A Day at the Museums

Cradle of civilization. Fertile crescent. Breadbasket of the Middle East. While recent events in Iraq may be plastered all over the Sunday papers, the region has a history older than history itself. Not uncommonly, countries with a well defined past are apt to celebrate it. Museums litter the cities of places like Cairo, Athens or Rome. But it's different story in Iraq, and especially Kurdistan. 3 decades of war, conflict and sanctions have certainly taken their toll. The Kurdish capital of Erbil is home to 3 museums. None of which will ever win awards.

The newest kid on the block is the Syriac Heritage Museum, aka the

Ainkawa Museum. Located in the Christian suburb of Ainkawa, the place is arguably the leader of the pack. Celebrating the ancient Assyrian culture of Iraq the new and wonderfully climate controlled building is a welcome reprieve from the generally deteriorating local infrastructure. (Although i'm not so sure about the somewhat blinding power blue paint job.) The displays ranging from traditional costumes to ancient manuscript are well labelled in 4 languages (Arabic, Kurdish, Neo-Aramaic & English). There's even a multimedia area with videos and traditional music up on offer. Not to mention a staff with a number of moderate English speakers (they're my students afterall). But the place is a bit hard to find and Erbil taxi drivers will not know where it is. Besides, it would likely cost 5,000 IRQ for the taxi from the centre. Although nice enough, i'm not sure it's worth the effort.

Without question, the most popular and visited museum in the city is the

Kurdish Textile Museum. But the reason for this is not because of a vastly superior collection or facility, but it's all location, location, location. Located just inside the front gates of the Erbil Citadel, pretty much any tourist in the city is likely to stop by for a look. Housed in one of the old citys' houses, it is certainly the most aesthetically pleasing buildings. Natural light permeates through the fake stain-glass windows illuminating the central courtyard. But considering it's a specialty museum, you would really have to be a carpet-o-phile to spend an more than 10 minutes in the place. Plans are to expand to multiple buildings within the Citadel walls. Hopes are to bring back the dying art of carpet making. Seeing as you are likely to be nearby anyway, the museum is worth the little diversion, if for nothing other than the a/c.

Bring up the rear, WAY in the rear, is Erbils' oldest museum. The

Erbil Civilization Museum doesn't impress. Actually, the General director of the Kurdistan Region Culture Ministry was quoted as saying "a disgrace to Kurdistan's reputation". Simple displays uninspiringly show the 3,500 pieces complete with errors in labelling (not just English errors, but period and material errors). The museum simply is not up to snuff. This coupled with the fact that it's location, south of the Citadel on Kirkuk road near the Sheraton Hotel, is hard to find, it's certainly not recommendable. The building is tucked back in a parking lot off the street.

The good news is, all the museums are free. They are open Sunday to Thursday with the exception of the Textile Museum which always seems to be open.

Erbil doesn't really have tonnes to entertain the tourists. Many travellers find themselves budgeting too much time in the city. And even though boredom sets in quickly and one might find themselves looking for anything to do, the museums in town are only for the super hard core museum enthusiast. They have little to offer the average traveller.

Parkin' it in Erbil

Living in Iraq is not exactly the thrill a minute adrenaline surge you might think. Frankly, it can be a little boring, especially when it comes to finding something to do in you free time. Drinking is fun, and many expats certainly indulge on a rather frequent basis, but there must be more to life. In Erbil, there are no cinemas. There are go-karts... at $20 a lap. There is bowling... at $10 per person per game. There aren't any sports clubs, like Hashers, found in other expat heavy cities. There are no theatres or regular philharmonics, and the 3 museums are quite ordinary. Plus lack of buses, or general public transport, make weekend excursions very expensive. So when pressed for something to do, I asked a co-worker. "You should go to the park" he replied. So that's what i did.

Shockingly, for a city with 50C+ temperatures and relentless desert sun,

Erbil seems to have a disproportionate number of parks. Although, they are often more concrete than greenery. Even still, this is where the locals come in droves in the early evening as the numerous fountain do seems to drop the localized temperature by a few much appreciated degrees. The city's 1-2 parkland punch comes a short (though sweaty) stroll from the central Citadel. Shanidar Park has the most bang for the buck. Along with the ubiquitous children's playground and mandatory lame fountains, there is a man-made mountain/castle hybrid smack-dab in the middle of the action. Housed in the 'mastle' is a gallery/art store with a rotating exhibition. Most certainly more than you'll see anywhere else in the city. But the main draw is the death-defying ariel tramway. The best part is getting on and off as it hardly slows down, forcing you to dive on in a frantic embarkment procedure for which you pay 5,000 IQD for the pleasure. Priceless!

Directly across the street from Shanidar, is Minaret (minare) Park.

Smaller, though equally concrete, the parks' claim to fame is the roughly 800 year old Mudhafaria Minaret. The secondary symbol of the city (after the Citadel) the minaret is one of the few old things in town. While yo may not expect it, most of Erbil would age around 100 (though the citadel mound is an estimated 6,000-8,000 years old). So this minaret is about as close as you'll get to historic sites in the city. Recently renovated and well fenced off, i quite like the drunken tilt the minaret has taken, rivalling that of the Tower of Pisa in Italy. But other than the minaret and the tramway exit/entrance, there isn't really much else to see/do. There are a couple of simple cafes serving tea and nargile (hukka/shisha) and the always comical Chinese style exercise equipment which the locals can never really figure out quite how to use properly.

But if size matters, and i am here to advocate it does not, than Sami Abdul Rahman Park is your place. A taxi ride out of the centre, it is unquestionably the citys' largest and perhaps most 'park-like' park. Large grassy areas house impromptu dance parties, birthdays and general merriment. There are even love-boat rentals on the somewhat pungent artificial ponds.

The good news is the parks are all free. And they are ideal places to not only people watch, but people interact. It is almost a certainty that if you sit on a bench that a friendly local will start a chat within a few minutes. These are generally not people looking to sell something or scam you in some Machiavellian way, but simple curious locals looking to chat with a foreigner. I always get questions about "what locals do". Well, this is your answer.

Suly the Sequel

Although i don't typically retrace my steps when travelling, there are times when it can be interesting to revisit a place. Often first impressions can be undeservedly swayed by any number of seemingly trivial factors, like the weather on a particular day or a random bout of food poisoning. Recently, i opted to revisit the southern Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah. "It is also the most liberal Kurdish city. There is, quite frankly, little to do there." is what i noticed the first time I visited nearly 3 years ago. If measured like this, than not much has changed.

With exception of the Citadel in Erbil, Kurdish cities aren't exactly

known for their major tourist attractions or monuments. This is most definitely true for Suly. Although i was in town on a work visit, i managed to set up a local CouchSurfing host to try to get a little more of a local feel to the place. We arranged to meet up in the centre of town, the Suly bazar. The largest and most vibrant in the region, the market is fun. It's not that different to similar bazars in Dohuk or Erbil, but it's entertaining to wander around, check out the local artisans at work while avoiding congealing pools of blood from recently slaughtered livestock. But i had been to the market before, and was hoping for something a little less obvious. My CS hosts proposed visiting a park.

It is what locals do afterall. As there isn't much else for them to do, in the afternoons and early evenings the parks quickly fill with young lovers, families and wedding parties. It was nice enough people watching and walking around in the slightly cooler Suly weather. After our little stroll, i asked, "What's next?" "Umm..... well... how about another park?" And that was most of our day. Like i said, not much to do.

Perhaps saying that i didn't need to see the cities #1 "attraction" for tourists

limited my options. Amna Suraka (Red Security Prison) is the region's genocide museum. Once home to the Ba'ath Party (of Saddam fame), the prison acted as a facility of torture and death. The site is well done. Bullet holes still remain in the walls. Tanks lay continuous siege on the place. And a number of disheartening displays are set up in the building. But having been once, i did not feel the need to go back. It's kind of like the Killing Fields in Cambodia. I'm not sure how much death one needs to revisit.

After visiting every park in town and not visiting the "sites", the day ended well. We opted for the other major local past time. We grabbed a couple beers and headed up the local mountain-side for an impromptu BBQ as the sunset over the valley.

Perhaps Suly isn't what you might call "action packed". I guess i can sum up the change i noticed over the years pretty easily. In Erbil, the city is changing quickly, but the people remain the same. In Suly, the city has remained the same, but the people are changing quickly. Liberal, open-minded and progressive can all be relative terms, I live in Iraq after all. But they can all be applied to Suly. Sure, it may not be the most photogenic or adrenaline inducing place, but the city gives an interesting contrast when travelling through the region. Suly is definitely a place for people, not buildings.

Duckin' into Dukan

In a country largely devoid of any significant bodies of water, it seems even a puddle can be treated with disproportionate reverence among the locals. Such is the case in Iraq, especially so in Kurdistan. Sure the country has a few rivers (ie the Tigris and Euphrates) and even waterfalls, but it is hardly what one might call swimming in major lakes. Lake Dukan is the largest lake in Iraqi Kurdistan. But it's not even natural. Regardless, this man-made watering hole is about as close as you're going to get to beach action in the region. I wish i had heaps to report about the place, but what is there to say about a dam reservoir.The village of Dukan, some 2 hours south-ish of the regional capital Erbil, is as simple as it gets. Stretching along the river wizzed out by the dam, the town has very few facilities and even fewer attractions (aka none). A few simple tea-houses are perched next to the lazy river, offering... well... tea. And other than the very pricey 5* resort on the nearby cliff, there are few accommodation options. Some bungalows are fine for for families, but i noticed nothing that might suit a budget travellers meagre spending allowances. Even getting here is tricky without your own car as it will involve at least 2 shared taxis out of Erbil, or one out of Sulaymaniyah.

The good news is, for those too nervous to take the Kirkuk road between Suly and Erbil, Dukan is right along the alternative "mountain road". You would most certainly need to change in Koya, if coming from Erbil. There is no reason why one couldn't stop off for a look. But the area really doesn't warrant staying long unless you have a bundle to drop on a resort stay.