Life in Iraqi Kurdistan

From left: Falakaddeen Kakaie (Culture Minister, KRG), Ayla Akat Ata (MP, DTP, Turkey), Kristiina Koivunen and Bengi Yildiz (MP, DTP, Turkey). Hawler the 9th September 2008.

I am still in Iraqi Kurdistan tackling with heat, internet and several other problems.

Life in Hawler is very interesting. There would be enough of things to write a book, not just posts in a blog (well, actually that's just what I am doing).

Insallah when internet works I try to put some more pictures to Sahmaran. But only when I can use wireless network with my own laptop. I do not put my flash memory (memory stick) to any Iraqi computer. Among other problems Iraq has its own national community of computer viruses. I am tired to take my laptop to anti-virus treatment every time when I have used my flash memory in the computer of someone else. I have sent pictures to Finland from various computers - when I let my camera to be checked it had more than twenty viruses.

The above picture is taken here in Hawler the 9th September 2008.

I have lots of other interesting pictures too, but the scheduldes of Hawler internet and mine don't seem to fit together. When internet is functioning I do not have time to write to Sahmaran and vice versa.

The charm of traditional Iraqi houses

I am now in Kurdistan. I am happy to stay in a Kurdish families, in addition to hotels. I learn a lot this about the every day life in Kurdistan.

My country Finland is very cold most time of the year. But that is not a problem for us because our houses are good and warm. Finnish people spend much time inside the houses.

For me the most charming thing in the traditional Iraqi houses was the way how people spend lots of time in the open air. They spend evenings in gardens, make food in back yards and sleep on house roofs as well as bake bread there. Also I have slept nights on the roof. It is something I will always remember: the beauty of the sky, the distant voices of the city, warm air and feeling of safety despite of being in the open air. My friends here in Finland are jealous when I tell about it.

Also I admir how few high houses there are Hawler - this is very positive. In most European countries only rich city dwellers have villas and their own gardens. It is so also in Turkey. Most Kurdish people there live in apartments and only dream about gardens. They spend evenings drinking tea in their small balconies. In Turkish cities not even rich people have such one-family-houses where Iraqi Kurds usually live.

Traditional way of house building has developed during many decades, maybe even centuries. Houses fit to the conditions in the best possible because the knowledge is collected during many generations.

This Iraqi Kurdish knowledge should be remembered when building new housing areas instead of importing ideas from totally different environments.

Take only the best foreign ideas!

I am surprised to see that people do not pay attention on saving energy when it is available. In Europe it is popular tendency to save energy because of ecological reasons and the rising prise of petrol. Hopefully the people who make construction plans in Kurdistan study these experiences, for example solar energy.

It surprised me that solar energy is not used in North Iraq. In Turkey it is very common, people heat water with it.

Maybe they think that there is no need to have other energy sources than petrol because there is so much of it. But why not use solar energy when there is plenty of it available? Free of charge!

I could have written about the lack of houses in Hawler. I know it is big and acute problem. There is need to build very many houses. But despite people need them in a hurry the plans should made with long perspective.

The world is preparing itself for changes in energy systems, from dependency of petrol to renewable energy sources. Houses are being built to last for many decades. They should be planned so that they are flexible to adjust new technologies what ever things the climate change and development of renewable energy technologies bring.