An article in the travel section of yesterday’s New York Times (NYT) lists the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kuurdistan region among the 41 places in the Worlhttp://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/208701/d worth visiting this year.
Referring to the relative security and stability this northern region of Iraq has enjoyed in recent years, the NYT provides details of a few of the travel companies offering trips to its landmarks such as Erbil’s citadel which dates back to the Assyrian empire and the site of the Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian king Darius III leading to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire.“Safety, history and a warm welcome in a stable corner of Iraq” the NYT article is sub-headed. According to the Distant Horizons travel company that has been bringing small groups of American visitors to Kurdistan since 2008, the biggest attraction to the region is the opportunity for “authentic cultural encounter”.
“Authenticity is something that can be lost so quickly as development occurs,” the NYT quotes Distant Horizons’ Janet Moore as saying.
Karl Allen (AKnews): k.allen@aknews.com
