Polish tour group drives from Central Europe to see Kurdistan

A group of Polish tourists arrived in Duhok this month after driving in two motor vans from Central Europe to see Kurdistan for themselves. 

Kurdistan 24 met the two families at Duhok University, whose tourism department were hosting the travelers during their time in the Kurdistan Region, said Dr. Sihad Khalil from the department.

The group planned to visit Duhok’s tourist and archeological sites and said they looked forward to the adventure and chance to meet the different cultures who call the province home.

After entering the region from Turkey through the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing, their first stop was Zakho, where they visited the ancient Dalal Bridge, a prominent symbol of the city. 

Only a few months ago they had no information about Kurdistan, the families said, and they spent a considerable amount of time researching the area and the Kurdish people.

It’s Hard to Find Books on Kurdistan Tourism

“It’s very hard to find a guide book or travel book about Kurdistan tourism or culture, and we found that the few books that do exist have been politicized,” said Andrzej Walczak, a member of the group.

“It’s too soon for me to tell you how Kurdistan is … but upon arriving in Duhok in the late evening I found it to be a luminous city,” Walczak told Kurdistan 24.

“Kurds have an open-minded culture and not a strict Islamic culture like one would think,” he added. “People lead a modern lifestyle here with a developed administrative system.”

Walczak said the group had encountered various opinions in Europe about the Kurdistan Region, prompting them to make the journey for themselves. 

“Some said it’s not a safe place, some said it doesn’t even exist, so we wanted to come and see for ourselves and have an opinion of our own.”

The tourists have already shared photos of the area with people at home. “They describe it as an eye-opener,” Walczak said.

Some students from the tourism department were present to meet the Polish tourists, and asked for advice from Walczak, who has been traveling for more than two decades. He told the students to participate in forming the Kurdistan Region’s tourism policy and develop practical experience in addition to their studies, as in practice there are many challenges for tourism.

Prior to their visit to the Kurdistan Region, the tour group spent two weeks in Kurdish areas of Turkey. They planned next to visit parts of Erbil and Sulaimani, in order to compare the region’s different areas and see their unique features.

Soon they will leave for Kurdish parts of Iran, and travel from there to Armenia, Georgia, and other places on their way home to Poland.