Qashilo, the ancient source of water to the most well-known village in Duhok

Duhok (Kurdistan 24) – The ancient water spring known as Qashilo, located in Bamarni village of Duhok province has been providing the most well-known village in the province, with water uninterruptedly for centuries.

Qashilo water spring is a famous spring in the middle of Bamarni village in Duhok province, now the center of the eponymous subdistrict, located 60 kilometers from the city of Duhok.

Unlike any other water spring, its name has been mentioned in different historic records and its taste and quality are unique, there’s no history of it ever going dry or losing its steady level of water in its known existence of 1600 years.

Karzan Mohammed, historian, and writer of a book on Bamarni village told Kurdistan 24 that the name Qashilo is a pre-Islamic compound name derived from the “Qasha Elia” (Bishop Elijah) who was a bishop in the 4th century, living between the years 300-400 in Bamarni.

Ahmed Bamarni, a villager of Bamarni in his 70s explained to Kurdistan 24 that Qashilo has a unique quality of water that it’s very healthy and doesn’t need any filtering.

In the 1980s, Saddam regime teams visited the water spring and they had in their plans to use the water of Qashilo spring as bottled water and export it to gulf countries, that plan didn’t materialize because soon after the Kurdish uprising happened and the area was liberated from the regime.” said Ahmed.

Qashilo water spring has become a distinct feature in every introduction and description of Bamarni.

Forming an important side of Bamarni picturesque beauty in the Metina Mountain, the spring now makes up the central square of the village.

According to Karzan, the Qashilo water spring joins the Mo’mina spring nearby and together they form a stream that waters many dunams of some 500 orchards, where different types of fruits and vegetables are produced, generating a good income for the villagers.

He further said that the water of Qashilo spring has proved to be good for curing kidney problems and fevers, and because of that fame, many people from different areas of the region drink it for health purposes.

Qashilo is not the only spring in the village, Ayn Dilbi and Mo’mina are the other two springs decorating the scenery of Bamarni, attracting tourists in all seasons of the year, but particularly in summer for their water stays cold in the heat of the summer.

Bamarni with a population of 1,957 people, has archeological sites that are up to 6,000 years old, and most are registered by the general directorate of antiquities in Duhok.