Middle East

Itinerary

• Days 1-3: Erbil (Kurdistan), Duhok

  The journey starts in Erbil, Kurdistan’s largest and best connected city. You’ll head out of town the next morning though to explore the countryside to the north and west as you head to Duhok. While in Kurdistan, this area is also the homeland of the Assyrians, who speak the Chaldean dialect of Neo-Aramaic. As in so much of Iraq, history also runs deep here. Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Achaemenids on these plains at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Meet with a Syriac Orthodox monk at the ancient Monastery of St. Matthew, learning more about this little understood sect of Christianity and taking in sweeping views of northern Mesopotamia from the scenically perched compound
  • Explore Lalish, the religious and cultural focal point for the Yazidi people, who were brutally persecuted by the Islamic State during their occupation of nearby areas; later visit with Yazidi refugees to hear about efforts to help them recover and regain a sense of normalcy
  • Learn about another of Kurdistan’s Christian groups, the Chaldean Catholic Church, at the millennia-old Rabban Hormizd Monastery outside of Duhok
  • Visit with Assyrian children at an orphanage near the predominately Christian town of Alqosh, not far from Duhok
  • Explore the recent ruins of Saddam Hussein’s former palace atop Gara Mountain – still a gorgeous spot
  • Wander through the ancient monuments and modern markets of Amedi, a hilltop town – one of Kurdistan’s most picturesque locales
• Days 4-6: Barzan, Sulaymaniyah

  From Duhok head east across the Zagros Mountains to Barzan and then Sulaymaniyah. You’ll stop off at several scenic mountain spots along the way, including the mountaintop town of Amedi, one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces, and two scenic waterfalls. Much of the of the high terrain along the route receives plentiful precipitation, yielding a lushness that can be surprising in an area commonly thought of as desert.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Visit Shanidar Cave, an important and extensively studied archaeological site once inhabited by Neanderthals that has yielded valuable insights into their cultural practices
  • Taste a local delicacy, fish caught from the Great Zab River – a tributary of the Tigris ­– as you wind through hills and gorges of the Zagros Mountains
  • Marvel at the strikingly beautiful scenery of Rawanduz Gorge as you drive and walk along Hamilton Road, which was carved out of the rock walls here in the early 20th century
  • Contemplate the decades of repression and atrocity inflicted by Saddam Hussein on the Kurds at the beautiful but deeply sad Amna Suraka museum and in the village of Halabja
  • Browse the exhibits at the U.S.- and UNESCO-supported Slemani Museum, Iraq’s second largest museum with galleries focusing on the region’s history from prehistory through Ottoman times
  • Interact with picnicking locals and enjoy the lush greenery at the beautiful Ahmed Awa Waterfall in the Zagros Mountains near Sulaymaniyah
• Days 7-9: Erbil

  The trip ends back in Erbil, Kurdistan’s capital and home to representatives of all of the diverse groups that make up  modern Kurdistan. On the way from Sulaymaniyah stop off to view an ancient caravanserai in Koya and a bustling market in Shaqlawa. In Erbil itself visit the city’s UNESCO-listed citadel and the Qaysari Bazaar below, along with other important  sights like the 12th-century Choli Minaret.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Observe (or join!) the lines of pilgrims at a fertility shrine in Shaqlawa, a foothills town near Erbil with an attractive market
  • Gaze out across the ancient city of Erbil from atop its UNESCO World Heritage-listed citadel, now preserved and home to a textiles museum
  • Enjoy a meal of traditional, home-cooked cuisine at the home of a local family in Erbil, chatting with them to learn about their lives and place in modern Kurdistan, accompanied by a performance of Kurdish folk music