Erbil, Iraq

Our world tour has almost come to an end but before thinking about that we still have to explore some cities, Erbil in Iraq for example. Like in Afghanistan and Iran is the political situation unstable and dangerous, therefore the advice is given to visit Iraq only when necessary . As we are all very adventurous we took the risk and continued our trip.

The city's history goes way back to 6000 BC and is said to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. When you visit the city center the most striking building is the citadel situated near to Erbil-Kurdistan square. The square is lovely to stroll around and enjoy the historic buildings.  Noteworthy is that the locals are so helpful and friendly, before you know it you are drinking tea with their whole family. Although they try to upgrade the image of the city by large-scale estate projects. Visiting the citadel and its surroundings takes a lot of your time because it is a large area but it is definitely worth it. We have spend almost the whole day at the square and the citadel. What I found irritating is that several salesmen were very intrusive, moreover ladies always keep your purse nearby. All the shops and facilities are situated close together so renting a car is not necessary, the city is very accessible on foot.

In my opinion you should visit the city around March and April because of the nice temperatures and sunny days. It is not too hot or too cold mostly it is 30 degrees in the shadow of course. 

When you like having a drink with your friends in a trendy café, the lagoon bar is the place to be. I think Thomas had some difficulties to get up the next morning, he enthusiastically started to discover the local cocktails.

Naomi H.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g294000-Iraq-Vacations.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq

http://www.erbiltourism2014.com/en/visiting-erbil/places-to-see

Iraq - Baghdad

We have travelled for many weeks now and honestly, this trip has been the best experience in my life so far. We’ve seen the most beautiful places, discovered a wonderful nature and met amazing people. This is the last time I’ll write about our trip but I highly recommend you to also read the adventures of my colleagues who write here regularly as well. 

After Iran, we went to Iraq and more specifically to the capital Baghdad. We were extremely cautious because the travel agents advised us not to go to the country at all. It’s very dangerous to travel to Iraq because the people from the Middle East don’t like people from the West or anyone who helped the West invade the country. You could easily be kidnapped or car jacked. Consequently, Iraq was not my absolute favourite. 

So why did we take the risk?  It’s simple: Iraq has an interesting culture and history. Many people don’t realise this because the city is always associated with war and cruelty. Therefore, I’m glad that I can give you another view on the country and its capital. 

When we arrived in Baghdad, we first went to the International Zone where we bought DVD’s, a rug and even ate a Big Mac at McDonalds. As you see, some parts of Iraq are accessible ! Afterwards, we visited two buildings that reflected the history of Baghdad. In the Iraq Museum, we saw man-made artefacts that represented the different cultures in Iraq, for example the Babylonian and Islamic culture. It had the most important collections in the world. I didn’t think that such impressive buildings were to be found in Iraq… In the National Museum of Modern Art we saw beautiful paintings, sculptures, and ceramics made by talented Iraqi artists. Unfortunately, many of these museums objects are lost because of the Iraq War. Then we walked through the Al-Safateer market. There we saw exhibits and nice copper objects, for example tea accessories. This market really reflected the culture and economy of Baghdad. Lastly, we saw a performance in the National Theatre of Iraq. It was wonderful! Baghdad has a fantastic recreational culture. 

Al-Safateer Market

I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog. One little hint for all the travellers among us: keep your eyes open because the world has so much to offer, even when you’re least expecting it! 

Ulrike

Sources:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/48773/Baghdad/24883/Cultural-life

http://www.iraqiembassy.us/page/art-and-culture

http://www.theiraqmuseum.com/

http://www.baghdad-travel.net/

http://www.iraq-tourism.net/safe-to-travel-to-iraq.html

Qum, Iran

Our next and last city in Iran that we wanted to visit is Qum. It is the smallest province in Iran. Previously, it was a district that belonged to the state of Arāk, and then was it attached to the capital city, Tehran. Then it became an independent province. It is a agricultural, industrial and commercial city.

Qum is well known for its religious seminaries and institutes, which offer advanced religious studies. The Hawzah consist over 200 education and research centers and organizations.it has over 40,000 scholars and students spread over 80 countries on the world.

Sohan

Qum has many carpet and sweet shops. The city is well known for the unique and beautiful silk rugs that are also famous worldwide. It is also famous for its “Sohan”. This is a flat sweet biscuit made of pistachios and saffron. Also “Gaz” is well known, this is a nougat sweet. We tried this and personally, I found this delicious. There are also numerous religious shops which sell religious that sell religious books and versions of the Koran.

We also visited some places of interest in Qum.

First, we visited a museum called “the Āstāne Museum”. It contains the gifts and bequests that have made to Lady Fatima Masuma by various well wishers.

We took the taxi and visited a mosque, namely the Masjid-e Jamkarān. It was built in 393 by Hassan Bin Maslah in order of Imam Madi. It is believed that Holy Imam himself visits the mosque every Tuesday night because several thousands Shia pilgrims converge here on that day. It is a important center for Shia Muslims, who are followers of the Twelve Imams. The Islamic dress code is strictly enforced in Iran and also in Masjid-e Jamkarān. Women wear trench coats with trousers and cover their heads with headscarves. A chador is a must when you enter religious places and men are not allowed to wear shorts.

Masjid-e Jamkarān

Delphine

http://www.al-islam.org/lady-fatima-masuma-of-qum-masuma-jaffer/holy-city-qum

http://imamhussain.org/english/reports/m_5.html

http://www.iranvisitor.com/city-guides/masjid-e-jamkaran

Tehran - Iran

Next up was the capital of Iran, Tehran. Tehran is also the largest city of the country and is, against what one might expect, filled with western looking architecture. In fact, Iran has since the thirties somewhat western-orientated country because of the several reforms conducted by the Shahs. After the revolution in 1979-80, Iran became the world’s first official Islamic republic and broke practically all ties with the western world.

To a lot of people the name ‘Iran’ spells nothing but doom. Mostly because of the rhetoric of its rulers which is characterized by its often anti-Jewish and anti-Israel statements. Nevertheless, Iran is the only ‘stable’ country in the middle-east, this is something that is clearly visible in Tehran. The streets are clean, everything looks organized and peaceful. There’s a lot to see in the city; old Mosques, the palaces of the former Shahs and monuments like the beautiful Azadi tower in the middle of the Azadi square which was originally erected to commemorate the former Shahs. After the revolution it became a monument that celebrates the Islamic republic.

There are not many accommodations or attractions for tourists in Tehran and perhaps Iran in general because not many (western) tourists come to Iran. This doesn’t come as a surprise, travelling to the country is discouraged by many countries and their trade is limited by embargos and UN sanctions. The people of Tehran are very friendly and a lot of them complain that their country is lambasted abroad, and if you try hard enough you might get some words of dissent against their rulers out of them. A seemingly stable country, but at what price?

To close our day, we visited the Iranian museum of contemporary art. A wonderful museum filled with great artists like Picasso and Van Gogh, many however are in storage because their imagery doesn’t comply with the believes of the republic and religious leaders. Many haven’t been on public display for decades.

Thomas

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/29/artnews.iran

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran#Tourism_and_attractions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60IDTAg33K0

Kandahar, Afghanistan

A few days later, we continued our trip in Afghanistan. We travelled to Kandahar without problems. Our flight was punctual and the weather was good, so a good start to explore a new city.

Here, we also explored the culture of the city. But also walked a lot because of the good weather. It was exhausting because the sun was shining. We also walked a couple of times in the wrong direction because we walked alone with just a map of the city and country. Fortunately, we walked quickly correct on our itinerary. Personally, I think it was interesting to explore the city on foot than by bus or car. I really enjoyed this walk. If it were up to me, we would do this more. We also can do this by bike, which sounds also pleasant.

We passed some interesting curiosities in the mean time. We first saw the Mausoleum of Baba Wali. It was named after a person who was believed to be a notable person but not much is known about his and the Mausoleum.

 

We also walked the along the mosque of the Cloak of the Prophet Mohammed. It is one of the holiest sites in Afghanistan. It contains a cloak, what was used by Prophet Mohammed. It was locked away inside until 1996.

After our walk, we also visited a museum, namely Kandahar Museum. This museum has paintings of Ghiyasuddin. He was regarded as one of the most important painters of all time of Afghanistan. His works can be considered as personal documentation of the vibrations he senses.

After we had visited the museum, we decided to eat at a restaurant. The dishes were tasty, but I personally still prefer the Belgian cuisine. After dining, we went to bed after a tiring day. Up to Iran!

Delphine

http://www.touristlink.com/afghanistan/kandahar/photos.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kandahar#See 

Kabul Afghanistan

Time for a new country and new culture, we continue our trip to Kabul in Afghanistan. To be honest I was not very keen travelling to these areas because of the political instability and dangerous situation. Travel agencies and the government discourage to visit these areas. Moreover I have heard that women  in this culture are disadvantaged and often treated badly. Because of all the bad incidents mentioned in the news like wars and car bombs you created a bad image. In life it is important you have no prejudices and just go for it. 

We travelled by plane so we needed  foreigner registration cards before we could enter the country. This caused some delay by border control but eventually we arrived in Kabul with no further problems.  Kabul is the capital city of Afghanistan and is the largest city which counts almost 3 million local residents.

To explore the natural habitat we visited the gardens of Babur, in my opinion this was the most quiet place in Kabul. It gives a moment of silence after the confrontation with people living in fear and war every day.

  Led by my prejudices I found this city the least attractive, the atmosphere was very gloomy and depressing. On the other hand you can notice a certain renovation of the city where high buildings are constructed. This is  contradictory to the enormous poverty that is present in the streets of Kabul, walking through this street made me feel bad. In de afternoon we commemorated English fighters who had sacrificed their lives in the war. It is believed that this cemetery contains at least 150 English soldiers but after several years only 10 graves were intact, the rest was stolen or destroyed. For me it was a very confrontational excursion. I was glad the day had come to an end and that we were on our way to the hotel.

Naomi H.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kabul

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/afghanistan/kabul/sights

http://www.pbase.com/andy_guest/british_cemetery_kabul