How do they live in marriage in Erbil Iraq? I'm going to Kurdistan because it exists. Southern Kurdistan before joining Iraq

January 2011

Everyone knows three things about Iraq: there is a lot of oil there, the arrogant Yankees invaded there and killed Saddam Hussein. Some people still know that there are no nuclear weapons in Iraq, but there is chaos and injustice. There is quite a bit of other information about Iraq, so we began to investigate this issue. It was decided to go to this country for the New Year holidays. More precisely, in Iraqi Kurdistan, because the rest (Arab) part of Iraq is mentioned everywhere as an extremely dangerous place.

Four of us set off on the journey - two of each sex. This is cost effective for two reasons:
You can take a whole car and drive without waiting for fellow travelers;
Can be successfully dumped in hotels

The time for travel was chosen, in our opinion, ideal - New Year's holidays - in winter it is cool here, no more than 15 degrees Celsius. And in the summer the heat is 50 and above.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to take a normal camera due to its breakdown, so all photographs were taken using a good-quality point-and-shoot camera. There will also be a detailed video about the trip soon.

There are several useful reports on the Internet about the trip to Kurdistan, which we used to plan the route. First of all, this is a report, widely distributed on the Internet, secondly, a report by a bushy-haired photoblogger, thirdly, this opus of comrade Mykola with many photographs and, finally, a guide by LiveJournalist ivanivanych.

about country

Not many people know about Iraqi Kurdistan. Everyone knows about Iraq, and mostly they know about it from the news. Iraqi Kurdistan is an autonomy within Iraq and is largely an independent state. From Iraq he inherited a sad story, currency, borders and stamps in your passport.

Kurdistan is a country “at the beginning of its journey,” as the seller of the only wine and vodka store in Erbil aptly told us. After many years of oppression by Saddam Hussein and the genocide of the Kurdish population, this country is now actively developing and taking leaps and bounds towards a bright future.

Kurdistan has its own president, Masoud Barzani, who is very respected there. His portraits hang everywhere, and in many ways his policies ensured freedom and stability there relative to the rest of Iraq.

For some time, Kurdistan was under the protection of Iran and the United States, so there is no negative attitude towards foreigners there. On the contrary, the country has taken the path to attract foreign investment and develop tourism, and you will be greeted everywhere with a smile and open arms.

In general, in the Kurdish part of Iraq there are not many attractions and the nature is rather sparse (although, undoubtedly, for those who are actively exploring the world, all of the above will also be far from uninteresting), but this is not why it is worth going there.

It's worth going because of the people. It is enough to stay there for a few hours to understand that these people are not like us. The distinctive feature of any business in Kurdistan, be it a taxi, a hotel or a fruit stand, is that its goal is not to earn money, but to satisfy the client. We always felt, as it seemed to us, a special attitude towards ourselves.

Border crossing

Kurdistan and Iraq have different visa regimes. It is quite difficult to get to Baghdad, but to Kurdistan is easy, just come with your passport to the Silopi-Zakho border crossing. There are still options to fly from Turkey by plane to Erbil airport and cross the border from Iran. This method has not been tested due to its low reliability. There are no problems with the first one.

You can only cross the border by car. If you came on foot, of course they will put you in any available car, but since you still need to somehow get to the border guards, we are not considering this option. The border crossing point at Silopi is quite popular, so there are a huge number of taxi drivers on duty on both sides, ready to help you.

Entering Iraq from Turkey

To get to the border, you need to fly to the nearest Turkish city - this is either Diyarbakir or Mardin. From there you need to take a bus to the town of Cizre. There is absolutely no need to go to Silopi - a car to cross the border will cost the same both from Cizre and from Silopi - 20 Turkish lira per person (that’s about 15 dollars). For this amount, the driver will transport you abroad and take care of all the registration formalities - you will give your passports to him during the transition, this is normal.

At the border we felt Iraqi hospitality. We were taken into a beautiful room with leather sofas, treated to tea, given our passports and wished us a safe journey. At the same time, a small crowd of either Turks or Kurds was not allowed inside and they waited outside. Everything was done quickly, we didn’t even really talk to anyone.

Immediately after arriving in Iraq, you will be greeted by a cheerful fraternity of local taxi drivers who are ready to take you anywhere in Kurdistan. Do not put your passports away; you will need them more than once when passing through numerous checkpoints.

Traveling from Iraq to Turkey

Arriving at the same parking lot from which you started your trip to Iraq, you will see many taxi drivers ready to take you anywhere in Turkey. We liked a guy who agreed to take everyone to Diyarbakir at once for $150, which costs about the same as taking a bus, and it’s not a long trip there.

Coming back is a slightly more drawn out procedure, because on the border between Iraq and Turkey there are a couple of wonderful Duty Free stores (a liter of whiskey is $4!), which all the locals use to import cigarettes into Turkey, which are incredibly expensive there due to the struggle with smoking. Therefore, as you pass through the border, the car will be stuffed with cigarettes wherever possible, and they will also ask you to take a few blocks “for yourself” - don’t worry, this is normal.

On the way back, there are about the same number of formalities, but you will have to present your luggage for thorough inspection by the Turkish border guards, who will look for stashes of cigarettes there.

Movement

Getting around the country is in wheelbarrows. Cities have taxi stations from which intercity carriers depart. If you are alone, you will wait until the car is full. There were four of us, so we didn’t expect anything, and we didn’t need a taxi station; taxi drivers caught on the street would happily take us to another city. There are a lot of taxi drivers, so the first car almost always stopped.

An approximate cost map for a car for four passengers is shown below:

The prices for transportation can be said to be fixed, and no one will try to deceive you. But in any case, it’s better to find out the price in advance, anything can happen. Traveling as a group of four gives you a wonderful opportunity to stop along the way to take photos, go to the toilet or buy fruit.

Food

Food in Iraq is not as tasty as, for example, in Turkey. The main course is, of course, meat.

Street food.

The meat is mainly chicken or lamb - in pieces or in the form of minced meat. The name depends on how it is prepared:
Wrapped in pita bread - kebab or doner.
Placed in a bun - kofte.
Spread on a flatbread - this is Turkish pide or lahmacun. Added vegetables - pizza.
There is also some fish, also packaged in buns, some unknown crap in the form of chicken balls, some roasted chestnuts and other nonsense.

In short, eat meat, you will be healthier. We have not encountered a single instance of low-quality food being sold on the street.

Restaurants here are a completely separate issue. Iraq has a decent number of restaurants of different types and statuses, but the food seems to be the same in all of them.

There is no menu even in the most central restaurant in the city. Don’t be alarmed when, even before you place an order, they will serve you a clearing of soup, vegetables, pickles, sauces, flatbreads and water. This is how it is done here, it is included in the price and you don’t have to give it up. And they do this everywhere - both in restaurants and in cheap eateries. Along with your chosen dish, you will be given several plates of sauces to make the meat even tastier! And finally, of course, tea, in which there are two or three spoons of sugar at the bottom) Iraqis have a sweet tooth! For all this pleasure you pay a fixed price, regardless of whether you eat it all or not. Our most expensive bill was 50,000 dinars for 4 people.

Money and prices

Throughout Iraq there is one currency - the Iraqi dinar. The minimum banknote we came across was 250 dinars - about 25 cents. There are no iron small things at all. The exchange rate at the time of our stay was approximately 1150 dinars per dollar. In hotels you can pay in dollars or euros.

You can exchange money anywhere - in a hotel, in a store or at a “specialized” exchange point - on the street with a man who has a wad of money on his table. They change willingly and do not deceive. By the way, it was not possible to change money in banks.

Prices are mostly reasonable. Not cheaper and not more expensive than what we are used to.

Another pleasant fact is that no one tried to deceive us in Kurdistan. No one inflated the price, as they like to do in Turkey. You can take a city taxi without agreeing on the price in advance. There was even a taxi driver who didn't want to take any money from us at all.

Approximate prices in dinars (we discard three zeros - we get the price in dollars, very convenient!):
Kofte (sandwich with meat and vegetables) - 3000...5000
Lunch at an eatery - 5000...7000
Lunch at the restaurant - 7000-12000
Taxi in Erbil 3000...5000
Can of cola 500
Bottle of water 250.

All prices here are multiples of 250, and even for chewing gum you will have to pay a whole piece of paper, because there is simply nothing to give in change. Although, most likely, they will simply give you this chewing gum for free.

Kurdistan is far from being a poor country, as it might seem at first glance. Huge oil reserves and good relations with other countries allow the import of many goods at low prices. There are a lot of cars on the streets made in 2010-2011, including Hummers and other expensive cars. 50% of all cars are brand new Toyota Corollas; almost all taxis use them. Brand new Chryslers painted taxi yellow look especially strange.

They like to highlight the year of manufacture of a jalopy with stickers on the rear window.

Accommodation

There is no need to book anything in advance. There are a huge number of hotels in Kurdistan. Prices are about the same: 40-60 dollars for a good double room with breakfast. You can, of course, live in a rooming house for $20, but compared to other expenses, I don’t think it’s justified. You can and should bargain in hotels.

Almost everywhere there is air conditioning and a boiler. Everything else is standard. If you have any questions, please contact the reception - as a rule, they are always very responsive and ready to help in any situation, if they can understand you, of course. Their level of English is quite weak.

We stayed at the Rasan Hotel (center of Dohuk) and Pak Motel (center of Erbil) - everything was very good, of course there were little things (there weren’t enough pillows, there were traffic jams), but all this was solved through the reception and sign language. Well, in general, just walk around the center a little and choose the hotel you like. It’s better to ignore all sorts of recommendations from nerds from Lonely Planet, LiveJournalists and adherents of bedbugs in the pursuit of an extra two bucks.

Some hotels may try to separate couples into different rooms based on gender if you are not legally married, but you can ask not to do this. This was the case in Dohuk. We were asked to move into different rooms with our girls and under no circumstances drink beer. But our plans for that night were grandiose - to break all these regulations, which we did without hindrance! However, it is better to observe the rules of decency and not abuse Kurdish hospitality.

Breakfast at the hotel is the same as anywhere else in the world.

Safety

To be honest, at the time of entering the country there was some excitement - we passed through the slums of the border town of Zakho and thought that we were already being taken to a damp hole. But only one day passed to make sure that Iraqi Kurdistan is completely safe, in my opinion, even more a safer country than Russia. You can walk outside quite calmly in the evenings and at night. There are no special Muslim rules of behavior, as, for example, in Iran. Women do not have to wear a headscarf at all. Of course, if you dress up completely openly, you can catch dissatisfied glances, but nothing more. The residents of Kurdistan themselves are divided into those who are still faithful to traditions - they wear a burqa or hijab and look in surprise at foreign women with their heads uncovered. Others walk in our usual attire. Especially many of the latter were seen in the town of Ankawa, a sort of stronghold of sinfulness in Kurdistan.

There are many checkpoints between the cities where all passing cars are stopped for document checks. You, as tourists, most likely will not have any problems.

You will arouse more interest in the local population than they do in you. Everyone will take pictures with you, especially if you are a girl and blonde at the same time. We even thought about hanging a sign “photo with a blonde: 2000 dinars” and making some money. And now we regret that we didn’t do this.

It is much more serious if you decide to travel outside of Kurdistan to the south. As the Kurds themselves unanimously say, even for a million they won’t go towards Baghdad - there is a high chance they won’t be able to travel even ten kilometers. They will be killed, and you will be taken prisoner for a ransom, which, of course, no one will pay and you will go home in several sports bags. Although, perhaps the situation is much better than they say.

Cities

We managed to visit all the main cities except Sulaymaniyah, for which, unfortunately, we did not have enough time. In Sulaymaniyah there is a museum of the genocide of the Kurdish population and there is military equipment. Below is more information about the cities we visited.

Erbil (aka Arbil or Hawler)

Erbil is the capital of the Kurdish state. This rather large city with a population of about a million is comfortably located around the ruins of an ancient citadel. Erbil has a number of attractions and simply interesting objects.

The citadel is the ruins of an ancient city. Almost all of it is ruins. Try to sneak behind the fences unnoticed to climb through the many labyrinths. This is really interesting. There is no concept of floor or street. The rooms are stuck one on top of the other, hanging over narrow passages, the passages pass from the ground to the roofs through narrow rickety stairs. Unfortunately, security noticed us almost immediately and asked us to get out of these four-dimensional labyrinths.

These same warriors invited us to their place and treated us to their delicious lunch of millet porridge with a lot of chicken, and they were constantly trying to give us more. And then we sat with them in the relaxation room and drank tea! Apparently, tourists are rare there, since they showed us a lot of attention: they took pictures on their phones, fed, watered and told us as best they could about the citadel and Kurdistan. The citadel has a store with antiques from all over the world, where among the copies there are even Russian samovars.

Near the citadel is the city center with a fountain and market. There is nothing interesting on the market. Iraq itself produces practically nothing interesting for tourists, except kebab. All goods are either from China or Turkey.

There are many hookah smokers around the fountain. There are a bunch of photographers hanging around who, for 2,000 dinars, can take you an unforgettable photo right here and now and print it right away.

Erbil parks

Erbil also has several beautiful parks. Two of them are connected by a funicular.

They are located in the city center and can be found by following the "Minaret Park" sign on the roads. The parks are especially interesting in the evening. They are all simply strewn with blinking garlands. You can easily get an epileptic seizure from this sight. The funicular is turned on late in the evening; the ride is a little expensive, but worth it.

Entertainment center

And near the parks there is something that we did not expect to see in Iraq at all - a large entertainment center. It includes: a water park, ice skating rink, mini golf, paintball, shooting club, tennis and bowling. By chance we met the wonderfully English-speaking owner of this entire establishment. While playing golf, he told us a lot of interesting things about his business and life in Iraq.

A huge store built according to the Mega principle. There are a lot of international brand boutiques inside.

Prices there are no cheaper than in Okhotny Ryad; there are no locally produced goods. It’s worth a visit just to be happy for the local population and marvel at the pace of the country’s recovery. We even managed to give an interview to local television there.

Mosques are the same as everywhere else. They are used by the local population solely for their intended purpose and are not special attractions.

The largest mosque we noticed is located near the citadel.

Ankawa is a predominantly Christian area of ​​Erbil. Its residents told us that it is the richest city in all of Iraq. This is probably true.

The architecture here is slightly different: there are many beautiful cottages, and there is practically no street trading. Ankava is simply strewn with cheap wine and vodka shops ($20 per liter of Jack Daniels!), there are also bars and clubs, although the mood in the clubs is not at all clubby. Everyone simply reveled in modern oriental musical motifs. There is no dancing. And yet, the locals do not have a clear attitude towards alcohol, so it is better not to openly drink beer on the street. One local taxi driver refused to take us after seeing a bottle of whiskey.

There are several Christian churches and some strange religious organizations here. There are even sculptural compositions depicting in paint the process of the birth of Christ.

Visitors from other countries who have businesses in the country also settle in Ankawa. There we met Armenians, Georgians, and some missionaries from Europe or the USA. In general, the city is similar to a European cottage community, only each house is different from the other.

Interestingly, the people of Ankawa do not like the people of Erbil, and vice versa. During the New Year celebrations, entry into Ankawa from Erbil was generally closed by the military out of harm's way.

Ankawa is being developed by local authorities as a special economic zone. A tax deferment has been introduced here for 10 years, which gives a good impetus to the influx of investment and the emergence of business. So, I think that in a couple of years this settlement will be completely different from what we have seen so far.

Dohuk (aka Duhok)

We spent a little less than a day in Dohuk; it seemed to us more conservative than Erbil, and much larger in size. There are not many attractions in Dohuk.

Panorama

The panorama is a pedestal with two huge bronze sculptures, which, according to the idea, should be inserted into one another.

From there you can see the whole of Dohuk and the huge Kurdistan flag painted on the mountain. The panorama was built as a symbol of freedom and tolerance, which is why its full name is Freedom Panorama. Located near the city center.

It's beautiful here. In the heat you can probably swim. Under the dam there is a nice park with a waterfall and restaurants. A huge flag of Kurdistan is painted on the dam itself. The place is popular among tourists and locals who love to walk and take pictures here.

Surely there is something else in the city, but we no longer had time and we headed back to Turkey.

Amedi (Al-Amedi, Amedia, Al-Amadiah)

An ancient town located in a picturesque location on a flat mountain top. You can get there in a leisurely couple of hours by car from Dohuk. A local resident stated that the town was built at 200 years ago, but most likely the town is much older. In general, a couple of hours is enough to visit Amedee, unless you plan to have a picnic in its surroundings.

The town is very small and in itself is not of particular value. From its edges, which are quite clearly defined by a sheer cliff, there is a stunning view of the mountains.

The road to Amedi is very picturesque. Along the way there is Saddam's former house, and on the top of one of the mountains is his castle. But it seems you can only get there by helicopter.

There are several hotels and restaurants at the entrance to Amedee, but in the city itself we did not see a single cafe, restaurant or hotel.

Apparently, Amedi is the center of political life in Kurdistan. It contains many buildings bearing the names of Iraq's various political parties, including the Communist Party. There is also a small Turkish military base there.

Conclusion

There are no particularly interesting man-made or natural attractions there. But, if you want to break your mold, which is persistently imposed on you through television, be sure to visit this country. Kurdistan is a country that managed to recover from complete devastation in a very short time. Comparing it with Russia, one becomes ashamed of the Motherland. Being surrounded by the company of kind and sympathetic people of Kurdistan, you are surprised at the versatility of our world even in the modern era, when, it would seem, everything is already known, understandable and the same.

We also have a video report from this trip.

Gregory
09/02/2011 22:01

The opinions of tourists may not coincide with the opinions of the editors.

The article is outdated!
The material on which this article or its individual sections are based was collected more than five years ago. The article is probably already outdated and does not correspond to current realities. We would welcome more recent material on the topic of this article.

Capital:	Arbil
Square:	40.640 km 2
Population:	OK. 6,000,000 people
Currency:	Iraqi Dinar (IQD)
Language:	Kurdish, Arabic
Movement:	right-handed
Telephone code:	+964
Visa for the Russian Federation:	not required
To the territory claims:	Iraq

The question of whether Kurdistan is a separate state or an autonomy within Iraq is not clear. Even the government of Barzani (a local leader who once studied at the USSR General Staff) is not clearly confident in its own independence - at least the entry stamps say “Republic of Iraq - Kurdistan Region”. However, all security forces and most ministries in Kurdistan are their own, but the Baghdad currency is the Iraqi dinar.

The nature of Iraqi Kurdistan is boring, there are few historical attractions - and, nevertheless, this country is interesting to visit. There are amazingly colorful people here: their unique way of life, wise and at the same time naive faces - you won’t find these even in neighboring countries. And most importantly, Kurdistan is one of the very few places in the world where the majority of residents are truly patriots. Kurds come here from all over the world, abandoning their established lives in Iran, Turkey or Europe, and come to an empty place with one goal - to live and work in THEIR country. Isn't this amazing? In addition, the Kurds are amazingly hospitable, somewhat surpassing even neighboring Iran and Turkey in this indicator. And, except for professional beggars in Arbil, you will never see child beggars here, while in prosperous Turkey their well-dressed peers will run after you shouting “Mr. Money!”

There is also a mysterious place in Iraqi Kurdistan - the world center of the mysterious Kurdish religion of Yezidism, Lalesh.

Hit

The shortest and easiest way from Russia to Kurdistan is through Turkey. The most convenient border crossing here is located between Turkish Silopi and Iraqi Zakhu.

On the Turkish side you will have two small difficulties. The first is that the Turks categorically do not allow you to walk or drive a truck, since the trucks have their own queue and supposedly each person there must have a special document. You need to ask for a passenger car, or even better, a small minibus, of which there are many here. The second problem is that the Turks really don’t like foreigners going to and from Kurdistan. They are unable to cause real problems, since all the laws are on your side - and they begin to find fault with little things, like Russian traffic cops. Only they are driven not by the desire to squeeze a bribe out of you, but by the desire to not let you into Kurdistan and to stall for time. Calmly insist on your own, and they will soon leave you alone. By the way, you don’t need to use the word “Kurdistan” in a conversation with official Turks, because they start to get mad - just say “Iraq”, without clarification.

On the Kurdish side everything is much nicer. There, many visitors are given free tea under a portrait of leader Barzani while a border guard gives you entry stamps. The stamp replaces a visa, it is free and it says that if you are in the country for more than 10 days, you must register. But there’s nothing to do for more than 10 days in Kurdistan...

Then the border guards try to push you into a Kurdish taxi, but not aggressively. Feel free to say that you are walking and follow in the direction where these most numerous taxis leave - the terminal is large, and it is easy to get lost here. It's a long walk to the exit post - a kilometer, or even more. And here you are - on the land of free Kurdistan, and 10 kilometers along the highway in front of you is the first city called Zakkhu.

These 10 kilometers are a strange sight. On both sides there are unfinished buildings, where, however, there is life. A huge number of trucks and fuel trucks stand here day and night, and the drivers are somewhere nearby. You can spend the night here - in abandoned buildings, or better yet, in some ravine in the hilly steppe behind them. Only for this purpose, do not turn left from the terminal, where a small forest will attract you - there is a military unit and a thorn, but go to the right behind the ruins. The guards will greet you with surprise and answer “Salaam”, but they will not disturb you or knock, at least if you go further to the hills.

The road back to Turkey will be more difficult for you. The distance of less than a kilometer between two checkpoints will probably take you three hours! The reason for this is that at the entrance to Turkey there is a huge line at customs - the Kurds are bringing cheap goods from their homeland. The evil Turkish soldier will not let you through on foot. But afterwards you will be rewarded with the spectacle of a total search of Kurdish cars - a Turkish customs officer takes a crowbar and tears off all the panels in the passenger car, behind which you can, in principle, hide at least something! It looks strong. Your backpack will also be searched, but without much scrutiny.

There is also a border crossing with Iran (apparently in the area of ​​​​Iranian Piranshahr), possibly with Syria. The porousness of the border with mainland Iraq will be discussed in the Mosul section.

Money and prices

In Kurdistan in 2007, there was one unpleasant property - prices in the capital were fundamentally higher than in the provinces. For 75 cents in small Zakkhu you can eat a large meat pie, but in the capital Arbil you will only buy two inexpensive ice creams with this money! Thus, prices in the provinces are close to Iranian prices, and in large cities - to Turkish prices. Surprisingly, such a sharp division is not observed in neighboring countries...

Baghdad money is in use, only paper, of which the smallest is equal to 20 cents! This fact eloquently demonstrates that the Kurds do not like to waste time on trifles.

Movement

Hitchhiking in the country is good, there are few requests for money, but it is still useful to say the Turkish word “parasız”, that is, “free”, before boarding - it is also in the Kurdish language, like the word “para” itself, that is, “money”.

Civilian transport is not a very popular thing in Kurdistan. The roads are not bad, but there are no intercity buses! Their functions are partly performed by minibuses, although they are infrequent. The prices for them were not found out: it seems that these prices are rather high. In Arbil there are intracity minibuses, the price is 30 cents.

The main route from Arbil north to Turkey now bypasses Mosul (see below), via Dohuk. The route is narrow, not very good, and goes through hilly terrain. With all the cop troubles, it will take you half a day to get from Turkey to the capital of Kurdistan.

The map from Arbil shows a railway to the south. Its properties have not been studied.

Language

The population of the region speaks their own language, Kurdish. It is written in Arabic, but there are so many of its own symbols that anyone with ordinary Arabic literacy can hardly read anything. Rumors about the close relationship between Kurdish and Farsi are greatly exaggerated! Only the names of the numbers are the same - so it is convenient for someone who knows Persian to find out distances, prices and bargain, but nothing more. It is almost impossible for a Persian speaker to truly understand Kurdish speech!

What saves us is that many Kurds have returned from emigration, and among them (including among the common people) quite a few speak foreign languages. Although the “language of the occupiers” is rapidly being replaced, 20-30% still know Arabic at a conversational level. Another 10-15% of Kurds speak other non-native languages, namely Farsi, English and Turkish. As a rule, one Kurd speaks one foreign language. As you approach the border, naturally, the percentage of those who know your neighbor’s language increases.

Police and military

It is difficult to distinguish one from another in Kurdistan - we will call all the people “from Barzani”, dressed in uniform, the word “police”. There are a lot of them, and they often steal time (but not things) from free travelers. It is necessary to come to terms with this and learn to use the valiant Kurdish cops.

In about 60% of cases, the document check goes smoothly and you are immediately wished a good trip, but in other cases they are delayed. They do this not to humiliate you, extort a bribe or imprison you, but to have a conversation. The scheme for a complete check of a “suspicious element” is approximately as follows: checking documents - detention - searching for transport for you and transporting you to the department - searching for an interpreter for a conversation - interrogation-conversation in the boss’s office - transportation back or to another point you specified at a short distance. The time for a detailed check is from 20 minutes to 2-3 hours.

Two positive features of the Kurdish police should be noted. It happens that someone speaks rudely to you (although rarely), but you feel that you are not in an aggressive environment, “everyone is yours,” and in general you are treated with appropriate hospitality and respect. And the second positive property is that they are not trying to “civilize” you, as is usually the case with the police of Asian countries: to push you into paid transport, a hotel, etc. The very fact of free travel does not cause indignation among the Kurdish police officers - and this is valuable.

However, quite frequent detentions in a leisurely oriental spirit cause fair irritation to the traveler. Pour it out on the cops not just in the spirit of scandal, but with benefit for yourself: if they hold you for at least 10 minutes, demand full feeding, and what you expect will be immediately fulfilled! You will be fed from a soldier's cauldron - and in Kurdistan it is not like in Russia, there is quite healthy and satisfying food. If you were tied up at night, refer to the fact that according to international standards, interrogations at night are prohibited - let them write you in and interrogate you in the morning. You will be assigned to a department (not a cell), to someone’s home, or even to a hotel for free. After establishing your trustworthiness, demand that they return you from where they took you (however, usually in the end they themselves put you in the car and ask - where to take you?), or to another place within the city and its environs.

The interrogation itself is quite harmless, the questions are standard: did you come here yourself or who sent you? Where did this idea even come from? Answer that you came here solely out of sympathy for the brotherly people, who finally received independence, to express your support to the Kurds, but now you are being detained... It will all end with a tea party in an almost informal atmosphere in the chief’s office, an apology and repeated assurances that the Kurdish police are very happy your arrival.

Usually they are “taken” for interrogation while standing in position or walking around small towns. If you are already in the car, then it is more likely that they will simply check your documents at the checkpoint. Naturally, the largest number of cops is in the capital (Arbil), but in the city center they are accustomed to travelers and do not look at documents, much less detain them. They are more active in the area of ​​parliament and ministries, but even there the work is usually limited to checking documents.

Around the country

Arbil (Hawler)

Population of Kurdistan

It was not possible to accurately determine the size of the capital of Kurdistan - patriotic Kurds gave us figures of up to three million people! In reality, it's probably just under a million.

The center of Arbil is the bazaar; it is dominated by the main and, in fact, the only attraction - the citadel. From here there is a minibus to the largest mosque. There are a bunch of hotels near the bazaar - they don’t surprise you with their cheapness, they don’t agree with less than $10 per person. True, they can fit you into your room for free, but you shouldn’t really count on it. In general, prices in the city are close to Turkish ones.

The Internet is not very good in Kurdistan. In the center of Arbil there is the only Internet cafe on the third floor of the arcade next to the rise to the main entrance to the citadel. Prices are high; Interestingly, many monitors are specifically recessed into desks for privacy!

Citadel- the main entrance near the large bust of a man in a turban, which is clearly visible from all over the bazaar. Inside the citadel there are ordinary houses of a traditional type, from which everyone was evicted (apparently there will be a museum-reserve). There is also a mosque here, which is considered a great attraction; moderately impressive. The most interesting thing is the museum. All exhibits are for sale, so admission is free. One caretaker speaks English, the other speaks Farsi. The museum has national Kurdish clothes, European gramophones, old photographs from all over the world and a separate stand of weapons from a hundred years ago (such as the Mosin rifle), weapons, according to the caretakers, are still in fighting condition. The prices for everything are very high, but almost all the exhibits can be held in your hands under the pretext of a possible purchase.

The citadel is filled with soldiers. Conscientious soldiers may be found on one shift, but not on another. Ignorant people will prevent you from walking through deserted houses and inspecting the mosque, and they may even try not to let you in at all (in this case, you need to say the magic word “muse”, that is, museum). The soldiers do not speak English or Farsi.

Jalil Hayat Mosque. This exemplary building was erected in 2007. The mosque is very beautiful and interesting as an example of modern monumental Muslim architecture. Despite the fact that the mosque is Sunni, it is abundantly represented with Iranian architectural elements, usually characteristic of Shiism. The Jalil Hayat Mosque is located northeast of the citadel. It is surrounded by a large fence, the gate is usually closed; you need to spend some energy in order to be allowed inside.

Parlyaman. In all parts of the city there are proud signs pointing to the first parliament of the Kurdish people. Both the parliament itself and all the ministries are located on the outskirts of the city, where the exit to Mosul is. It’s rare to find such a sheltered and useless territory for a free traveler! “Parlyaman” is a soviet-type building slightly larger than the regional committee.

Souvenirs. In Arbil and Kurdistan, it is generally not easy to get traditional souvenirs, except in the museum (see above), where everything is very expensive. But other types of souvenirs related to the newfound Kurdish independence are quite accessible: from simple flags to fantastic maps, where the territory of Greater Kurdistan extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, in general, as far as the publishers’ imagination allows.

Dohuk

A relatively large city no smaller than Petrozavodsk, located 50 km east of Zakhu on the road connecting the capital of Kurdistan with hostile Turkey. It is convenient that this route, like in Zakkha, runs along the outskirts of the city.

At the exit towards Arbil there is an interesting place: a tent city. It consists of about fifteen large tents, where mysterious people constantly live. With such a seemingly unpretentious lifestyle, they all have cars, some even brand new Toyotas. All men have mobile phones.

The tent campers are very hospitable - if you walk through the town, they will certainly invite you for tea, and perhaps even to register. The level of culture here is much higher than in the tiled mansions of neighboring Turkey: you will be interesting to everyone, but the crowd will stare at you from afar. Here you can photograph everything, even women and girls. Some tents have traditional musical instruments (Persian type) and people who know how to play them.

Zakhu

A small town 10 km from the border crossing with Turkey. Prices after Turkish ones are amazingly cheap! If you come from the north, eat up; If you go there, eat well and stock up on supplies.

No special attractions were found in the city. The bazaar is colorful, the people... Here you can buy exotic cheese sprinkled with green spices and exchange money. Many owners of larger shops will take your currency with pleasure, but remember that they do not respect Turkish lira: they give only 85-90% of the market value for them. But they love their “green friend” here, as everywhere else - you will be given Iraqi dinars at the bank rate or even a little more.

There is a river in Zakhu, a tributary of the Tigris, and there is even a beach where children swim. You can do laundry there and also swim: girls are dressed, men are better off undressing only to the waist.

If you want to quickly travel from the border to Arbil, you don’t have to go to Zakkha (although the town is convenient for currency exchange and eating). The road to the capital goes to the right almost as soon as you enter the city. It can be seen from afar - there is a large police terminal in the steppe. The cops there are more harmful than in the city.

Mosul

Kurdistan lays claim to this large city (Mosul is larger than Arbil), but now it is under the control of the Arabs... that is, the Americans... that is, in the city, according to the Kurds, a complete bacchanalia is going on. The road from Arbil to Turkey used to pass through this metropolis and was two and a half times shorter! But now the Kurds are afraid to go there.

If you do break through to Mosul, you will see that the Kurdish military posts are multiplying, checking more and more thoroughly and unanimously discouraging you from going forward. You have to be a strong extreme sports enthusiast to still continue to rush there. It is unknown whether an Arab Iraqi visa is needed to visit Mosul - it is probably possible without it.

It is interesting that it was near Mosul, in the town of Kalhu, that the most famous palace of the famous Assyrian king Ashurbanipal was discovered. The perfectly preserved huge bas-reliefs from the walls of this palace were taken to the London Museum; their copies are kept in the Moscow Pushkin Museum of Art. Impressive!

Lalesh

Tomb of the Yazidi saint Sheikh Adi, Lalesh

Attraction No. 1 of Kurdistan is the village of Lalesh, the world center of the mysterious Kurdish religion of Yezidism. Yazidism is a fusion of Islam and pagan Kurdish elements with early Christian Gnostic cults, in general an interesting and mysterious mixture of beliefs. Some consider the Yezidis to be Satanists, for they revere a strange trinity, one of whose faces - Malak-Tavus, the Peacock Angel - is somewhat similar to Lucifer.

Getting to Lalesh is quite difficult, because it is lost in the mountains. On the territory of the shrine there are several small cone-shaped temples without architectural delights, but all sorts of strange drawings in the form of snakes, etc. are impressive. As a rule, they are allowed into the territory freely, they even allow you to spend the night and assign an English-speaking guide (all for free), but there is information that things are not always so favorable. There seem to be some holidays and on these days outsiders are not allowed into Lalesh (allegedly). There are 30 thousand Yazidis living in the Russian Federation, they have their own cultural centers, it is better to write to them (in Russian) before your trip. There are also Yazidi communities in Armenia and Georgia.

Part one - Guide

I have never been going anywhere for as long as I did to Iraq. Some years. There was always something obstructing the trip. Not the fear of being killed or kidnapped. Exclusively technical circumstances, or more precisely, the dilemma “Is Iraq worth the money spent on it?” Time after time I asked myself the question, what exceptional things will I see in this war-torn country? Having invested the equivalent of a trip to Southeast Asia on the trip, I really didn't want to be disappointed. Go for extreme sports? One way or another, the time has come, and my foot has set foot on Iraqi soil. I’ll tell you about my impressions further.

Iraqi Kurdistan and dispelling the myths around it

First of all, I would like to emphasize that I visited only the northern third of Iraq, better known as Iraqi Kurdistan. There is an absolutely stable and calm environment there. The same cannot be said about the Arab part of Iraq. Moving from the Turkish border to the south, he visited the cities of Duhok, Erbil, Mosul and Sulaymaniyah. Plus several interesting places near the mentioned cities. During my trip, the reports of such tourists who visited Kurdistan as zyalt, alware and ivanivanch provided significant assistance. In addition, I studied a considerable number of English-language reports, such as the Joe Trippin blog, Backpacking Iraqi Kurdistan, plus various articles on a variety of resources. Plus, of course, the Iraq section in the Lonely Planet guide.

Myth No. 1: To visit Arab Iraq you need a guide who will save you from al-Qaeda

May one of the mentioned authors forgive me, but we who were there are far from heroes. I was impressed by Zyalt’s report, where he, for 600(!) dollars, agreed with a guide to take him to the “super-dangerous” city of Kirkuk. Having made a couple of circles there, the travelers returned back to Kurdish territory. In fact, as it turned out, there is no technical problem visiting Iraqi cities. Come to the bus station in Erbil and ask for a minibus to Kirkuk. Or Mosul. Or Baghdad. You wait for other passengers to arrive, and for $20 you can easily get there in an hour and a half. Along the way there will be a powerful military post when leaving Iraqi Kurdistan. In 3 out of 4 cases you will not even be asked for documents, and in 1 out of 2 cases your car will not even be stopped. This is exactly how I completely calmly traveled to Mosul from Erbil, which I will tell you about separately. And I would save $600 for another trip. Of course, the guys were severely deceived, first telling them their passions, and then offering to pay for the “extreme”.

Of course, before traveling, it is absolutely necessary to study news portals and see what is happening. But taking things to the extreme and paying crazy money to scoundrels for a simple trip to Kirkuk and Mosul is definitely a no-no. I'll say more. The more locals you let into your travel plans for Arab Iraq, the more likely you are to run into problems. No “guide” will protect you from anything. In the best case, he will run away in a moment of danger, in the worst case, he himself will hand you over to the terrorists for a monetary reward. From this the next point arises -

Myth #2: Everyone in Iraq is a terrorist and you will undoubtedly be killed

In Iraq there are both terrorists and simply criminal groups for whom you are an opportunity to receive a ransom. In my subjective opinion, only in one case out of ten will your troubles be related to terrorism. And 9 out of 10 - with banal crime. For example, taking away your expensive camera along with your wristwatch. The Iraqi police are unable to cope with rampant street crime, as all efforts are devoted to suppressing the terrorist threat. Let me emphasize once again that we are talking about the Arab part of Iraq, and in no way concerns Iraqi Kurdistan, where everything is calm.

In any case, Iraq is not a place for self-presentation to the general public. There are almost no tourists there, and in the Arab part there are none at all. By appearing there in extravagant clothes and with an unusual hairstyle, you initially put yourself at risk. Of course, someone will smile, someone will shake hands in a friendly manner, but someone, seeing you from the other end of the Erbil bazaar, will think that he can fuck with you. The more you stand out from the crowd, the more potential troubles you will find in this country. I tried not to stand out, I don’t know how well it turned out. This is how I was photographed during the trip:

Do you like photographing unusual things and the military? In Iraq, outside cities, move the device away and do not shine on it. In a country mired in terrorist attacks and streets drenched in blood, an idle tourist photographing military personnel at checkpoints is nonsense. The first, second tourist with the device causes surprise and interest, the third - irritation, the fourth - anger. Remember that in your cell, from the military point of view, lies a threat. You will take pictures of where the tank is located and how the shelters for the soldiers are arranged, and tomorrow a mortar shell will fly there? The military can be forgiven for some paranoia, but once they get seriously angry, we're in trouble. As an American officer in Mosul advised me, “Don’t behave suspiciously, otherwise you’re gonna run into a trouble.”

By the way, in the reports of tourists it is written that every 10-20 km there are military posts where you are constantly checked. I responsibly declare that, having traveled through most of Iraqi Kurdistan, I took out my passport only once. When moving from the Kurdish part to the Arab part, heading to Mosul. Nobody asked me for documents anywhere else. However, I did not stand out among my neighbors in the taxi, wearing a banal Chinese cap and being dressed like the locals - wrinkled trousers and a shirt.

Myth No. 3: The Kurds are a wonderful and hospitable people, and their region is beautiful

Remember the bearded saying “There are no bad nations, but there are bad people”? It's the same here. I will dispel the illusions spread by previous authors - the Kurds are absolutely ordinary people. Simply due to the small number of tourists, they are still surprised at you and me. And they smile. And sometimes they invite you for a cup of tea. You will find the same thing in the mountain villages of Georgia, Armenia, and Tajikistan. In any country where tourism has not yet ruined the local people, you will be welcome. By the way, Iraqi Kurds have already begun to get used to people with cameras, and in Erbil, annoying children accosted me twice: “Mani, mani!” In addition, contrary to what was said in previous reports, I did not meet with any particular hospitality or joy upon my arrival. People live ordinary lives. During 6 days in Iraq, I was never invited to visit, I only talked with locals twice (in a taxi) and they tried to cheat me twice, first at the exchange office, and then in the store. In other words, everything is normal.

Is the Kurdish region beautiful? I suggest you look at the situation soberly. If you have more or less traveled around the world, then Iraqi Kurdistan will not impress you. These are bald mountains, very similar to the mountains in adjacent Turkey, where the mountains are even higher. Several small rivers, plus the rather dry Tigris, which you will see in Mosul. Two-thirds of the territory of Kurdistan is desert, exactly the same as in neighboring Syria. In terms of attractions, there are relatively few of them: a preserved fortress in Erbil (you will find the same ones in Syrian Aleppo, Turkish Gaziantep, Urfa and Diyarbakir), several badly destroyed castles in the mountains (where you can’t get to without a taxi) and fairly second-rate resorts in the mountains, categorically inferior to everyone you know. This raises the question, why go to Iraqi Kurdistan? So,

Why go to Kurdistan?

I'll tell you why I went myself. Because the Middle East is interesting, I am interested in seeing with my own eyes the formation of a new state. I am interested in the political and social situation; I want to see with my own eyes what I read about in newspapers and on the Internet. And I had no illusions that I would see something exceptional. I didn't see it. And you won't see. If you are interested in huge classical castles, you should go to Britain or India. If you want mountains and snowy peaks, go to Tibet; if you want ancient cities and narrow streets, go to Europe.

As a quick guide

Borders of Kurdistan

It is not difficult to notice that many roads leading from one Kurdish city to another cross the second zone. The Lonely Planet guide does not recommend taking direct transport from Duhok to Erbil, or from Erbil to Sulemaniya, since a considerable part of the route passes through an area with a mixed population and not entirely clear control. I took the shortest route, in the first case making a change in Mosul (and walking there for an hour and a half), and in the second case we drove through Kirkuk, or rather, going around it along the ring road. No problems were noticed.

Visa

Not required. At the border with Turkey (Ibrahim Khalil checkpoint), you simply get a stamp in your passport, giving you the right to a 10-day stay in Iraqi Kurdistan. Formally, Iraq is a single state; once you enter the country, you have the right to move throughout its entire territory. Thus, a stamp obtained in Iraqi Kurdistan gives at least a formal right to visit the whole of Iraq. I suggest you read an excerpt of text from the portal travel.ru, which very clearly and correctly talks about visiting Iraq:

...Between the Kurdish-controlled territory of Kurdistan and Arab Iraq proper there is a real border with documents and luggage checked. In each case, the issue will be resolved individually and, contrary to what is stated on a number of travel websites, tourists often travel quite easily from Kurdistan in the direction of Baghdad. A more serious concern (than visa issues) is security, and therefore travel outside of Kurdistan is strongly discouraged.

The presence of Israeli visas or any other marks is not an obstacle to visiting Iraqi Kurdistan. Moreover, Kurdistan does not prevent the entry of Israeli citizens themselves, who also receive visas upon arrival. At the same time, it is very important to keep in mind that such liberalism is a feature exclusively of Kurdistan, and in the rest of Iraq there may well be problems with the authorities. In this case, there is dual power, since the American authorities, who actually govern Iraq, do not prevent the entry of tourists visiting Israel, but Iraqi officials on the ground, according to the old tradition, can create significant difficulties...

How to get to Iraqi Kurdistan?

Only through Turkey, since in all other cases you will need an Iraqi visa. You fly (or, if you don’t mind the time, you drive) to the Turkish city of Silopi, closest to the border. If you fly, the ideal option is Mardin, which is 200 km west of the border. Less optimal is a flight to Diyarbakir, from which the border is 300 km. You can fly to Batman, but I have not tested this option, since I flew there via Diyarbakir and back via Mardin. The plane will cost $35-50 one way from Istanbul, which is equivalent to the cost of the bus, if, of course, you buy a ticket well in advance. I was doubly lucky, because I managed to get it under $80 each way, having guessed right with a promotion from Turkish Airlines and Anadolu Jet.

From any of the listed cities there are regular buses to the city of Silopi, bordering Iraq. There are 4 buses a day from Diyarbakir, 5 from Mardin. The fare is 15-20 Turkish lira ($10-15), travel time is 3 hours from Mardin and 5 hours from Diyarbakir.

Arriving at the Silopi bus station, take a dolmus and for 1 lira you can get to the city center. Tell the driver that you need a taxi to Iraq, he will drop you off where you need it. Taxi drivers will be on duty there, taking people across the border, since crossing on foot is not allowed. This is the mafia. A full car is assembled, everyone pays 20 liras, and the driver takes care of all the formalities.

Within 2-4 hours (depending on your luck) you are transported across the border and dropped off on the Kurdistan side. From there, shabby buses (500 Iraqi dinars, or $0.50) go to the nearby town of Zakho. You can spend the night there or, if time permits, immediately travel further along the route.

Transport within Kurdistan

Minibus taxis only. In every city there are designated points (in large cities - bus stations) where taxi drivers look for their passengers, shouting out directions. Prices are stable and known to everyone. When the car is full, go, if you don’t have the time or desire to wait, pay for the whole car.

Bus station in Zakho

I highly recommend checking out the excellent guide to Iraqi Kurdistan written by colleague ivanivanch. Use my report as a supplement, since two years have passed since Ivan Ivanovich wrote his report and a lot has changed. In particular, fares have increased by about a quarter of the figures indicated by him.

Hotels

Surprisingly, there are tons of hotels. In Zakho, Duhok, Erbil and Sulemaniya there are dozens of them in each city. Very different levels of service and prices. From the simplest overnight stays for $10 with shared amenities on the floor and a fan to quite respectable 3-4* hotels with all the regalia. I chose the average: clean room, air conditioning, amenities, clean bed.

My hotel in Erbil	My hotel in Sulamaniya
It cost an average of $25 per day. I want to emphasize that I traveled alone, which forced me to pay a little less than the cost of a double room. In other words, you share a room for two and pay 70% of the price. Traveling with two people is cheaper, this is a truism. Money exchange Either in a bank or from street money changers. The course is approximately the same. Considering that there are very few banks and their opening hours are extremely unpredictable, you will most likely have to change on the street. It looks like this =>

Contrary to what was said in the guidebook from Ivan Ivanovich (it says there that everything is clear and not cheated), I recommend changing money carefully - they tried to cheat me in one case out of three dollars by 20, relying on fatigue and inattention. We made a mistake.

Food

Typical for the Middle East and Turkey: kebabs, grilled chicken, lamb, rice, potatoes, salads. A serving costs an average of $6-8, including meat, rice, salads, bread, soup and tea.

Part two - Erbil

Taking into account the extremely unstable and dangerous situation in Iraq, the city of Erbil will become the most “historical” place available for visiting for tourists. Of course, ancient Mesopotamia is rich in such unique monuments as Nineveh, Babylon, Nimrud, Ur. Unfortunately, some of these ancient cities were destroyed in 2003 during the capture of Iraq by the American army (), and those that survived are located in the Arab sector, where there is a high risk of being killed. Thus, a tourist entering Iraqi Kurdistan is very limited in terms of archaeology. There is no such abundance of monuments in the Kurdish territories as in the Arab part. A pleasant exception is ancient Erbil: the capital of Kurdistan and one of the oldest cities in the world.

A little history

So, in modern times, Erbil (aka Howler in Kurdish) is the capital of a de facto independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. In the center of the city stands a huge fortress, which originally appeared here in the 5th millennium BC. e., in other words, it is at least 7000 years old, and maybe more. Of course, the walls that we see today were built much later, during the Arab period, but excavations are being carried out on the territory of the fortress itself, indicating its ancient origin. By the way, it was here, near Erbil, that the decisive battle took place between the troops of Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius. Then Erbil became a stronghold of early Christianity, then, being captured by Emir Timur (yes, the same one who is now the national hero of Uzbekistan), it experienced total Islamization. And ultimately, in 1918, Erbil, along with all of Iraq, was captured by the British, gaining independence from the latter in 1932. It is noteworthy that in 1945 it was the USSR that contributed to the creation of the Kurdish “Republic of Mehabad” in northern Iraq, under the leadership of Mustafa Barzani. As we know, Soviet troops were in the northern part of Iran during this period. The new republic did not last long, because immediately after the departure of Soviet troops, Iranian troops entered, committing brutal massacres not only against the Kurds, but also against local Assyrian Christians. Few people know that thousands of commanders and fighters of the Kurdish underground led by Barzani found refuge in the USSR, more precisely in Baku, where they were based since 1951. Barzani himself lived and studied in Moscow until 1958, when he and his fighters returned to Iraq.

In 1970, the confrontation between the Baghdad authorities led by Saddam Hussein and the Kurds living in the north and Erbil sharply escalated. This leads to the creation of a kind of autonomy with Erbil as its capital. A Kurdish parliament and various national governance institutions appear in the city. However, Saddam saw the Kurds as a threat to the integrity of Iraq, and reduced all their autonomous independence to just one name. Then there were years of guerrilla warfare between the Iraqi army and the Kurds. The situation reached its apogee with the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, when the Kurds took an unambiguously pro-Iranian position. Here Saddam gave himself free rein, starting the “preventive genocide” of the Kurds. During the years of the Iran-Iraq war, at least 100 thousand Kurds died, the vast majority of whom became victims of the massacre committed by Saddam. By the way, it is noteworthy that Saddam was sentenced to death in 2006 precisely for his actions against the Kurds, and specifically for the use of chemical weapons in the village of Khalyabja, where about 5,000 villagers died in a matter of hours.

Kurdistan and Israel

A separate interesting topic. The de facto independence of Iraqi Kurdistan has created an unusual precedent in light of relations between the Arab states and Israel. The fact is that the central leadership of Iraq, meeting in Baghdad, does not recognize Israel and does not allow Israeli citizens in. In this context, their policy is no different from the boycott of Israel by Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran and some other Muslim countries. But one of the symbols of Kurdish independence was that they recognized Israel and allowed Israeli tourists in absolutely freely, like everyone else. This fact clearly undermines the legitimacy of the Baghdad leadership and once again indicates that the integrity of Iraq has long been a myth. An interesting article on the topic of relations between Israel and the Kurds was written by my good friend and wonderful orientalist journalist Ksenia Svetlova in the newspaper.

Erbil itself, as I saw it

Since 2003, when all influence of the Arabs from Baghdad led by Saddam was neutralized, Erbil has become a full-fledged capital of Kurdistan. Observing this city these days, one cannot help but notice how much the Kurds have accomplished over the past 7 years. From complete destruction and poverty they created a fairly well-kept civilized city. And let them owe a lot to the Americans, who are investing considerable sums in the reconstruction of Iraq. So, after all, the money was invested in good things, and not stolen, as is customary in some places.

Erbil Citadel

Of course, the main attraction of the city.

View of the city from the walls of the citadel

Until recently, people lived inside this huge citadel. Mostly poor people and refugees. Several years ago, local authorities carried out a planned relocation of three thousand residents of the citadel to new houses in a residential area of ​​Erbil. Now there is a gradual restoration of the interior of the fortress. For now, there’s not much to do inside, except visit the interesting carpet museum and stroll along the stalker-like streets, why not?
The city is full of new buildings, there are powerful road junctions at the exits, half a dozen universities, many museums and parks. By the way, Erbil’s parks impressed me - it’s something! Lovers of oriental exotica can take a walk through the colorful bazaar - Kurdistan graffiti After many years of war and terror, it is not difficult to understand why any more or less significant institution is surrounded by concrete blocks for protection from suicide terrorists. Not to mention the complex of buildings of the Kurdistan Parliament. I was not allowed to photograph this elegant building, but I managed to take a photo of at least the concrete fence around it. Note the graffiti with a burning bus. But there is graffiti in different parts of Erbil, in particular on walls around schools and universities. I am encouraged by optimism and faith in a better future despite everything.
Part three - city parks

What is a city park? Most of us will answer that this is a place where there is a lot of greenery, benches for relaxation and people walking en masse along shady alleys. Residents of the CIS will sigh sadly, remembering their native park, littered with beer bottles, with broken benches and an unfortunate pond in which the homeless had long ago eaten all the ducks. Residents of Europe will imagine something much more cheerful next door to their home. But tell me, how can you imagine a park in Iraq, a country tormented by wars and brutal terror? I am sure that the beauty that you will now see will pleasantly surprise and amaze you.

The Kurdistan capital, Erbil, has three huge parks. Two of them (Menara and Azadi) are located a kilometer south of the citadel, in the very center of the city. Two wonderful parks are connected by a funicular, since a busy highway runs right between the parks. The cable car, 1800 meters long, takes you to a height of about 30 meters, from where you can clearly see the entire city. Moreover, as you drive, you see Erbil from different angles. You slowly float over two man-made lakes with waterfalls and fountains; below you there will be attractions and children's playgrounds.

It's time to wonder why the park is called Menare? As you guessed correctly, the name comes from the word “minaret”. Many centuries ago, the Sheikh Choli Mosque, built in the 11th century, stood here. Then there was an earthquake, and all that was left of the mosque was the minaret, which you can see to this day in the center of the park.

Now look how beautiful this Erbil park is at night, just fantastic.

I happened to be in Iraq at the height of Ramadan, which the Kurds celebrate colorfully, zealously and in the spirit of tradition.

I must admit right away that the meaning of the game between these men is not entirely clear to me, but the excitement among the public is incredible. Hundreds of people watch this game with tension, and fans continually clap their hands and sing along with the musicians who entertain Erbil residents in the evenings. +3

Iraqi Kurdistan- known by this name:

a) the area of ​​ethnic settlement of Kurds in Iraq (the Kurds usually call it “Southern Kurdistan”);

b) " Kurdistan Region"(Kurd. Almaty Kurdistan, Arabic اقلیم کردستان ‎‎) is a Kurdish state entity within Iraq. According to the new constitution, Iraq has the status of broad autonomy (somewhat reminiscent of the position of a member of the confederation); de facto semi-independent.

Territory

If ethnic Iraqi Kurdistan includes the governorates of Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk, as well as the regions of Haneqin (Diyala Governorate), Sinjar and Makhmour (Ninewa Governorate), with a territory of 80,000 km² and a total population of about 10 million people (which is 1/4 of the territory and 1/3 by population of all Iraq), then the “Kurdistan Region” is only the first three governorates with a territory of 38,000 km² and a population of 5.5 million; the fate of the remaining territories is in “suspense,” although it was assumed that at the end of 2007 a referendum would be held that would finally determine their ownership. The actual position of these areas is also ambiguous, so that they cannot be clearly called either included in or excluded from the “Kurdistan Region”, but rather as dependent territories. Kirkuk is in a special position, where the positions of Kurdish parties are also quite strong, but anti-Kurdish sentiments are, in turn, strong among the local non-Kurdish population (Arabs and Turkomans).

Natural conditions

Iraqi Kurdistan is distinguished by mountainous terrain and an abundance of rivers and lakes. The highest mountain is Chik Dar (3611 m). Forests (for example, in the provinces of Erbil and Dahuk - 770 hectares); The Kurdish government is carrying out intensive afforestation.

Climate

Iraqi Kurdistan is divided into three natural zones:

1. the lowland south with a subtropical climate, mild rainy winters and hot dry summers with temperatures up to 40 °C;
2. highlands, where summers are hot but winters are colder, with snow; however, the temperature almost never drops below 0 °C;
3. highlands with cold winters, temperatures below 0 °C and snow that finally melts only in June-July.

Story

Assyrian Church in Iraqi Kurdistan

Southern Kurdistan before joining Iraq

According to the assumptions of scientists (in particular O.L. Vilchevsky), the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan (the Erbil-Kirkuk-Sulaymaniyah triangle in the Zagros Mountains) became the place of formation of the modern Kurdish ethnic group from a number of Iranian (Median) tribes who lived here. The first known text in the Kurdish language was found near Sulaymaniyah - the so-called “Sulaimani parchment” from the 7th century, with a short poem lamenting the invasion of the Arabs and their destruction of the shrines of Zoroastrianism. After the Battle of Çaldiran in 1514, present-day Iraqi Kurdistan became part of the Ottoman Empire. In the Late Middle Ages, several semi-independent emirates existed on its territory: Sinjar (Yazidi emirate centered in Lales), Bahdinan (capital - the city of Amadiya), Soran (capital of Rawanduz) and Baban (capital of Sulaymaniyah). These emirates were liquidated by the Turks in the 1830s.

In the first half of the 19th century. in Southern and Southwestern Kurdistan (Bahdinan, Soran, Jazira, Hakyari) there were uprisings against Ottoman rule, which were brutally suppressed (the so-called “secondary conquest” of Kurdistan by the Turks).

Administratively, the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan constituted the Mosul Vilayet. However, due to the weakness of the Ottoman government, many tribes, especially those living in inaccessible mountainous areas, managed to maintain semi- or almost complete independence.

During the final stages of the war (1987-1988), Saddam Hussein undertook a "cleansing" of Kurdistan, known as Operation Anfal. 182 thousand Kurds were “enfalized” (taken out on army trucks and destroyed), another 700 thousand were deported from Kurdistan to special camps; according to Masoud Barzani's calculations, by 1991, out of 5,000 settlements in Kurdistan, 4,500 had been destroyed. Villages and small towns were bulldozed; in order to make the environment unsuitable for habitation, forests were cut down and wells were concreted. For example, the city of 70 thousand people in Kala Diza (Hanekin district) was completely destroyed in June 1989: the population was expelled, all buildings were blown up with dynamite and leveled by bulldozers, so Only three old trees remained on the site of the city.

Immediately after the end of the war, Saddam Hussein launched a massive offensive against the Peshmerga (August 25-30, 1988), during which he completely drove them out of Iraq into Iran. In total, 5 thousand people were killed, 100 thousand residents fled to Turkey.

"Free Kurdistan"

Parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan. Internal view.

The Kurdish parties, which united in 1987 to form the National Front of Iraqi Kurdistan, became active again with the outbreak of the 1991 Kuwait crisis. Saddam's defeat in the Gulf War resulted in an all-Iraqi uprising. A massive uprising in Kurdistan began on March 5; Already on March 7, Sulaymaniyah was liberated, on March 11 - Erbil and on March 13 - Dahuk. With the liberation of Kirkuk (March 20), the Peshmerga already controlled the entire ethnic Kurdistan.

However, Saddam Hussein, who by that time had made peace with the coalition, managed to regroup his forces, transferred elite divisions of the Republican Guard to the north and, unexpectedly for the Kurds, launched an offensive. Particularly disorganizing were rumors that the Iraqis would again use chemical weapons. On April 3, the Iraqis took Sulaymaniyah, after which Saddam Hussein officially announced the “suppression of the insurgency.” In fear of a new “anfal”, the Kurds rushed to the borders with Iran and Turkey. According to the UN Secretary General, at the end of April there were about 1 million refugees from Iraq in Iran, 416 thousand in Turkey; from 200 thousand to 400 thousand people. sought shelter in the highlands of Iraq. Up to 70% of the population fled from the areas of Kirkuk and Erbil.

In the face of a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN adopted Resolution No. 688 on April 5, 1991, declaring the territory north of the 36th parallel a “security zone.” The United States, Great Britain and France, as part of the humanitarian operation “Provide Comfort,” sent their troops into Iraqi Kurdistan, after which Saddam Hussein was given an ultimatum to leave three Kurdish provinces. By October, the Iraqis had completely abandoned these provinces, while subjecting Sulaymaniyah to artillery fire and air bombing. As a result, a virtually independent Kurdish state entity arose on the territory of the autonomy under a UN mandate - the so-called “Free Kurdistan”.

At the same time, the process of Arabization continued in areas controlled by Baghdad. In total, from 1998 to 1998, 200 thousand Kurds and 5 thousand Turkomans were expelled from Kirkuk; 300 thousand Arabs were settled in their place. With such actions, Saddam Hussein achieved two goals at once: Arabization itself and undermining “Free Kurdistan” with the help of masses of refugees.

The process of formation of Kurdish statehood was stalled by the civil war between the KDP and the PUK, which began in the summer of 1994. The PUK made claims of an economic nature, accusing the KDP of discrimination against the Sulaymaniyah region it controlled (in particular, it was alleged that the KDP was using fees from the customs point in Zakho on the Turkish border - at that time the main source of financial revenue for the education budget) to its advantage. According to opponents of the PUK, these claims began to be put forward only “retroactively”; the real background to the war was Talabani’s hope to seize power throughout Kurdistan through an unexpected coup. Relying on the support of Iran, Talabani managed to achieve major successes, ousting Barzani from most of the territory of Free Kurdistan. In such a situation, Barzani turned to Saddam Hussein for help. On September 9, 1996, Iraqi troops captured Erbil. On the same day, the KDP peshmerga captured the “capital” of the PUK, Sulaymaniyah, without much bloodshed. The Talabani Peshmerga fled to Iran. In early October 1996, under US pressure, both parties concluded a truce, and Iraqi troops were withdrawn from Kurdistan. In 1997, fighting resumed and only stopped in May of the following year, when peace negotiations began between the two leaders with the active mediation of the US State Department. Peace was finally concluded on September 17, 1998 in Washington. In total, 3 thousand people died on both sides during the war.

Peace between Barzani and Talabani was greatly facilitated by the implementation of the UN Oil-for-Food program, which required Kurdish leaders to cooperate in obtaining program funds; It was the implementation of this program that was the main topic of negotiations in Washington. Although the Washington Agreements provided for a new unification of “Free Kurdistan”, in fact the regions of Erbil-Dahuk (KDP zone) and Sulaymaniyah (PUK zone) remained separate state entities with their own parliaments and “regional governments”. However, further developments required the Kurdish leaders to cooperate closely in their own interests. In 2002, a single parliament resumed its work.

According to the Oil for Food program, 13% of Iraq's oil revenues were allocated to help Kurdistan, so that by 2003. the Kurds received $8.35 billion under the program (more than $4 billion allocated for the needs of Kurdistan were not spent due to sabotage by Baghdad officials and were stuck in UN accounts). The result was a relative boom in the Kurdistan region's economy, in stark contrast to the poverty experienced by much of Iraq. So, if in 1996 there were 26 poultry farms in the KDP zone, then in 2006 there were 396. By 2004, the standard of living in Kurdistan (unlike the rest of Iraq) was higher than before 1991, and per capita income exceeded the overall Iraqi one 25%.

The Islamists became a new problem for Free Kurdistan, namely the Ansar al-Islam organization, supported by Tehran, associated with Baghdad and al-Qaeda and turning the city of Halabja into its stronghold. In February 2001, Islamists carried out their first major terrorist attack, killing the prominent leader of the KDP, Franso Hariri (the governor of Erbil, a Christian). In the fall of 2001, Talabani sent 12 thousand Peshmarga against them (Barzani also offered his help), but Iranian intervention prevented the group from being completely defeated. It was destroyed only at the end of March 2003 with the help of the Americans. However, the Islamist underground still exists, staging terrorist attacks from time to time. Thus, during a major explosion at the KDP headquarters in September 2003, Deputy Prime Minister Sami Abdel-Rahman, the second most important person in the KDP, was killed.

Present tense

Oil fields of Iraqi Kurdistan: Atrush, Touk.

An important natural resource of the region in the Middle East is its fresh water reserves.

Agriculture

Industry

Population

Culture

Holidays

The main national holiday of Iraqi, as well as all, Kurdistan is the oldest, not only pre-Islamic, but also pre-Zoroastrian Iranian New Year holiday - Nouruz (March 21). In general, the official calendar has 60 holidays and memorable dates (including mourning ones - such as the day of death of Mustafa Barzani on March 1); In addition to Muslim holidays, Assyrian ones are officially celebrated (Assyrian New Year - April 1 and Christmas); Yazidi (“Yazidi days” October 6-13) and international (January 1, March 8, May 1).

Notes

Links

• Official website of the Kurdistan Regional Government (English)

On Monday, September 25, only one question was included in the ballot: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish territories beyond it to become an independent state?”

A referendum on the independence of Kurdistan was planned to be held back in 2014. It had to be postponed due to the invasion of northern Iraq by the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). President of Iraqi Kurdistan Massoud Barzani has repeatedly stated his intention to secede from federal Iraq in order to create his own state, since Kurdish autonomy in Iraq has achieved a high degree of economic, cultural and linguistic independence. According to Barzani, Iraq is a failed state, and its presence there condemns the Kurds “to endless conflict and hostility.”

Where is Iraqi Kurdistan located?

Kurdistan is an autonomous entity within Iraq. At the beginning of the 20th century, after the emergence of new states in the Middle East, the Kurds found themselves divided. They began their struggle for independence in the mid-20th century. In the fall of 1991, under a UN mandate, they managed to achieve the creation of the state entity “Free Kurdistan”.

After the coalition forces invaded in 2003, the Kurds were given territory south of Iraqi Kurdistan to reclaim their historical lands. The region consists of four provinces: Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and Erbil.

The Kurds are called the largest people in the world without their own state. According to official data, there are more than 36 million Kurds in the world. More than five million Kurds live in Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition to Iraq, large diasporas live in Turkey, Iran and Syria. Kurds also live in the disputed provinces of Kirkuk, Ninewa and Diyala, which are not officially part of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Does Iraqi Kurdistan have its own government?

Yes, I have. The regional government was founded in 1992 and is located in Erbil. Iraqi Kurdistan has a parliament elected by popular vote, consisting of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and their allies (Iraqi Communist Party, Socialist Party of Kurdistan, etc.).

Iraqi Kurdistan received broad autonomy from Baghdad after the adoption of the country's new constitution in 2005. The region received the right to independently manage oil revenues and have its own paramilitary forces (Peshmerga).

Today, over 35 foreign diplomatic missions at the level of consulates general are accredited in Iraqi Kurdistan, and about 400 foreign companies operate.

Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

What does autonomy depend on?

Iraqi Kurdistan mainly lives from the export of hydrocarbons. Until 2014, the central government in Baghdad transferred 17% of the national budget to Kurdistan, which amounted to about $12 billion. This covered about 80% of the budget expenditures of the Kurdish autonomy. After Baghdad stopped funding Kurdistan due to controversy over oil exports, the region found itself completely self-sufficient and receives profits only from the sale of hydrocarbons. Oil export to Turkey and Iran is one of the main ways to fill the autonomy’s budget. Oil is transported by truck or pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Iraqi Kurdistan's oil reserves are believed to be the sixth largest in the world, amounting to 45 billion barrels. Kurdistan oil accounts for 60% of Iraq's production.

In addition to oil reserves, the region has deposits of iron, nickel, coal, copper, gold, limestone and zinc. Iraqi Kurdistan produces bitumen and processes marble, and is home to the world's largest deposit of rock sulfur. An important natural resource of the region is fresh water reserves.

How did the Iraqi authorities react to the referendum?

Central Iraqi authorities consider the referendum illegal. The Iraqi parliament voted against the referendum. As Al Jazeera notes, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi stated that he would never agree with the collapse of the country and threatened harsh consequences for holding a referendum. Baghdad also called on other countries to stop buying oil from the Kurds.

Which states supported the referendum?

Israel is the only country that has officially supported the referendum on the independence of the Iraqi Kurds. In the sixties, Israel supported the Kurdish fight against Iraq by supplying them with weapons. Currently, Israel controls a significant part of the economy of Iraqi Kurdistan, business, and the banking system. Iraqi Kurdistan is one of the main suppliers of oil to Israel.

Will the independence of the Kurdish state be recognized?

The Iraqi constitution has a clause on the right to hold a referendum if the rights of the Kurds are not respected. However, the Kurds' desire for independence is not supported by countries in the Middle East. Turkey and Iran, which also have large Kurdish communities, said holding a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan could raise tensions and called for it to be abandoned. Tehran said that if autonomy is declared, Iran will close the border with this region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even before the referendum announced that he did not recognize the idea of ​​holding a plebiscite in Iraqi Kurdistan. Ankara is loyal to the Iraqi Kurds, but Turkish Kurds who are members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are considered terrorists.

The Arab League also opposed the referendum. The United States, which has so far supported the Kurds as allies in the fight against the terrorist organization ISIS, banned in the Russian Federation, may also refuse to support the Kurds in their desire to secede from Iraq, fearing regional instability.

(The text is written based on materials from open sources https://inosmi.ru, the information center of the Kurdish Institute https://www.institutkurde.org, as well as materials from the Representative Office of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Russia and the CIS).