WATCH: Snow atop Kurdistan's Hassan Beg Mountain attracts locals and tourists
The recent snowfall has covered the Kurdistan Region’s Hassan Beg Mountain in a white blanket of snow, attracting tourists from parts of Kurdistan and Iraq.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The recent snowfall has covered the Kurdistan Region’s Hassan Beg Mountain in a white blanket of snow, attracting tourists from parts of Kurdistan and Iraq.
The accumulation of snow atop the mountain has attracted tourists from all over the Kurdistan Region, with people of all ages enjoying the snow.
Urfa Qader, a local visiting the mountain, told Kurdistan 24 that a lack of snowfall in the cities encouraged her and her friends to visit the mountain top.
“We were very pleased with the snowfall and the happy atmosphere it created for the tourists and visitors,” she said.
“People spend time with friends, and family members have snowball fights, participate in traditional dance, and take pictures of the stunning view,” Shilan Saleh, another tourist on the mountain, told Kurdistan 24.
Most of the visitors are locals from the Soran district, and only a few tourists are from different parts of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, Kurdistan 24’s Tayfur Mohammed said as he interviewed different people. He noted that only a few people are familiar with the mountainous area and the annual accumulation of snow.
Diyar Bahir, a tourist from Chamchamal town in the Garmiyan administrative, said he heard of the destination from his friends.
“It has a very cool and nice atmosphere and is a place to enjoy your time regardless of your age,” he told Kurdistan 24.
The Hassan Beg Mountain’s height is 2,533 meters above sea level and is located 22 kilometers northwest of the Soran district in Erbil governorate. The mountain tops are usually covered with snow during the winter.
Over the years, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has developed many sectors, including its tourism division, especially in the winter, where the mountains retain snow, attracting thousands of local and international tourists.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Additional reporting by Tayfur Mohammed)