Middle East

Iraq – Lalish And The Yezidi Kurds

Lalish: the Kurds´ hidden treasure in northern Iraq Safe in the Kurdish haven of northern Iraq, but still only 50 km north of war-torn Mosul, lies Lalish, the Yezidi Kurds´ holiest shrine. Visiting this particular site, tantamount to the Catholics´ Vatican or Muslims’ Mecca, had become an obsession since I first came across Yezidi Kurds…

Nomads Of Ararat – Return To The Mountain

In a small corner of East Turkey, just a stone’s throw from the Iranian border, exists a race of semi-nomadic folk called the Jelali. The Jelali follow a lifestyle founded on livestock farming across a mountainous landscape that includes Mount Ararat, the fabled resting place of Noah’s Ark; Little Ararat, a smaller version of its…

Turkey to Iraq – The Hills Have Eyes

“It’s perfectly safe”. With this final reassurance (from a reliable source) ringing in our ears, we set off on our (supposedly) 7 ½ hour journey to Iraq. Thirteen hours later, I flopped down on my hotel bed in Zhako and fell into a blissful slumber. This is the story of those thirteen hours. We set…