Kurdistan Region

Highlights:

visa

kURDISTAN VISA ON ARRIVAL COUNTRIES

Requirement:

1. $77 visa fee

2. hotel reservations

3. Return flight tickets

4. Visa is Valid only for inside Kurdistan region (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok and Halabja)

5. Visa Length is 30 days.

Eligible Countries:

UK, USA, Russia, France, China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.

European Union countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Brasil, Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Saudi arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman.

Kurdistan e-Visa

Kurdistan region introduced e-Visa portal, visa fee is $72.26 kindly check their website to get updated information:

visit.gov.krd

airports

International Airports

1. Erbil Airport

web site: www.erbilairport.com

Help desk number:+964 066 211 3300

Help desk number:+964 066 281 0000

2. Sulaymaniyah Airport

web site: www.sulairport.krd

Telephone: +964 53 3173322

For detailed flight information please call :

+964 770 2229990

+964 770 2229991

For General inquiries Email: info@sulairport.krd

For PPR requests Email: airtrans@sulairport.krd

PCR

official TRAVEL PCR CENTERS

TRAVEL UPDATE DEC 2022

Starting 1st of December 2022, iraq, including Kurdistan region, removed all covid vaccine certificates or PCR Test requirements to travel in or out of iraq and kurdistan region, for all locals and foreigners.

TRAVEL UPDATE APR 2022

Iraqi government decided to remove PCR test requirement for travelers in/out of iraq including Kurdistan Region, starting 1st of April 2022

to be eligible for this, you have to hold Vaccine Certificate with QR code. if not then you have to do in/out PCR test.

1. Erbil City

Zanko Health Center

Telephone: 00964 7517443938

working hours: 8:30am

Address: between college of science Salahaddin university and General Asaish headquarter

Google Map Coordinate: 5229+MM Erbil

Result Web site: www.anjamakam.com

Cost: 25000 iraqi dinars

2. Sulaymaniyah City

A. Sarchinar Hospital

Telephone: 00964 53 3191284

working hours: 8:30am (break hours 12:30-2pm)

Address: Sarchinar district, Sulaymaniyah

Google Map Coordinate: H9PP+76J, Sulaymaniyah

Result Web site: ct.health.digital.gov.krd

Cost: 25000 iraqi dinars

B. Ali Naji Health center

Telephone: 00964 53 3202491

working hours: 8:30am (break hours 12:30-2pm)

Address: Ali Naji district, close to Saholaka street, Sulaymaniyah

Google Map Coordinate: HC6C+56 Sulaymaniyah

Result Web site: ct.health.digital.gov.krd

Cost: 25000 iraqi dinars

kurdish

BASIC KURDISH WORDS

greetings, Salamu alaikoum (peace be on you). Answer: alaykum alsalam
Hi/hello : Sllaw. Answer: Sarchaw (its widely used for so many things)
No: Na Yes : Bale
How you doing: choni
Whats up: chiya chiniya
mister: kaka
welcome: bakherbey
Thank you: supas (Thanks alot : zor supas)
Good morning : bayanit bash
Good evening : ewarat bash
Where are you from : khalky kwey
i/me: min
What is your name: nawt chya
Can i take a photo : asaiya wenayek bgrm
how much : bachana
bye: bye or khwahafiz
ONE : yak. TWO: du. THREE: se

Destination

top travel destinations in Kurdistan

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Kurdistan, the mountainous land! its all about hikes and nature. here below i wrote just little bit of the highlights and kept the rest off the beaten path!

ERBIL(Hawler): Citadel, downtown bazaar, machko and qalay derin tea house, Minaret and Sami Park, Ankawa church and museum, Archeological museum, Ghazali Street cafes, Iskan Street Food.

Outside Erbil

Rawanduz, khanzad, kore, shaqlawa, bekhal waterfall , gali ali beg waterfall, felaw pond, kani bast waterfall.
barzan, dore, shanadar, rezan

Sulaymaniyah(SLEMANI): my hometown hahha but i will write down just little, and keep the rest off the beaten path! Amnasuraka musuem (former Saddam Hussein regime house of horror - intelligence head quarter), Goizha Mountain for panoramic view, Grand mosque for its architect and spiritually vibes, Hawari shar for skating and cycling, Slemani Archeological museum highlight is epic of Gilgamesh tablet number 5, Saholaka night food street, azadi and bakhi gshti parks, shaab and sara cultural tea houses in downtown, chaviland amusement and aquapark, former Tobacco cultural center, Zamwa art gallery, Sarchinar park, magma square cafes.

Outside sulaymaniyah:

Hazarmerd Cave, piramagrun mountain and mirquli rock relief.
Warrior rock relief in qaradagh and the hanging rock.
dukan lake, for water activities and bbq, sartka historical watch tower. chami rezan, qizqapan rock relief, sahra cave.
darbandikhan tuni baba and belula rock relief and Kalar castle.

DUHOK: Martyrs Tea house, Gali Charstin Cave, Nizarke Prison museum, Zawa Mountain, Halamata rock relief

Outside Duhok:

Lalish, Alqosh, Mar matti, khanis, jerwan, akre, tel gomel
Amedi, Saddam Vacation house, sarsang, gali sherana
Zakho dalal bridge

HALABJA: Memorial monument and museum for the chemical attack. memorial and mass graves cemetery for the victims of the chemical attack.

outside Halabja:

Hawraman region, Ahmed awa waterfall and Byara water stream border line

kurdistan and iraq

Traveling between iraq and Kurdistan region

1. for those world citizens who are eligible for kurdistan region visa on arrival, they can travel overland from iraq to kurdistan region with their iraqi visa.

2. iraqi visa can be used to enter kurdistan region, while kurdistan region visa is only eligible for inside kurdistan, you cant travel with it to iraq.

3. most travelers land in baghdad pay the iraqi visa fee ($77) then travel overland to kurdistan region, so they wont pay visa fee twice.

4. if you land first in kurdistan, then you have to pay around $77 kurdistan region visa, then the only way to travel to Iraq is by air, through Erbil or Sulaymaniyah airports.

5. shared taxi available between kurdistan cities and baghdad, it costs around 35000 iraq dinars between sulaymaniyah and erbil to baghdad and vise versa.

6. domestic flights cost around $100 between kurdistan region and iraq.

7. Locations of Shared Taxi terminals are mentioned in the below section.

taxi

Traveling Between Cities and Towns

A. Sulaymaniyah city

main terminal

Location:

Baghdad Garage, tasluja street, after the the airport, Sulaymaniyah city.

google coordinates:

https://goo.gl/maps/s5fT51r3odn5a2Ns9

Working Hours:

Morning till Before Sunset

First line for taxis, while Second Line for minivans.

1. shared taxi to Baghdad, 35000 per perosn (3 passengers fit in the back seat). while 5 thousands extra for the front seat.

Shared Minivan by 25000.

2. shared taxi to Erbil (Hawler in Kurdish language), 15000 per perosn. while 5 thousands extra for the front seat. route through Dukan lake not through kirkuk.

Shared Minivan, 10000 per person. route through Dukan lake not through kirkuk.

3. shared taxi to Kirkuk, 10000 per perosn. shared minivan 7000 per person.

4. shared taxi to Koya, 10000 per perosn.

5. shared taxi to Ranya, 10000 per perosn. Shared Minivan 6000 per person.

6. shared taxi to Chamchamal, 4000 per perosn. shared Minivan 3000 per person.

7. shared taxi to Qaladze, 10000 per perosn. Shared Minivan 7000 per person.

8. shared taxi to Tuzkhurmatw, 15000 per person.

Dukan/Piramagroon Terminal

Location: Next to Harem Bank, Zara center and Khak Tv opposite to azadi park.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/uf4VbE3rHWsmH2EU6

Destinations: Dukan lake city and Piramagroon city.

Sharazoor Terminal

Location: Behind Family Mall.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/xCyAcWsRe98XNAem7

Destinations: Martyr Halabja (Halabjay Shaheed in kurdish, the city which got attacked by chemical weapon) cost around 6000 per person, New Halabja, Hawraman region.

Penjwen Terminal

Location: Opposite to Sharazoor Terminal and Family Mall.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/MooskYrnLgnon7v4A

Destinations: Penjwen and Bashmakh Iranian border.

B. Erbil City

International Terminal:

Location: close to Family Mall, Qazi Mohammed Street.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/MJKWvb7G61eMDd1Y6

Destinations: international destinations including Iran and Turkey, while Domestic Destinations including Duhok, Zakho, Soran, Choman, Shiladze, haji omaran.

Shared Taxi To Duhok cost 15000 iqd per person (back seat) while extra 5000 iqd for front seat.

Minibus cost 10000 per person.

Slemani/Baghdad Terminal:

Location: close to Ministry of Higher Education, Qazi Mohammed Street.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/gFxWPzKFkJEnoMsu6

Destinations: Sulaymaniyah, Kirkuk and Baghdad

1. shared taxi to Baghdad, 35000 per perosn. while 5 thousands extra for the front seat.

Shared Minivan by 25000 but mostly isnt available.

2. shared taxi to Sulaymaniyah (Slemani in Kurdish), 15000 per perosn. while 5 thousands extra for the front seat. route through Dukan lake not through kirkuk.

Shared Minivan, 10000 per person. route through Dukan lake not through kirkuk.

3. shared taxi to Kirkuk, 10000 per perosn. shared minivan 7000 per person.

C. Duhok City

Main Terminal

Location: close to Duhok Old church, Grand Mosque, Behind Doctors Street, Downtown.

Google Coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/6a23AFMTJXs7KWZ8A

Destinations: Erbil, Zakho, Amedi and couple other towns.

Shared Taxi to Erbil, 15000 per person, and extra 5000 iqd for the front seat.

minibus cost 10000 iqd per person.

Shared Taxi to Amedi cost around 8000 per person.

movies

Documentaries, Movies and Books

A. Documentaries

Who are the Kurds and why don't they have their own country? by DW News

Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a homeland of their own. Almost half of the world's Kurds live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Germany. Most are Sunni Muslims, but many adhere to other faiths. They have faced a long history of violent oppression and discrimination in the countries they live in and their attempts to set up an independent state have repeatedly been quashed. After World War One, they were promised their own state, which never materialized. The defeat of the Ottoman Empire resulted in the end of that opportunity for a Kurdish homeland. But the dream lives on.

Why Isn't There A Kurdistan? (Short Animated Documentary) by history matters

Kurdistan doesn't exist. At least not as an internationally recognised state. But why not? Given that there have been numerous opportunities for a Kurdish state to spring up, why didn't it happen? Why isn't there a Kurdistan? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

Female Fighters Of Kurdistan

From Boudica of the British Celts to Corporal Klinger, few things unsettle the male mind like a lady in arms. The Kurds of Northern Iraq have long recognized this principle and incorporated it into their quest to build a Kurdish homeland in the overlap between Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Fighting alongside their male comrades in a region not exactly known for its progressive stance on women's rights, the female Peshmerga guerillas of the Kurdish Liberation Movement built a reputation for themselves in the 70s and 80s as demure diaboliques with the deadly poise of Leila Khaled or Tania-era Patty Hearst.

Nothing Like a Kiss from Mom by Rudaw

tells the story of three survivors of the chemical bombardment who lost their parents and siblings in the genocide. They describe what happened on March 16, 1988, and the impact of the events of that day on their lives since.

B. Travel Videos

What is KURDISTAN? by Drew Binsky

I've spent the last few days in Iraqi Kurdistan, and let's just say that this place is a paradise, and not at all what you'd expect!

Join me as I take you around the hidden gem of the Middle East, and tell you what is this lovely place called Kurdistan.

TRAVELING ACROSS IRAQ FOR 7 DAYS (Kurdistan) by YES THEORY

This week, I traveled to the beautiful country of Iraq. All my life I'd heard of the war in Iraq and how dangerous it was to visit, but I wanted to go there and explore if for myself to hear the stories that didn't make it into the media. So, along with Drew Binsky, Lexie Alford and Cory Martin, we were taken around Iraqi Kurdistan by our amazing guide, Baderkhan.

This is Kurdistan by Hakar Iamhaks

a series where I will explore Kurdistan and take you with me on the journey. Kurdistan is a country in the Middle East which isn't yet independent.

MY CRAZY ROADTRIP IN IRAQ AS A FEMALE TRAVELLER by Eva zu Beck

Welcome to my epic roadtrip across Iraqi Kurdistan, everyone! This journey took me from the abandoned palace of Saddam Hussain, to a Kurdish home, to monasteries in the mountains, to mountains of pomegranates.

This Religion Survived ISIS (YAZIDIS) by Drew Binsky

a story about the Yazidis and the genocide of Yazidism by ISIS. This is a very sad story, but one that I feel needs to be told because of the lack of international attention that the Yazidi people have received.