Michelle May

I finally blogged (in brief) about my visit to Iraq, in case you are curious. Difficult to put so many intense & moving emotions, stories and experiences into words, especially a few days after the fact — but I gave it my best shot.

Getting to Lalish was not easy. Mainly because I had to avoid the nearby city of Mosul at all costs. It’s amazing how close one can be to cities that are death traps, yet just a few miles away it feels safe and peaceful. Lalish is a prime example of this. Tucked away in golden hills and farming communities, Lalish attracts thousands of pilgrims to its temple — the Spiritual center of the Yazidi — a religion that can, at times, appear to show signs of Hinduism, Paganism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Judaism.

It is said that all Yazidi should make the pilgrimage to the temples of Lalish once in their lifetime (like the journey to Mecca for Muslims). Considering most of the estimated 500,000 Yazidi left on earth live in northern Iraq, it seems like a realistic request. Long misunderstood, the Yazidi have come under attack by extremists intolerant of their religion (as well as an honor killing that occurred within their own community after a Yazidi was rumored to have fallen in love with a Muslim). Because of these tensions there are a number of check points to get to Lalish. Once you reach the village, you must leave your car and explore not just by foot — but barefoot.

I can’t say that I have even a remotely decent understanding of the Yazidi religion after having spent the day at their temple. I can only point out qualities somewhat similar to Paganism (the Sun as the ultimate embodiment of God, for instance, & the icons of snakes and peacocks). In each shrine in the temple are a number of colorful silk scarves that visitors tie and untie in knots while making a wish. There were no other wishes on my mind other than to hope that the people of Iraq get relief from the terror and suffering taking place on their land.

The old men hunched over with long gray beards and cataract-ed eyes, vibrant colors in silks, and cone-shaped shrines peaking out of lush greenery reminded me of Hindu or Jain temples in southeast Asia. It was a relaxing, and possibly inaccurately peaceful and spiritual feeling to be in Lalish. Kind generous people, ancient misunderstood culture, gaggles of shy giggling children, and fresh country air…. a sweet ending to my Iraq travels.

Tags: Iraq, Kurdistan.

Erbil is the shining capital of Kurdish Iraq; the place many dub the “next Dubai.” That’s a bit of a stretch, as Erbil will always be synonymous with a Sausage Factory to me. It is one of the most prosperous and safe cities in Iraq, as well as being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world (at least that’s what my guidebook says). The ancient bazaar has been attracting people from all corners of the region as long as history has been recorded. Men still come from all across Iraq to sell their wares. Because of that there is an undeniable presence of men, with, at times, a complete lack of female presence. One day i sat on a corner and counted 8 female sightings in a 15 minute period, and 2 of them were prostitutes. I must have seen 8000 men in the same time frame.

Because of that there’s also a real lack of hotels that a female would find suitable. Most hotels have no concept of tourism, so when I asked for a room they would simply say: no. Many times what they meant was that they only have rooms with say, 4 beds, so they do not want to rent it to just one person. Never mind that there was no where else to sleep and I was desperate.

One night, after much looking, i found a double room (2 single Flintstone beds) for about US$40. Let’s just put it this way, there were human “remains” in the corner of the bathroom the ‘plumbing’ was just a hole which led to the bathroom floor, the sheets were stained with a kaleidoscope of colors, and the sheets smelled like dead animal. My last day I broke down, went to the new “suburban” Christian part of town & laid down US$100 for a windowless (but clean) walk in closet.

No matter how nasty the rooms in the bazaar may be, or how many inappropriate the come on lines from porn movies i heard, there’s no denying that staying in the ancient market, with the backdrop of the towering citadel, and the giant statue of historian Mubarak Ahmed Shraffaddin turning a million different shades of gold as the sun set, is a memory I will always cherish.

Tags: Citadel, Erbil, Iraq, Kurdistan, Travel.

Amna Suraka, which means Red Security in Kurdish, is Iraq’s first war crimes museum. It’s an imposing compound made of reddish concrete which was once one of Saddam Hussein’s most notorious torture centers and prisons. Countless people died and disappeared here, including women and children.

The rooms of the prison are now set up to illustrate what horrific crimes happened to those in captivity. Plaster models in some of the rooms depict exact methods of torture. In some of the cells the graffiti from prisoners is still in tact. In one solitary confinement cell graffiti birds and flowers are still on the wall. In 1991 the Kurdish Pershmega army defeated Hussein’s army liberating the torture center, but for many it was too late.

In another building in the compound, the former offices of Hussein and his security forces have been turned into a Kurdish museum that displays vibrant textiles, rugs and jewelry of the very culture that Hussein tried to annihilate. Another door leads to an unexpected artistically wavy hallway decorated with 182,000 shards of mirror and over 5000 small white lights on the ceiling (video above); a shard of mirror for every person who perished during Hussein’s Anfal campaign, and a light for each village that Hussein destroyed during his rule. Beauty in a place where only misery and death had existed.

Tags: American military, Amna Suraka, Human Rights, Iraq, Iraq War, Kurdistan, Prison, Saddam Hussein, Torture, Travel.

On March 16, 1988 the town of Halabja Iraq, on the border of Iran, was gas bombed by Saddam Hussein’s military. WIthin 30 minutes more than 5,000 people were dead. Thousands more were left with complications which led to birth defects, cancer & terminal illness.

This occurred during the final days of the Iran-Iraq war. Halabja had been ‘captured’ by the Iranians at the time, and since Hussein was genocidal in his hate of the Kurds, it is rumored the people of the town also sided with the Iranians (understandably so!). For some reason the US, on Iraq’s side during the war, claimed that the gas attack was done by the Iranians. That has since been found to be completely false even though the CIA clung to the idea for months after the incident. In fact, before the incident, the US did not have the Iraq government on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This allowed Saddam Hussein to purchase the ingredients needed to make chemical/biological weapons. The largest suppliers of these chemicals were from Singapore, Holland, Egypt, India & West Germany. A US company was also a supplier, but not one of the biggest.

Halabja is still suffering in every way: economically, socially, and spiritually. I visited a peace memorial on the outskirts of the town of Halabja (see photos in slide show). It is filled with deeply disturbing photos of families literally stopped dead in their tracks, while doing normal every day things like cooking, cleaning, and playing. It is an eerie reminder of just how terribly evil Saddam Hussein was (something that at many times is forgotten in the ongoing debates of the war in Iraq, 8 years on). In 2006 the people of Halabja rioted and attacked the peace memorial because they were not happy that money was being spent on the dead when those still alive very much needed financial support.

As you will see in my photos, there is also life & love in the death. I accidentally stumbled on a sort of Vacation Bible School, except with the Koran (obviously) after visiting the memorial. The children, incredibly shy at first, went wild after i began to ignore them (reverse psychology works every time). A pack of about 50 then stormed my friend and I demanding that we take multiple adorable photos of them. Burly Kurdish men in traditional baggy trousers and scarves in their hair acted as our bodyguards, trying to keep the children off of us, but their efforts were in vain (we didn’t mind, really). When we finally left, we had a group of gigging stalkers slyly following us until we finally made our way out of town.

Tags: Iraq, Kurdistan, Travel.

Although Erbil is the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, the city of Sulaimani (pop. 700,000, 40k from Iran) is the true heart & soul of Kurdish Iraq. On my way there from Erbil I encountered dozens of police checkpoints, very pleasant compared to checkpoints I had encountered in the West Bank. And, these checkpoints actually made me feel safe. I was even questioned twice but again, in a much more civilized fashion than the Israelis presented.

I stayed at a hotel in the center of “Sulay” & spent my days aimlessly walking around the hospitable city making new friends everywhere I went. Sometimes I was with a male American traveler i met & spent much time with, and other times I was on my own. Definitely a very different experience alone vs with a man. As my male friend noticed, at times it may be annoying to be a solo female traveler (ie: come on lines straight out of pornos), but it also has its advantages. He was surprised by how many more women & families we spoke to. Often these families were from other parts of Iraq: Babylon, Basra, Baghdad. I had all my answers & apologies planned out in advance, specifically for these chance meetings. I explained that I’m against the war & that the US has no business “occupying” them. Was a bit stunned that nearly everyone I met respectfully disagreed with me on that. They all had horrific tales of life under Saddam Hussein as well as the new terror unleashed in Iraq since 2004. When I suggested the invasion was about oil, several people, including members of Hussein’s former army, told me that the Americans really are ‘doing their best’ to make Iraqi’s lives better. Those I spoke with blamed ‘outsiders’ for the barrage of suicide attacks and murders. They asked me: “Who benefits from chaos in Iraq?” When i asked them to name names: Iran, Syria & Saudi.

Families from all corners of Iraq now seek a better life in Kurdish cities. They’re looking for jobs, cheap places to live and to finally have some peace. But no one felt sorry for themselves. They all said “It’s life, what can you do? You have to continue on.” They also made it clear to me that suffering is nothing new to them; they’ve been hurting for decades due to constant war — with Iran, Kuwait, and the US invasion. One man showed me a body full of scars — half an arm missing from the Iran war, a missing toe from being shot by the Israelis (Saddam offered his army to fight them) and scars on his stomach and sides — i’m not sure from what.

My last few hours in Iraq I spent with a 19 year old young man from Baghdad. His family fled to Libya when he was young. In 2003 after the US invaded they moved back, because things had taken a strong turn for the better. However by 2004 he said that Baghdad was again like a war zone. “There is no color, no life” he said on looking at his former city. In 2006 his father was killed in a suicide bombing. His mother, brother & he then moved to Kurdistan. Tears filled his eyes when he told me his story. I found it impossible not to cry too… out of severe sadness that anyone has to suffer so senselessly, and out of frustration because I want to do *something* — *anything* to protect these people, but I feel powerless.

I asked this young man what he thought of the US withdrawing from Iraq (soon to be decided by the new Iraq government). Everyone I had met until that point did not want the US to pull out. But he thought differently. “Why should they stay? Just to be killed? They have parents and sisters an brothers. It’s not fair for them to give their lives up and to cause their families suffering — we have enough of that here. Why should they have to experience it too?” He went on to say what many already had: it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Iran seems to be the most scary specter on the horizon in Iraq.

Once again, my mind is boggled as to why anyone has already suffered so much in their lifetime. This world makes no sense. More evidence against the rule of karma.

Tags: Iraq, Kurdistan, Travel.

I’m in Kurdish Iraq. The most stable part of the country. After summer 08 in Iranian Kurdistan I’ve dreamed of returning. Since it’s not possible for me to return to Iran right now, here I am: Iraq.

Of course when I landed, it hit me again: what the fuck am i doing here? This is Iraq. My parents would kill me if they knew. Then the guilt: what if something happens to me? How would my parents feel? I am firmly in touch with the reality of going to a country that’s experiencing war. Kurdistan is different though. They’ve established their own government after being severely persecuted under Saddam Hussein. They are likely the only group that welcomed the invasion of their country in 03.

Still, it’s a bit freaky to get used to. Especially as an independent female traveler. However, I learned last nite the biggest risk so far, is the cost of hotels. And, finding a hotel, period. I walked around the Bazaar area of Erbil for 2 hours last nite looking, no one had anything & i did not see any other women in the hotels either. Semi-creepy.

Today I went to a smaller city than Erbil. And I was absolutely blown away by the hospitality of this town. I could not drink more tea, juice, or have more ice cream offers. On top of that you have to battle with shop/stall owners to actually pay them. When you pressure them they then still trick you into *not* paying (ie: you hand them a ten, they give you back your ‘change’ two fives — sneaky!). One man quoted me a price for a necklace, only to lower it even more, giving me way too much change back. Amazing. A few hours later a man in the traditional Kurdish garb of baggy trousers greeted me & then gave me an exuberant 2 hour tour of *his* town which he was so rightly proud of. He knew everyone — a local celebrity or politician, i do not know which. From what i gathered he had been to Stockholm, Sweden.. that’s about all i understood. Just one of the incredible in an entire cast of characters here in Kurdistan.

As usual, it’s way too late & i can’t think straight. I am really going to try to blog as much as possible during my stay here. Hugs, Michelle

Tags: Iraq.