Flight of
the Pegasus Airlines Company from Orio al Serio to Erbil (
So once you
have reached the
Iraqi
Kurdistan time zone: + 2h compared to
Entry visa:
only for Iraqi Kurdistan, it is not necessary for tourism up to a stay of 30
days. You can ask for confirmation from the efficient Honorary Consulate of
Iraqi Kurdistan in
Language:
the official languages are Arabic and Kurdish; English is generally known in
large cities.
Muslim
religion. There are also minorities of other religions (Sabeans, Yazidis).
Currency:
Iraqi dinar. Sometimes the dollar is accepted.
Keep in
mind that in Iraqi Kurdistan, there are numerous checkpoints, where sometimes
your passport is checked, but the police are always nice to tourists and
therefore there are no problems in this regard.
During my
stay in Iraqi Kurdistan, the locals were very friendly.
The roads
in Iraqi Kurdistan are in good condition and road signs are in both Arabic and
English.
Once you
arrive, at the Erbil International Airport, located about
There is an
exchange office in the Airport Terminal, but having arrived at 3.00 at night it
was closed.
I tried to
ask the bartender if he changed my money but without success.
I tried to
withdraw money with my Mastercard credit card, in the 2 ATMs present but
without success.
From the
Airport Terminal you must necessarily take the free shuttle, to reach the
Meeting Hall after about
I tried to
ask the bartender if he changed my money but without success.
The taxi
driver instead changed my currency at the following exchange rate 1 Euro =
1,250.00 IQD.
From the
Meeting Hall of Erbil International Airport, I took a taxi at 5.00 am, at a
price of 30,000 IQD, to reach the garage, located in the north of
Having
arrived there at 5.30 am, there were only 2 passengers besides me willing to go
to Dahuk and therefore I was offered to pay 15,000 IQD, instead of 10,000 IQD,
to leave immediately. I accepted.
Half an
hour after departure we stopped 10 minutes at a mosque for the dawn prayer.
Once in Al
Shikhan, I got off and took a taxi, which for 60 USD, took me to visit Lalish,
Lady protector of crops Monastery in Alqosh and
Lalish is
the site of the tomb of Sheikh Adi, a leading figure of the Yazidi faith. Keep
in mind that everyone (including tourists) in Lalish has to walk without shoes,
on the rocky roads and paths, even in winter when the cold is bitter.
Admission
to the Lady protector of crops Monastery in Alqosh is free.
In Dahuk, I
visited the beautiful artificial
From
In Dahuk,
in
From the
collective taxi garage, located
I waited
about 1 hour before leaving. It was 12.30 and there was only one passenger
besides me but the taxi driver left anyway and charged me the same rate. He
also stopped twice, to allow me to photograph the splendid City of
Amadya, I
walked around it. I saw the Ancient Gate and then a Lady allowed me to go to
the terrace to take wonderful photos.
Since it
was already 3.30 pm there were no collective taxis going from Amadya to Dahuk,
which are usually parked near the large statue in the city center, I had to pay
20,000 IQD, to the same taxi driver who had brought me here, to return to
Dahuk.
In Dahuk, I
slept at Hotel Bircin, located in
In the
morning at 6.30 I went on foot, covering about
From Dahuk,
during the day there are some collective taxis to Aqrah, which leave when full
(4 passengers), but in my case it was just me and so I was proposed to take the
collective taxi to Erbil and get off at Rovia and then take another means to
Aqrah. I accepted the price of 8,000 IQD. The ride lasted an abundant hour.
When I
arrived in Rovia, in a few minutes I found a car headed for Aqrah. I didn't
quite understand if it was a collective taxi or if it was a kind gentleman who
gave me a lift. The only sure thing is that I was the only passenger in that
car and that I paid 2,000 IQDs to get to the southern outskirts of Aqrah and
another 1,000 IQDs to get downtown.
Aqrah, is a
splendid city, located in the middle of the mountains.
The best
360 ° view can be obtained by walking up in a few minutes to Sare Gri, where
there is the inscription "Aqrah", the benches that offer an excellent
view, the Cultural Movement, the Waar Cafè, the Henermend Statue and the Flag
of Iraqi Kurdistam.
Then once
in the center you can visit the Bazaar and venture into the beautiful alleys of
Aqrah.
From the
center of Aqrah, I took one of the many taxis, to reach the southern suburbs,
for the price of 1,000 IQD.
From there
I took a shared taxi to Soran. I was the only passenger. The ride lasted a
generous 1 hour and cost me 10,000 IQDs.
In Soran, I
got off near
In
Rawanduz, I let myself be dropped off, on the southern outskirts, shortly after
the
Then I went
back to the main road and walked uphill through the whole City of
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 3,000 IQD to reach the cable car to
The cable
car costs 10,000 IQD round trip and takes about 15 minutes to reach
Then I took
the cable car again to go back down to the parking lot adjacent to it, where
there is also the "The Ark of Noah" bar in the shape of a boat.
From here I
walked downhill for about
From there,
in a few minutes I found a car headed for Shaqlawa. I didn't quite understand
if it was a collective taxi or if it was a kind gentleman who gave me a lift.
The only sure thing is that I was the only passenger in that car and that I
paid 5,000 IQDs to get to Mirawa, 5km north-east of Shaqlawa and another 2,000
IQDs to get downtown.
In
Shaqlawa, I slept at the 4-star Hotel Basmat Al Safeer, located in the center,
Tel: 07504551751, 07704551751, at the price of 25,000 IQD per night, for a room
with non-functioning air conditioning and heating, private bathroom, WIFI fully
functional, television and abundant breakfast. The reception staff speak very
little English.
Shaqlawa, I
walked around it.
If from
Shaqlawa, you want to reach Sulaymaniyya, you must go to the collective taxi
garage, located at the intersection with the Ring Road at
Numerous
collective taxis and minibuses pass through Hizop to Sulaymaniyya.
I took a
minibus for IQD 5,000, which took about 1.5 hours to reach Sulaymaniyy.
Because of
a Lord who gave me misleading information, I went down to the extreme western
outskirts of Sulaymaniyya.
From there
I had to take a collective taxi for the price of 3,000 IQD, to reach the
There are
the tanks used in the War against Saddam Hussein, the Prisons and a touching
Museum that tells the atrocities suffered by the Kurdish people during the
regime of Saddam Hussein.
You can
take as many photographs as you want.
On
From there
I took a taxi, costing 3,000 IQD, to reach
The cable
car takes less than 10 minutes to reach the top of
Once back
in
From there
on foot I continued to the Bazaar and then to a square, where there are several
monuments
There are
money changers nearby but they close before 5.30pm (at least in winter).
To find any
money changers open after that hour, you need to go to
I exchanged
al Khafaf on
in
In
Sulaymaniyya, I slept at Hotel Khanzad, located on
From the
Khanzad Hotel, to reach the Sharazoor Bus Terminal, located on the southern
outskirts of Sulaymaniyya, a good
From
Sharazoor Bus Terminal, they depart when full Collective taxis and minibuses to
Halabja. Please note that there are 2 different destinations for Halabja:
Shahid and Taza. If you want to go see the
In Halabja
I went down to the
The visit
to the same is free.
It is
possible to take photographs anywhere, except in the last room.
Adjacent to
it is the
From the
From there
I took a taxi at a cost of 10,000 IQD, to reach the Zalm Village Mosque, where
the paved road ends, about
From there
I continued on foot on a road that was partly unpaved and partly asphalted,
heading north, for about
Once back
in Valle at the end of the stairs I asked for a ride first to a motorbike and
then to a car to reach the collective taxi and minibus garage, located on the
western outskirts of the city of
From there
I took a Sulaymaniyy minibus for 3,000 IQD, which leaves when full. In my case
I only had to wait 10 minutes before leaving. Duration of the ride: about 1
hour.
Having
communicated to the driver that I wanted to reach Erbil, he left me in
Sulaymaniyya near the Sharazoor Bus Terminal, where I took a minibus for the
price of 500 IQD, which runs through the outskirts of
From the
Baghdad Garage, located on the western outskirts of Sulaymaniyya, numerous
minibuses and collective taxis leave for
While it is
true that minibuses cost only 10,000 IQDs, it is also true that they take a
long time to fill up and then to leave and are much slower than collective
taxis.
For the
reasons explained above I opted for a shared taxi which took only 15 minutes to
fill up. The ride lasted less than 3 hours. The price of the same is 15,000
IQD.
My concern
is that the aforementioned taxi passed through the northern suburbs of Kirkuk
and therefore outside the borders of Kurdistan and therefore I could have had
problems with the Iraqi Police as in that part of the country I had to have a
Visa, which I did not possess. .
Fortunately,
however, the taxi traveled the much more tortuous internal route, in the middle
of the mountains passing through Dukan and Koya.
On the way
to a check point I had to get out of the taxi and go to the dedicated desk to
register. No problem. It took me less than 2 minutes.
In
From here I
took a taxi to
.
In
The next
morning I visited the Abandoned Arab Quarter on foot. Then I went to the
Citadel, a World Heritage Site, open every day from 9.00 to 17.00, with free
admission. In front of the Grand Gate you can enjoy an exceptional view of the
Inside the Citadel I visited the
Then I
crossed the whole Citadel until reaching the Ahmadi Gate, where you can enjoy a
beautiful view over the north of
Leaving the
Citadel from Ahmadi Gate, I continued downhill until I found a beautiful square
with fountains, from which I walked in a north - east direction until I first
reached the large statue in Shekh Mahmoudi haffed int, then to the Monument
located in Khairulla Abdulkareem int , then to the Khanzad Garden and finally
to the Jalil Khayat Mosque, located in front of the Royal Mall.
At the time
of my visit, Jalil Khayat Mosque was closed but already admiring it from the
outside was a great satisfaction.
From the
Jalil Khayat Mosque, I took a taxi for IQD 4,000 to get to
The same
was deserted. Inside you can see the Choly Minaret, Minaret Gallery, a gigantic
statue, a walkway full of statues, a Hot Air Balloon, the model of Choly
Minaret and the Citadel, Seyd Gaylan and finally the funicular that connects
this park with that of Shanadar, which at the time of my visit it was closed.
Then I
crossed the street and went to
Then I
walked for several tens of meters before reaching the beautiful Gilkand park,
whose main entrance is located in front of the
After
visiting the beautiful park mentioned above, I walked for about
From there
I walked for about
I then
walked for almost 1km. in a north-west direction, before reaching the Main Square
of Erbil, in the center of which, at the time of my visit, there was a
beautiful Christmas tree.
To the east
of it is the clock tower and the Khanaqa Mosque, to the west stands the Khanaqa
Mosque, while to the north the Citadel stands out.
Also north
of the square below the Citadel is Chaixanay Machko, which is the oldest bar in
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 3,000 IQD to reach the east entrance of the
gigantic
Inside the
After
crossing it all, walking for about
From there
I walked south - west for about
Then I went
to the adjacent
Then from
there I walked for about
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 4,000 IQD, to reach the Qaysari Bazaar, adjacent
to the
In the
arcades of the aforementioned Bazaar it is possible to find improvised money
changers. I changed money here at the following exchange rate: 13,500.00 IQD =
10 USD
From there
I took a taxi for the price of 5,000 IQD to the Catholic neighborhood of
Ankawa, located 6km north of
Here I
visited
From there
I took a taxi to the
Before
arriving at the Meeting Hall of Erbil International Airport, you must undergo
police control with dogs trained for this purpose. On this occasion you have to
get out of the car, open the trunk and pull all the suitcases out of the car.
Once you
arrive at the Meeting Hall, you must go through security before taking the free
shuttle that takes you to the terminal itself.
Then once
you have checked in, you need to go to the border staff desk, where you can
easily get the exit stamp from the country.
Then you
have to go through the security check before reaching the gate.
Flight of
the Pegasus Company from Erbil (
Once you
have reached the
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
https://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2020/02/viaggio-in-kurdistan-iraq-attraverso-le.html
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento