A Visit to Interesting Places, Northern Iraq

From Erbil, we make the tiny mountain community of Lalish in a little more than an hour including being waived through several police checkpoints. Arriving at Lalish a guard stationed on the road leading to the community told us we needed to remove our shoes for the duration of our visit. No sooner than we had done so, a gentleman passing by asked if we would like to join him for lunch. Lunch was held inside a large room surrounded by men sitting on sofas lining the exterior of the rom, many of them from the military. This was by far the best meal I enjoyed in Iraq; it was chicken on rice, served with chopped up fresh vegetables and some sort of squash broth. The more I ate, the more food kept appearing on my plate. Satiated by both the deliciousness of the meal and the generosity of the hosts, I retired to one of the surrounding sofas for a glass of tea and an easy conversation with a university student from Mosul.

Lalish

Lalish is a stone temple built on the side of a mountain, with many of the stone block buildings seemingly recently constructed. A guide walked us through several of the holy rooms, instructing us how to place one’s right foot forward first when walking through certain doorways. We stopped to kiss a number of rocks as we slowly wandered through the complex, stopping at times to smoke cigs while sitting on rugs and resting our backs on pillows.

It is about an hour drive from Lalish to Akre. This picturesque and sizable town is built into the sides of the hills. Several highlights include water. One is the natural spring fed pool; a dip on a hot day is an entirely rejuvenating experience due to the frigid waters. While there we met a nice man who was watching his children splash in the pool. He invited us down to Sep Acre, a gathering place centered around a waterfall with vendors lining the edges of the space.

Akre

Well worth visiting is Bekhal Waterfalls, a series of waterfalls flowing directly from the sides of a mountain. As a result, the water is incredibly cold and creates its own air-conditioned microclimate which feels quite refreshing in contrast to the dry hot summer air. Several small restaurants are perched on its steep sides along with spaces to enjoy shisha smoking.

Not far away is the very family friendly Gali Ali Bag Waterfall. Water flows over a wide path lined with vendors in the spring and summer months selling local foods and fruits. During our visit a small child brought over a bag of popcorn and gave it to us. He spoke some English and presumably wanted to practice with us.

Did you know Iraq has ski resorts? Korek is a telecommunications provider in the country, but it is also a ski resort called Korek Mountain Resort & Spa. A long tramway brings visitors to the top. On warm days below, it is much cooler up here.

Waterfalls

And really getting off the beaten path from Erbil is a trip to Mangesh, a small town located on hillsides slightly elevated above a picturesque valley and facing a mountain range on the opposite side. This village is about a 45-minute drive from Duhok, a much larger and quickly growing city. Sometimes families will have two homes in this part of the country: a summer house in cooler and higher Mangesh and a winter home in Duhok. One of the hidden but very historical attractions in Mangesh is the St. Thomas Cave, a small room inside a rock wall high on the hillsides where Thomas taught his disciples. From here there are panoramic vistas of the valley below including Mangesh.

Mangesh

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