and well-being straight from God to the businessperson in the early morning.' AFP
The generous Middle Eastern tradition of istiftah lives on in Iraq
The first customer of the morning is thought to set the tone for the rest of the day