Middle East - Anthony Ham [188]
Sleeping & Eating
You’ll find dozens of budget and midrange restaurants and hotels along Kawa Rd. Modern and pricier hotels and restaurants are located on Zakho Way near Dream City. Unless noted, most hotels have squat toilets.
Hotel Parleman ( 722 1361; Kawa Rd; r ID10,000; ) The best of the cheapies, the bright-pink Hotel Parleman is quickly gaining a reputation as the backpacker hotel in Iraq. The basic but clean rooms include a fridge, TV and private bath. The centrepiece of the gaudy marble lobby is a framed photo of George W Bush Jnr standing side by side with Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani. The hidden, coffin-shaped entrance is around the corner by the shoeshine guys.
Hotel Bircin ( 722 8182; cnr Kawa & Cinema Rds; s/d/tr ID49,000/65,000/95,000; ) Hotel Bircin, also spelled ‘Birjin’, is the tallest landmark in Dohuk city centre. All rooms are large and clean and include double beds, TV, Western toilets and bathtubs. The owner’s son speaks English.
Dilshad Palace ( 722 7601; www.dilshad-palace.com; Dohuk Main St; s/d/ste ID150,000/180,000/450,000; ) Opened in 2007, Dilshad Palace is the first truly modern, five-star hotel in Iraq. All 106 rooms have king-sized beds; enormous marble bathrooms with Western toilets and tub; exquisite furnishings, flat-screen TVs, minibar and safe. There are four restaurants and bars, including one featuring nightly Lebanese music and belly dancing. If that’s not enough, there’s 24-hour room service.
Mankal Restaurant ( 762 4747; cnr Zakho Way & Kawa Rd; mains ID5000-10,000; 10am-midnight) Come here hungry, because the portions are absolutely HUGE. The lamb quzi is the house speciality, and big enough to feed an army.
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LALISH
Hidden in a deep, green valley, Lalish is the most sacred place on earth for practitioners of the Yazidi faith (see boxed text, below). At least once in their lifetime, each Yazidi must make a pilgrimage to Lalish, where their chief deity Malak Taus – the peacock angel – first landed. Some also believe Noah’s Ark came to rest here. Visitors must walk barefoot through the complex.
The focal point of Lalish is the Sanctuary, a temple topped by two large pyramids. The entrance is guarded by a stone relief of a black snake slithering into a hole in the wall, which some believe symbolises a snake that used his body to plug a leak in Noah’s Ark. The interior of the temple contains several tombs; the most important is the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Mustafa, a Yazidi reformer. The tombs and walls are wrapped in colourful silks; visitors tie and untie knots to make a wish. Other sights at Lalish include the White Spring, a crystal-clear baptismal pool fed by waters from the underground spring.
Lalish is located about 30km southeast of Dohuk and 10km north of Ain Sifni, in the Kurdish Peshmerga-controlled territory of Ninawa Province. The best days to visit are on the Yazidi holy day of Wednesday or on Saturday, the day of rest, when hundreds of traditionally dressed Yazidi families come to pray and picnic on the hillsides.
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AMADIYA
Like a village in the clouds, amazing Amadiya – or Amedi – is built on a high plateau 1200m above sea level. The village is breathtakingly picturesque, surrounded by magnificent mountains and endless green valleys. The city is a mix of Muslims and Christians, and there are several fine churches in town.
The most visible landmark is the 30m-high minaret of Amadiya Mosque, near the centre of town and built by Sultan Hussein Wali. It’s about 400 years old and pockmarked with bullet holes from the Kurdish Civil War. It’s possible to climb the spiral staircase to the top of the minaret, if you can find the imam who holds the key. The city was once a high-walled citadel, but all that remains is the huge, marble Eastern Gate. The gate is 4m wide and carved with intricate base reliefs. There is a small cemetery just to the left of the main entrance into town, containing the remains of several Amadiya royal