ERBIL — Well-known Kurdish writer and translator, Aziz Gardi, succumbed to a long-term disease on Monday at the age of 75, official sources confirmed. 

Dr. Aziz Gardi was hospitalized last week for kidney failure, a family member said, noting that he had removed a kidney last year, and this had further intensified his health condition.  

Kurdistan Region’s Health Minister Saman Barzanji and several other officials visited him at hospital in the recent days to ensure that all services are at his disposal.

Born in 1947 in Bahrka district of Erbil, Gardi was famous for his unique literary translations first published in 1970s. He spoke Kurdish, French, English, and Persian fluently. 

Dr. Gardi wrote 12 books and translated 36 others from the world literature during 50 years of his professional career.