Erbil	Duhok	Suleimaniah
Erbil International Hotel Khanzad Noble Chwar Chra Hawler Plaza Ankawa Palace-Hotel	Dilshad Hotel Jiyan Hotel Mazi Motel	Suleimaniah Palace: Tel. +964 (0)53 313 4141 LaleZar Hotel Azmir Palace: 0748 012 3513 Ashti: Tel. +964 (0)53 312-7999

Necessary telephone numbers in Kurdistan

Kurdistan's cuisine

Fresh local ingredients

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a very spatial place.  While flat in some areas, much of the Region is foothills where they run up against rugged mountains that divide Iraq from Turkey and Iran.

With long flaming hot (but dry!) summers, and cold and clammy, and rainy and snowy winters (hopefully, to fill the springs and water the land!), springtime can be gorgeous with green and wildflowers most everywhere.  Fall is also very nice, but following the hot, dry summer, it's a season of brown, a good time to wander up the highest mountains after the snows have melted. 

With a population estimated at 4.5 million, the area currently under direct administration by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is about the same as that of Switzerland.  This means it is larger than many countries including Belgium, Lebanon, and Singapore, and other places like Maryland and Massachusetts in the United States, Catalonia (Spain) and Sicily (Italy), Taiwan and East Timor.

Most attention, and resources, are currently focused on the three main cities of Duhok, Erbil, and Suleimania where over 65% of the population resides.  But there are dozens of small towns and many hundreds of hamlets and villages located in areas that are far more interesting for the adventure, eco, and cultural traveler.

Archaeological sites go back at least 10,000 years to the village of Jarmo where sedentary agricultural began.  Some 50,000 years ago at Shanidar ritualistic burial practices among Neanderthals indicate the earliest expression of emotions among human-like beings.  Gaugamela, the battle ground where Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius in 331BCE, is located in Kurdistan. The oldest aqueduct in the world, built by Assyrian King Sennecherib in 700BCE (pre-Roman) is also here at Jerwan.

Mostly Muslim today, the Region has been one of the earliest homes of Christians who today still speak neo-Aramaic and live in dozens of rural and urban communities, and hold prominent positions in government and the private sector. Ancient churches and monasteries are found all across the Region. Also prominent in the Region are the Yezidis whose main religious center is located at Lalish. There are also indications of other ancient religions, including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Kakayee.

The Washington Post recently featured the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a place to visit.  There's a link to an excellent gallery of photos by Sebastian Meyer.  Also a link to some details on how to get there and where to stay.  Round-trip airfare on Turkish Airlines from Washington (Dulles) to Erbil starts at $2,400!  Flights are also available from a number of European and Middle East airports including Frankfurt, Vienna, Amman, Beirut, and Dubai.

National Geographic Traveler features Kurdistan as one of 20 Best Trips of 2011 along with Ulaanbaatar, Sardinia, Tasmania, Uruguay, Simla, Namibia, and 13 other places.

Facilities and services for travelers are still limited but that's part of the adventure.  Most everything is available within a couple hours' drive at most.  Generally safe and secure, traveling is easy, often fun, and always interesting.  Paved roads are good and unpaved tracks are great.   Virtually the only effective terrorists in the Region are road terrorists: too many bad drivers.

It's been less than a decade since the Region opened up to the outside world and good maps are still not easy to come by.  But getting around and becoming lost is part of the adventure.  To avoid "mistakes", it's critically important to stay away from areas too close to the borders which are usually unmarked. Virtually all roads and tracks lead to communities.  People are friendly and hospitable, so no problem finding the way back to wherever.  Ask. 

Part of incredibly rich Iraq, nouveau wealth and inadequate planning are strikingly glaring in the rapid urbanization and so-called modernization. There are also many new parks and some safer roads. Luxury hotels and shopping malls, bowling allies and amusement parks, fashion and fashionable features are highlighted.  Overwhelmingly still a cash economy, Kurdistan remains a land where credit cards have (fortunately?) yet to become a way of life. 

Bottled water is ready available and empty plastic bottles are found everywhere, along with the regional bird, the crow-like black plastic bag. Environmental efforts including anti-litter and recycling programs to keep Kurdistan klean have (also) yet to become a way of life.

The Kurdistan Region is (still), generally speaking, crime-free, drug-free, and tax-free.  Of course, it could be worse.  As with most modernization, increasingly rapid, creeping change is leading to this, too, coming to pass. 

Photograph by Lonely Planet Images, Alamy

Considered an oasis of peace and stability in a historically volatile region, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northeastern Iraq is drawing a growing stream of curious Western visitors to its ancient cities, snowcapped mountains, and bustling bazaars. The 2010 expansion of Erbil International Airport—located in the provincial capital and main commercial center—has improved access to the region and helped fuel tourist infrastructure development. Recent advances include construction of several new luxury and business hotels and additional escorted small group tours focused on Kurdish ethnic heritage and historic sites.

Experienced guides such as Hinterland Travel and Kurdistan Adventures lead 8- to 16-day cultural tours. Highlights include Erbil’s historic citadel and Grand Mosque, the ruins of Salahaddin’s Fortress in Shaqlawa, and the Jarmo Neolithic village archaeological site (7,000 B.C.) located in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. Some itineraries include excursions into Kurdish ethnic regions in eastern Turkey and northwestern Iraq.

Pictured here: Dalal Bridge in Zakho, Iraq

Many Iraqi families are ready, willing, and able to fly, but visa restrictions severely hinder their travels. 

So far, Iraqi passport holders are unable to travel to most countries unless they obtain visas before departing Iraq.  Obtaining such visas could be excessively difficult and time-consuming.

Iraqi passport holders traveling to Turkey and Lebanon are granted visas upon arrival.  Consequently, flights between Erbil and Istanbul and Erbil and Beirut have increased.  There is talk of Turkish Airlines in the future operating 10 flights between Erbil to Turkey (Istanbul, Adana, Antalya), and a similar number of flights between Suleimania and Turkey.

There are many other countries where Iraqi passport holders can travel to without obtaining visas before departing from Iraq.  For sure, while some of these countries may be less attractive than others, there are also some that may be worth considering. 

Of 192 countries that are UN Member States, 32 do not require Iraqi passport holders to have a visa when entering their countries, or they grant visas on arrival.  For these countries, there is no need to obtain visas before traveling.  Please recheck this information on the Internet or through a competent and reliable travel agent.

Here's the list:

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