Female Iraqi bodybuilder breaks down gender barriers

Shylan Kamal sees her passion for sport as a matter of gender equality in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region

Shylan Kamal is carving a name for herself in bodybuilding, traditionally considered a sport for men in Iraq. All photos: AFP

In recent months, the 46-year-old from Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region has competed in three events across Britain and Germany, each time placing third

As a young girl, Kamal would help her mother knead bread, until one day she realised the work was a way to build up muscles - and she liked it

Kamal emigrated to Germany with her uncle when she was 14

The nutritionist and former photographer returned to Kurdistan from Germany three years ago and found a conservative and patriarchal society where her passion for bodybuilding raised some eyebrows

Now a mother herself, Kamal sees her passion for the sport as a matter of gender equality in Iraq

"Having muscles is good for women too," she says during a session at a gym in Erbil, where she spends four hours training every day. "We can express our beauty through bodybuilding."

Kamal has trained since the age of 22

In this picture taken on April 27, 2023, Iraqi Kurd Shylan Kamal trains at a gym in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. - As a young girl, Shylan would help her mother knead bread until one day she realised the work was a way to build up muscles -- and she liked it. Now 46 and herself a mother to three adult children, Kamal sees her passion for bodybuilding as a matter of gender equality in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. (Photo by Safin HAMED / AFP)

More from The National:

Drought forces rural Iraqis to move to crowded cities - in pictures

Tourists visit Qeshm island in Iran - in pictures

Designs for Dubai Reefs revealed - in pictures

Skateboarding dogs wow the crowds at Pet Expo Thailand - in pictures

Resourceful Gazans find work to overcome poverty - in pictures

Iraq's ancient pottery industry struggling in a modern era — in pictures