A trip to Kurdistan, Northern Iraq

"Deciding to go

Whenever Baghdadis hear the name “north” of Iraq, they recall the natural resorts they used to visit. Nostalgia is part of Iraqis’ life. For thirteen years, they were deprived of going to this northern part of the country because of the separation the Kurds announced after they liberated themselves form Saddam’s regime in a bloody uprising in 1991. Baghdadis remained nostalgic to the old days for thrirteen years until 2003.

Stress is an inspirable companion for me and most of my friends. The current situation turned our life into hell. Thus, we decided to make a change. S., A., and I decided to go to Kurdistan for a break.

We decided to go to Sulaimaniya and Erbil and spend most of our time in the natural resorts more than the two cities themselves. The last time I went to Sulaimaniya was in 1990 before the uprising but I visited Erbil last year for work.

As we were smoking Hookah in A’s house, we talked about the road to Kurdistan and how dangerous it is for more than an hour. Finally, we decided to take the risk. If we have thought about it more than that time, we would have cancelled the trip. Our families were happy and afraid at the same time. They thought it was a great idea to escape from the unbearable stress for some time but they were worried about the road and its danger."
Baghdad Treasure