The road to Kurdistan: The “premier destination in the Middle East” in the near future

I don’t travel for other people. I don’t care about impressing them. I know the vast majority on this planet doesn’t give a damn about traveling, let alone where I go. But on my upcoming trip, I’ll be tempted. I may regress and practice a little shock talk.

I imagine a future conversation:

“John, where were you last week?”

“Iraq.”

“Why?”

I’d look slightly surprised by the question, shrug and say, “Vacation.”

To be more specific, I’m going to Kurdistan. It’s a region in Iraq, a country that has been in the news a little the last few decades. I am going on vacation and can’t remember a destination I look forward to more.

 

I’m nearing 50 years of international travel. It takes a lot to wow me. I imagine Kurdistan will. It’s a semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq that has its own government, its own language and its own ethnicity. It is also populated by a people that have spent more than 100 years seeking a homeland without success.

Yet from what I’ve researched, the Kurds are an accommodating, friendly people who are discovering that their region’s natural beauty and culture have made them a growing travel destination. 

Vast canyons. Refreshing waterfalls. Vibrant cities. Authentic customs. The infrastructure is improving. Roads and hotels are being built. Costs are low.

Said Douglas Layton, founder of Explore Mesopotamia tours and who has been coming to Kurdistan regularly since 1992: “Kurdistan and Iraq will be the premier destination in the Middle East in the near future.”

I want to see it before it explodes, pardon the pun.

OK, yeah. Since the Iran War started in February, Kurdistan prime minister Masrour Barzani said Iran and Iran-backed Iraqi forces have bombed Kurdistan more than 1,000 times.  Still, there are more dangerous places to visit.

Chicago comes to mind.

By the time you read this, I’ll be in Istanbul exploring its less-touristy Asian side and eating fresh seafood on the Bosphorus. Then I’m flying to Van where I’m meeting my Travelers’ Century Club for a tour of southeastern Turkey before crossing the border into Kurdistan.

I’ll be with my group in Kurdistan for two days then I have three days on my own. Marina wants me institutionalized.

Why Kurdistan?

Iraq will be my 25th Muslim country. But it’ll be my first where 7 percent of the population considers itself semi-independent. On the world’s list of most persecuted people, the Kurds remain among the top. When 6 million Jews died in World War II, Israel was there to take in the survivors.

Kurds have been slaughtered going back to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. They’ve been given nothing, let alone their own state. When the Ottoman Empire ended in 1922 and it came time to divide the land, the Kurds were back where they started.

Today, about 35 million Kurds are scattered around Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. 

A main motivation for my travels is meeting the people. I want to know what true resistance looks like. I want to see how much hope these people still have. 

And do the Kurds really love Americans as much as I hear? Will they embrace me for the United States getting rid of Saddam Hussein, whose troops were so vicious they poured cement into the Kurds’ water wells in 1988?

What will they say when I reply, “Sorry, folks. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein wasn’t why we invaded Iraq. Speaking of which, seen any weapons of mass destruction around here?

I also want to see some incredible nature.

The positives

Known in English as Iraqi Kurdistan, it’s a little larger than Maryland. Yet it has so much to offer:

• The capital of Erbil is a vibrant city with a gargantuan citadel dating back 6,000 years with modern homes and a nightlife. Yes, they serve alcohol. I will survive. 
• Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan’s second city and the region’s cultural capital, has a lively street culture with a huge bazaar, traditional tea houses and modern cafes.  
• Rawanduz is a gorgeous canyon with towering cliffs that wind their way through six miles (10 kilometers) of dramatic rock formations.
• Lake Dukan is a reservoir sitting at 1,690 feet surrounded by mountains and lined with small cafes serving fresh fish from the lake.
• Shanidar Cave in the breathtaking Bradosi Mountains was the site of an archaeological find of Neanderthals who lived more than 60,000 years ago.
• Lake Felaw above looks created by AI. It wasn’t.

I may make a side trip to Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city where ISIS destroyed the airport in 2017, and it didn’t reopen until last summer. Baghdad is too far away – a good five-hour drive south and many sites from the 2003 Iraqi War are off limits to visitors.

But I think five days may be too few for Kurdistan alone.

The negatives

Iran’s bombing campaigns in Iraqi Kurdistan have targeted Iran Kurdish resistance groups and U.S. military facilities and the Turks have bombed the PKK, the Turkish-based People’s Workers Party which has a presence in Iraqi Kurdistan. Many of these targets are in and around Erbil and I read some civilian areas have been accidentally hit. 

According to Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), which has been tracking the attacks, 22 people in Iraqi Kurdistan were killed and 112 injured over the first three months of the war. One U.S. serviceman died July 18 from a detonated drone. The U.S. military is scheduled to leave Kurdistan by Sept. 30.

On Aug. 17, an Iran drone hit Barzani’s office but no one was killed or injured. I’m hoping to interview a government official about tourism in what I think will be the same building.

The excitement of seeing such an exotic and unique land erases any fear. I think I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than a bomb. I always felt that when evil governments or terrorist groups affect your lifestyle, they win.

Forget about drones. I’m more worried about the heat.

As I write this on Saturday, it’s 112 in Erbil. It’s been in the mid-110s for the last month. The forecast calls for a dip to 95 Monday, the day I arrive. 

Also, few places in Kurdistan accept credit cards. Most ATMs don’t accept foreign cash cards. I’m packing such a big wad of American dollars and euros I feel like a drug dealer.

I will return to chronicle this fascinating place. Consider it a preview for your next dream holiday.