![]() ![]() Kurdistan is a developing world within a developing country. Hop off that shuttle and you’ll leave modernity behind. ![]() The final stop is just beyond the large fence surrounding the entire complex approximately 3 km out. Security has also split up the airport even further in its isolated desert oasis, a shuttle bus taking you from a terminal to another security station, weaving in and out of closely placed concrete barriers. You also won’t be able to exchange currency into Iraqi dinars, at least not without coaxing security to let you into departures, where the only office in the airport is located. It’s a false impression of what’s to come, something you’ll quickly be tipped off to when you realize there are no ATMs in the airport (or the rest of the KRG-controlled areas for that matter). A few kilometers from the city and most everything else, inside the airport looks as modern as Amsterdam’s Schiphol or Stockholm’s Arlanda. An Embryo Of TourismĮrbil International Airport is brand new, completed in 2010, a modern sparkling gem clearly placed in as remote a section of desert as possible. Still, a highly charged term in both neighboring Turkey and Iran, areas around the cities of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok are bubbles of astonishing stability in an otherwise dangerous country. War is bad for most places but the Second Gulf War has worked out pretty well for the Kurds in the north – prior to that even using the term ‘Kurdistan’ in Iraq could have easily landed you in jail or worse. Good for 10 days, nationals of most developed nations can obtain one upon arrival by air or when crossing into the borders of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by land. Northern Iraq, where I was traveling, is known locally as ‘Kurdistan’ – and operates so autonomously that they even issue their own travel visas. You can’t think of “Iraq” as one country in a sense, it’s actually 3 cultural regions (Kurdish, Sunni, and Shiite) loosely bonded together by a central government in Baghdad. You don’t really realize quite where you are until you drive under the barrel of gun sneering out a sniper’s tower and get pulled behind a concrete barricade where a US Marine greets you with, “holy shit man, what the hell are you doing here?” Up until that moment, Iraq seemed as eerily normal as many other places I’ve traveled around the Middle East. Having never visited it I didn’t find any problems upon exiting and the welcome to northern Iraq at the airport is quite casual as passport controls go. There is a confusing note on the stamp saying a visit to the Directorate of Residence is required during the stay but I couldn’t find an official answer or consensus on the matter. Security to board a flight to Erbil wasn’t anything more than you’d find at other airports and the 10-day visitor stamp in my passport was inked without questions. I took a direct 2 and a half hour flight from Istanbul to Erbil on the Turkish carrier AtlasJet. My fascination was also fueled by the desire to find out how years of repression and war had affected the Iraqis and challenge my own preconceptions about the Kurdish people.įinding flights to northern Iraq is becoming much easier with nearly daily flights into Erbil International Airport and Sulaymaniyah International as well. When friend Earl Baron and I realized we both had an affinity for visiting offbeat, slightly dangerous, and certainly misunderstood places, Iraq was one of the countries at the top of the list. Going to Iraq was an idea hatched over a beer in New York City, 6 months before I stepped off a plane at Erbil International Airport. I remembered reading on his blog about a trip he took to Iraq and thought it was fascinating and asked him if he’d be willing to share his story with my readers. I met him this year in Valencia, Spain during the European Gran Prix. Anil is from Turkey and has been traveling around the world for several years. Today’s featured trip is from Anil Polat who blogs at. I am reviving a new feature this week where I feature other notable trips and travelers on Sundays. ![]()
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