My plan for today was to first visit the Amna Suraka museum, before making my way back to Erbil to return the car, then stay in Erbil till my flight at 5 am. I was going to take the road in the south, passing through Kirkuk, until I found out that Kirkuk is under the control of Iraq, which I don't possess a visa for, so I ended up taking the route in blue.


The day's map


I woke up at 8 am, took a shower then headed down for breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. The breakfast was a mix of buffet and a la carte. There was a mix of a middle eastern and western section at the buffet, including a selection of international cheeses. I ordered an omelet directly from the chef, and it was one of the best omelets I've had in a while.


Restaurant

Bread Selection

The Amna Suraka is the former headquarters of Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency, and it was later turned into a museum. Entrance is free to the museum, and when I arrived the man at the entrance asked me some questions such as my name, where I'm from, and if I speak Arabic which he logged in a book. When I told him I'm from Canada, he said 'good'.

I started off in the hall of mirrors, where the pieces of broken mirror represent the 182,000 victims of the Anfal campaign, and the lights represent the 5000 Kurdish villages wiped off the map.

Mirrors

Mirrors


It was fascinating to be able to not only see so many of the military vehicles of the Iraqi Army from the 1990's, but also to be able to get so close to them and examine them properly.

Tanks







I then moved on to the gallery which was mostly dedicated to the Kurds persecution in the 1990's, but also to the fight against ISIS which occured in more recent times.

Escaping War

Removing Bombs

Those that died removing explosive devices

Army Compass

Those what died fighting


I then moved on to the prison, and as I was walking in, some locals were making their way out, and I stopped to talk to them for a bit. When I asked how the prison was, they told me 'horror', and that's exactly how the word I would use to describe it.


In the cell




It took me some time to regain my composure after visiting the prison, and what I saw still bothers me. The treatment the Kurds had to face at the hands of the Iraqi Army is despicable.

I then began making my way to Erbil. I noticed a long line of cars on the side of the highway, and first I thought they were parked there, until I saw that the cars were moving occasionally, and it was actually a line for fuel. Although there is no shortage for fuel in Iraqi Kurdistan, apparently some gas stations offer cheaper fuel at certain times, so that's what these cars were waiting for. Here's a video of that.



No license plate or lights

I was feeling somewhat hungry at this point, and still had some time before I had to drop off the rental car, and a KFC found me as I was driving in Erbil, so I stopped and picked up some chicken tenders. They also had a drive-thru, and the only option for parking was valet. It was quite a bit more expensive then it is in Canada/USA but I suppose you're paying for the novelty of eating KFC in Iraq more then anything.


KFC

I dropped off my luggage at the hotel I stayed at for the first night, and they were ok to hold on to it for me. I then went back to Param Car Rentals to return the car, which was trouble free. If you're ever in Kurdistan, I highly recommend renting from them. They have the lowest prices along with unlimited mileage and great staff.

At this point, I had zero dinars left and only Canadian dollars. I had read in a trip report that the Erbil Rotana has some ATM's that work with foreign cards, so I called a Careem to take me there. At the entrance, the guards weren't willing to let me in at first until they understood why I had to specifically use that ATM.

The Erbil Rotana is one of the most expensive hotels in the city, costing about $300/night. There appeared to be quite a few Americans staying there, particularly ones that work for the US government. There were also several UN vehicles at the hotel, and several armored Land Cruisers were parked outside. These two AMG's were also parked there.


I managed to find the ATM, and had success withdrawing money with my HSBC Mastercard. I had some food at the lobby bar before making my way back to central Erbil to checkout the market again.


R


Iphones for $30 anyone?


The money in the picture below is real by the way. The man was exchanging a very large quantity of Iraqi Dinar for USD right on the street in front of everyone. There's not many places where I would feel safe conducting such a transaction, but perhaps Erbil is one of them.


Money exchange

Preparing for Iftar

Centre

Gun store

Pigeons

Fountains

Fountains

It was wonderful to see everyone gather in the city centre for iftar. I joined them and had a couple of shawarmas before taking a Careem back to the hotel.


KFC at night

I got bored just sitting in the lobby of the hotel, and there was a nice clothing store that I passed by a few times but never got to check out a few times called Lokan Collection. They had several high end brands, and there were a few pieces that appealed to me, but it was hard to justify the prices. Perhaps the import duties on clothes are very high.

There was a sweets store next door called Abu Afif sweets where I got some ice cream.


Ice cream store

Sweets

On my way to the sweets store, I saw a fairly lively area near the hotel, so I called a Careem to take me to the area known as Ghazali street. There was a ton of food options. I'll let the photos speak for themself.



Food street



Mercedes Benz Cafe

Plane cafe

At this point, I was getting tired and I wanted to sneak in a quick nap before the airport, so I went back to the hotel, walking this time as it was only about a ten minute walk. Not something I would recommend doing in Erbil, as the drivers aren't used to seeing pedestrians, at least not in this part of the city.

I passed by Hertz and saw the Land Cruiser I wanted to rent all along. Next time.


Found the LC 300

After a quick nap at the hotel, and around 1 am, it was time to head to the airport. I called a Careem at a cost of $5 to get me there. Erbil Airport has quite a few layers of security, and it takes a while to get to the airport terminal. First, documents were checked and the car was checked for bombs using mirrors. At the next checkpoint, All the occupants of the cars had to get out and the car was checked thoroughly. Guards also patted people down here. Next, we got to the arrivals departures area, but not the terminal itself. This was where I bid farewell to the driver. There was a long line before making it to security where bags were scanned, and check-in luggage was also put through an x-ray machine here. My luggage was flag because they thought I had a Shisha in it, when it was just a vase-shaped sculpture I bought in Sulaymaniyah. Once clear, I headed to the bus that takes you to the terminal.


Bus to airport

I had to wait about 30 minutes for RJ check-in to open since I was quite early. The check-in hall stayed quite quiet the entire time I was there. Most departures for Erbil Airport leave between 1 am and 5 am so this was peak time for the airport. At check-in, I was only asked for my vaccination certificate. In the past, a negative PCR test was required to depart out of EBL but as of recently, a vaccination certificate can serve as a substitute.


Erbil Airport check-in hall

Customs was easy and I wasn't asked any questions. Once my passport was stamped, I got some sleep for an hour at the Diwan lounge. There was another round of security at the gate. Boarding started on time, and the gate agent first announced that boarding can start, and then mentioned business class passengers can board first, but by that point, a line formed with all passengers, so in reality there was no priority boarding. Pre-departure beverages and hot towels were given.


Boarding

Cabin



View of Erbil

I wasn't planning to eat on the flight but I was having trouble sleeping at the start, and was getting hungry so I requested the meal.


Meal

I slept the rest of the flight right until the plane landed. At AMM, I had to go through transit security. After that, I proceeded to the lounge for some rest.


AMM

Lounge


Boarding started about 20 minutes late for the flight to Larnaca. Both J and Y were full on the flight. A selection of sandwiches was offered. The border agent in Cyprus asked me where I came from, and when I mentioned Iraq, I was worried I would encounter further questions, but all she did was stamp my passport.

I really enjoyed my time in Kurdistan. I think the region has a bright future ahead. Due to the limited number of tourists the country receives, everything felt more authentic and natural. That was my favorite part. One thing I missed out on is Halabja, which is the city where a chemical attack was conducted by Sadam Hussein, but I'll certainly be back.