The 'Other' Iraq

The thermostat read 50 degrees and the sun had been beating down hard.  I had assumed I had sweated any liquids out of my system by the time I got to the passport control office, but that turned out to be a false assumption.  As I waited for my turn to get my passport scrutinised, my bladder was also demanding attention.  Unfortunately for me, the door to the men's room was locked.

By the time the woman invited me into her office, I was on the verge of madness and I was getting worried about how my behaviour was going to affect my chances of a smooth crossing.  I needn't have worried as the woman took one look at me and enquired whether I needed some help.  I told her of my dilemma, and she bellowed at a colleague to go and unlock the door.  She held my place in line and waited for me to do my business.  When I got back she merely asked how long I planned on staying in the country and if I liked hot weather.  I didn't realise at that point just how hot it was going to get.  Within 2 minutes my passport had been stamped and I had been granted permission to travel in Iraq.

More accurately, I had been granted a 10-day visa to travel around the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region.  The area had gained its status while under the control of Saddam Hussein - it had not proven as easy to control as the dictator had hoped.  I'm fairly certain that the heinous war crimes he had commited against the Kurds in Iraq had not softened their appetite to gain independence.  The Kurds, then, had been allowed to control their own borders and govern themselves to the extent that when the Americans invaded in 2003, they had a heroes welcome prepared for them in the north of the country.

So while the Arab-controlled southern part of Iraq is still engaged in bloody conflict, the Iraqi Kurdistan territory has morphed into a low-crime, safe haven for foreigners; soldiers and tourists alike.  So much so that the last terrorist attack there occurred in 2005 and it has a lower risk of terrorism than the UK.

Although Iraq is known as the 'cradle of civilisation,' the Kurdish north perhaps misses out on the splendor of Baghdad (pre-2003 bombing blitzes, obviously) or the history of Babylon with its Hanging Gardens.  What it does have, though, are beautiful landscapes and curious people; eager and warm to show their appreciation for the better life they feel they now have after the end of Hussein's tyranny.

The region is still off the beaten track for most foreign tourists - indeed the only other tourists I saw during my trip were the two I was travelling with - Carol from Taiwan and Peter from the USA.  However, plenty of Iraqis from all over the country go to Kurdistan to unwind and allow their bodies and minds to forget the cares back home.  I met young students from Baghdad, a family from Mosul and two young friends from Babylon all enjoying themselves; laughing and joking and happy to not worry about snipers or suicide bombers.

This is the 'other' Iraq, one that is emerging from the dark times and striving for normality.  Instead of blood-thirsty dictators, chemical warefare and bomb explosions you can find 50 Cent and Akon blaring out from car stereos, kids playing video games, girls daring to make eye contact with boys and discover that Hannah Montana is popular enough to have a clothing store named after her.