Prior to the war in Iraq, Kurdistan was a region lacking many of the basic necessities that are needed for a well-functioning society. No proper water supply.No proper supply of electricity. No proper order. But these facts have to be put in a historical context; from the first Iraq War in 1991 and until the second Iraq War in 2003 – Kurdistan functioned, as a de facto state with is own many problems. And, economically Kurdistan faced a double sanction. Besides from the international sanction on Iraq, Bagdad had a sanction on Kurdistan.
Kurdistan has gone from being a very poor third world economy and society to experiencing never before seen booms in economy and construction, which are evident in the world-economic rankings. A boom, that I with my own eyes had the opportunity to experience. I spend almost three weeks of July month in the regional capital, Erbil (Hewler in Kurdish). Prior to my trip I had not visited the region since 2005, and exactly as I had been told I could not recognise Erbil city.
This is what nation-building looks like (top)
A view of the city skyline, standing on the citadel (bottom)
Almost everything had changed – the roads, the buildings, the skyline, the people and even the political landscape (with the formation of the new political movement – “The Change Movement”). My first view of these changes and the unrecognisable city was at my arrival at the temporary airport in Erbil. From there I could see the new airport terminal building, which was near the temporary airport. The new terminal building is said to be of top international standards, and surely looked so from distance. The airport is not the only new development project in the area. Even the roads from the airport towards the city centre are all new and of international standards with road signs telling you in which direction to drive.
A picture of road signs in Erbil City, visible everywhere (top).
The Naz City complex - located near the airport (bottom).
Erbil as a city is build and expanded around an old and historical citadel (Qelat in Kurdish). And thus the city consists of many beltways with the 60-metre long road being the most strategic. The road is newly modernised and consists of three bridges and two tunnels. Thus, a roundtrip of the 60-metres will take no more than 10-12 minutes compared to one hour before the modernisation of the road. Erbil city was heavily affected by traffic jams due to poor roads and an increase in the number of cars.
The 60 meter beltway, newly modernized (top).
The construction of the Kempinski Hotel in Erbil (bottom).
Furthermore the city has got itself many new Western shopping malls. With names such as Nistiman Mall, Hawler Mall, Naze Mall, Majidi Mall - all with a certain local and Kurdish touch to them.
The new Majidi Mall on the road to Koya - in the eastern part of Erbil (top).
And a small part of the huge Nistiman Mall - close to the Citadel (middle).
A inside look into the new Hawler Mall located next to the Emergency Hospital in the city center (bottom).
Many evenings I went out to different locations, all new developments for the population to enjoy, such as new parks, a fun fair, go-carting, an Aqua Park, a bowling centre etc.
Now you might wonder where all these money came and come from? And who invest in Kurdistan?
The obvious answer to these questions is that with the introduction of Kurdistan and Iraq to the world a lot of money has come into the region. And, with the fact that the population in Kurdistan have no real possibility to leave the country due to difficulties in getting visas to other countries, has lead to the money being spent domestically.
The Kurdistan Regional Governments role should not be overseen on this matter. With the most liberal investment laws in the Middle East the regional government have created incentives for the arrival of foreign companies with a lot of knowledge and capacity.
Lastly, I can only recommend people to visit the region themselves to get an insight in a flourishing region where optimism is widespread. If things continue at the current rate, only one’s own imagination set limits on what Kurdistan can become.