Kunamasi village, a source of fish and tourism

Kunamasi village in the Kurdistan Region features freshwater, various kinds of fish, green scenery, and beautiful mountains.

The village’s fresh and cold water is a wonder as it is so clean and plentiful. But where does it originate?

“The water source comes from Asos Mountain, which is in Kurdistan,” said Kardo Ramazan, a dweller from Kunamasi who, with a group of his friends, traced the water for several days until they got a result. “Asos Mountain is rich with snow, so Kunamasi’s freshwater comes from the melting snow.”

Kunamasi village, 56 kilometers from northeast of Sulaimani city, is a small village of only twelve houses. However, it has become a famous tourist attraction for local and international tourists.

Besides the fish business, the village dwellers make a fortune through renting their resorts to tourists, changing their source of income from agriculture to tourism.

Kunamsi attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year, especially during the dry and hot months of June, July, and August.

“One day of living here equals ten years of living in the city,” said Azad Aziz, a local tourist from Sulaimani who fled the city’s dust storm to get some fresh air in Kunamasi. “I come here often, especially when the weather in Sulaimani is not cool. Today I have fled from the dust storm, and here as you can see, it is so nice and clean and fresh.”

In the 1980s, the previous Iraqi regime burned down the village, which had 50 houses at the time. “Not even one tree was standing,” Ramazan said. Kunamasi was renovated by KRG after the 1991 uprising.

In addition to fish, agriculture, and water, Kunamasi is also rich with walnut trees and blackberries. Local experts think that only this village can provide water and fish for the whole city of Sulaimani.

“Kunamsi is a treasure, but it needs more attention,” said Kamaran Jalal, a local investment expert residing in Erbil. “I hope that the government can invest in this village as soon as it can because any investment here can have a huge profit for the government and will bring employment.”

“Kunmasi is a rare paradise on earth!” Aziz said.