# Erbil, the underrated city of the Middle-East



## Kurdistani (Feb 7, 2006)

Wel, I've got to say that the media always says Iraq is a dangerous place, but this is incorrect. Many people start to think all of Iraq is the same. Iraqi Kurdistan (which is the northern part of Iraq) is one of the most stable regions in the Middle-East. The area is inhabited by Kurds.
As Erbil (or Arbil/Irbil or sometimes Hewler) is the capital of the federal Kurdistan province. Hewler is the exact Kurdish name, but since Erbil was always used by former Iraqi governments, the international community knows this city by Erbil (Erbil is actually an Assyrian name). it is very unknown and very underrated by many people. The Kurdistan area is unlike Iraq a mountanious green place with many tourist resorts, waterfalls,canyons, valleys. Though, Erbil is built on a flat area near the foot of a high mountain.
Yes, the destruction by Iraqi governments have left the city in dust. But now the hard-won Kurdish autonomy is ruling 15 years over this Kurdish city.
The city is having a construction boom and already many buildings are built. Surrounded by unfriendly neighbours, the Kurds did manage to rebuild this city very good. An international airport was built in 2004 and since then there are flights from Europe and the Middle-east to Erbil. The population of this city has reached to 1 million in 2005.
The city's population is overwhelmingly Kurdish, a few thousand Arabs, Assyrian Christians and Turkomans also live in this city.
Enjoy  

PS: The flags that you will see are not Iraqi flags but Kurdistan flags. The Kurdistan administration has forbidden the Iraqi flag because it was created when the Baath party came to power. Also all buildings are built by the Kurdistan government, only the hospital which you will see.










Erbil is famous for it's ancient citadel/castle, located at the centre of the city.









The ancient castle of Erbil from the sky:









The sky over Erbil (note the cranes)









A picture taken from the new 5-star hotel.









The new 5 star hotel known as Shirin Palace, this is the modern building today in the city. It's the smartest hotel complex not only in the Kurdistan region, but in whole of Iraq:

This was the design drawn in 2002:








This was when it was under construction:









The result:








At night,





















Someone with the Kurdish flag next to the hotel:









The hotel in the winter









A nice view of Erbil









Note the beginning of the mountains in the background, the big building you see is the former "Saddam-hospital".









The recently built mosque:








When it was under construction:
































From a distance:










A new bridge in the center of the city recently built:









The Kurdistan region bank built in 2003:








I love this building....








:cheers: 









Can you see that this mosque is near the bank  This is also another new msoque









The Erbil Park, this site was a former military base of Saddam's troops, it is called the Sami park, (Sami was a famous Kurdish politician that got killed in a terrorist attack in February 2004 in Erbil)









































The Kurdistan regional government building is located in the capital of the Kurdistan federal region.
Road to the parliament:








The parliament:








from a distance









Can you see the Kurdistan parliament building in the middle-left?










A ministry building, also new

















Another building, don't know for what.

















Again, another building, u/c









The Erbil/Hawler governorate/province building, at the background the ancient citadel/castle









The famous waterfall near Erbil called "Ali beg"









Also near the valley is this waterfall called : BeyKhal









The road to the valley:









The new road recently built to connect the city with it's natural attractions.









Another new road built, roads are being paved everywhere in Kurdistan region:



























The new airport which is built north of this city in 2004. The airport is small to handle passengers and cargo. But there are plans made to enlarge the airport. Note that flights from many european cities (London,Amsterdam,Frankfurt,Dusseldorf,Copenhagen,Stockholm,Brussels,Athens) and middle eastern cities (Istanbul,Cairo,Beirut,Dubai,Baghdad) already have begun. Also note that there is a second international airport in Iraqi Kurdistan.

This is a little bit of an old aerial picture, i painted the location of the airport.









The opening ceremony at the Airport with men and women wearing traditional Kurdish clothes:









on the right is Sami which I told you before along with an American official opening the airport:










The front of the airport:



























The control tower with some cargo buildings:


















Passport control  :









Check (Chick  ) In









A plane on the taxiway








Silver air:









Plans to expand the airport in the future:




































Also, I have posted once about the new project called Dream City Erbil,
More information you can find on the website: www.dreamcityerbil.com

These are some pictures of the construction on going, about a month old taken by an american NGO worker in Iraqi Kurdistan
















Completed mid-rise appartments.









Also, KOREK telecom, a local telecom company is preparing for building a new skyscraper as their headquarters in Erbil. Looks nice or not? This what the American writes about it:

_The Korek cell phone company is building a tower near the Dream City that will be the tallest building in all of Iraq when it’s finished. It certainly will be the country’s most aesthetically pleasing tall building. The sleek modern design looks more “Dubai” than it does “Baghdad.”_









And finally, the biggest building proposed now. A big shopping centre that consists of 4 towers. 2 will 150 meters tall, the other ones I don't know.
These are renderings, also Kurdistan TV channel shows ads of this.

























Hope you enjoyed and I will post more about Iraqi Kurdistan in the future.
Greetings from your Kurdish friend


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## Forza Raalte (Sep 18, 2004)

Nice city! Especially that aerial picture is stunning


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## Luis_RiodeJaneiro (Jan 21, 2006)

Beautiful, Kurdistani ! thanks for showing these nice pics ! and the future shopping will be fantastic.


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## Chi649 (Mar 30, 2005)

Thanks Kurdistani. Very nice pictures.


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## Kurdistani (Feb 7, 2006)

Yeah, currently the Kurdish part of Iraq is the most stable area, so there is the possibility to build things right now.


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## LuckyJ23 (Apr 21, 2006)

Great pictures, but I want to see more of the caslte in the center.


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## shayan (Oct 9, 2005)

jup iraqi kurdistan is the best area in iraq to live at this moment.


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## kenaney (Dec 2, 2005)

ali beg river, beykhal waterfall and erbil are those names kurdish?


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## Kurdistani (Feb 7, 2006)

kenaney said:


> ali beg river, beykhal waterfall and erbil are those names kurdish?



Erbil or Arbil is an Assyrian name, because there were and still are Assyrians in Erbil for thousands of years.
It means 4 gods, Arba = 4 , Elu = Gods
There is also a Kurdish name,it's "Hawler".

Beykhal is a Kurdish name, Ali Beg comes partly from Arabic. Ali was a Kurdish man with an Arabic name, and his surname is Beg. I don't know why they named that waterfall to his name.

And here are some more pics of the castle as requested.
The condition of the neighbourhood on the castle is not so good. They have had some problems with the infrastructure there.
It's a very old place up there.



























This one is from Google Earth


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## Luis_RiodeJaneiro (Jan 21, 2006)

Oh, I have got to post again !! I´m impressed with the beauty and the modernity of that place ! Thanks for sharing more pics of the castle !
and thanks for explaining the kurdish words ! In hebrew ARBA = 4 , too and EL = God ! In portuguese, my language , it would be " QUATRO DEUSES " !!
Thanks !! ( = shukran ?? )


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## Kurdistani (Feb 7, 2006)

@Luis 
It's because Hebrew and Assyrian are both semitic languages, and if you would translate it into Arabic you will get: Arba'a = 4 , ILLAH = GODS
They are all semetic languages, thats why.
In Kurdish it is: Char = 4 , Khuda = God
Kurdish and Portuguese both Indo-European I think.
Never mind, the place is both from Assyrian and Kurdish origin, Kurds make the majority 95% in the city.

I think Shukran means thank you in Arabic, but do not ask me further, im not good at Arabic , I speak Kurdish


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## serdar alt (May 2, 2006)

There won't be any Kurdish Country and also any Kurdish City anytime.

KURDISTANI...

This place is an Iraq City.


I hope it will grow much more to be city at this time.


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## alankurdi (Sep 13, 2010)

serdar alt said:


> There won't be any Kurdish Country and also any Kurdish City anytime.
> 
> KURDISTANI...
> 
> ...


http://www.kurdsvote.com/documents/map.pdf


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## M-120 (Sep 26, 2009)

Very nice.

Free Kurdistan!!!`


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really great, very nice photos from that city Erbil  because the thread its little old i think we need new photo updates here from that city...


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Wow!!! Very cool!


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## alankurdi (Sep 13, 2010)

kurdistan is a free de facto state in north of iraq we have no interest in staying with iraq which was formed in 1922 therefore the borders are artificial and we weere forcibily attached to these ppl and we have every right to separate away and create a free kurdistan which is now 90% compelete


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## alankurdi (Sep 13, 2010)

kenaney said:


> ali beg river, beykhal waterfall and erbil are those names kurdish?


yes ali beg , beg in kurdish means great , bekhal means without a spot , erbil comes from an old sumerian word , ur{high} bela{town} , assyrians in iraq claim this city to be them , they think the name of the city is arbaelo which means 4 gods in there language lol close but not the case . the oldest ancient remains is the cidatel which belongs to the mede the ancestors of the kurds.


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## alankurdi (Sep 13, 2010)

serdar alt said:


> There won't be any Kurdish Country and also any Kurdish City anytime.
> 
> KURDISTANI...
> 
> ...


GTFO


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Is it possible for more photos please? I will appreciate it


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