Talk:Iraqi Kurdistan

Does anyone have anything more specific than the following ? I'm sad to say I know next to nothing... (WT-en) Maj 21:28, 12 August 2006 (EDT)

It is a state within a state. Do not travel here.

This is a bit iffy. As you can see from Wikipedia, the label "Kurdistan" covers a big chunk of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. I'd suggest moving this to the less ambiguous "Kurdistan (Iraq)" or "Iraqi Kurdistan". (WT-en) Jpatokal 01:55, 13 August 2006 (EDT)

I've created a entry please get back to me on what you guy's think?!? —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 86.132.25.250 (talk • contribs) 4 September 2006

Move

I suggest we move this to Iraqi Kurdistan, as Kurdistan is a larger region. I imaginge the Kurdistan proper article mainly linking to relevant cities / regions, covered by the state they are in. (WT-en) Bertilvidet 13:42, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

"Iraqi Kurdistan" would be consistent with how Wikipedia refers to the region, and with our own redirect of Turkish Kurdistan to the corresponding region of Turkey. This page would more logically be a disambig page pointing to the various Kurdish regions of the four nations they overlap with. - (WT-en) Todd VerBeek 18:46, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

Safety Warning

Even though this might be the wrong time to bring this up (given the current conflict in Arab Iraq), but I would like to know the guidelines for updating the safety warning for Kurdistan?

Most of the specific city-warnings are simply wrong. Places such as Sulaymaniyah and Zakho does not qualify as "One of the most dangerous cities on Earth" neither does Kurdistan in itself qualify as a war zone.

There are indeed very necessary safety advise that should and must be given concerning Kurdistan and cities such as Kirkuk... This includes the usual route for taxies between Erbil and Sulaymaniyah (driving through Kirkuk suburbs) and between Erbil and Duhok (driving close by Mosul).. Even some sights close to Mosul, that have previously been possible to visit should be avoided now..

Cheers, Ask Gudmundsen (currently travelling Kurdistan)

Go ahead and update it. It is not often we get first hand information from this part of the world, so we're mostly depending on news reports and travel warnings by embassies. ϒpsilon (talk) 13:51, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

Blood test and fee.

I've been to Iraqi Kurdistan two years ago and know people who've been there last year. We never had to pay any fee and no blood test was needed, blood tests are needed for going to the rest of Iraq and to obtain a visa. I think this should be updated. Cdrk (talk) 21:36, 10 March 2020 (UTC)

@Cdrk: plunge forward! -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 22:02, 10 March 2020 (UTC)

Though it is not entirely clear, I think what the article is saying is that if you want to extend your visa you need the blood test and to pay a fee. I have been to both Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan in the last 2 years and no tests/fee are required for a visa or on entry. I have never tried to extend a visa, so I cannot say if there is any requirement for a blood test to do so. Davidbstanley (talk) 04:40, 11 March 2020 (UTC)

@Davidbstanley: The Iraqi embassy in Berlin refused to start the visa procedure if we didn't make a blood test, so it is here and not only in Germany, other people report that in other countries too. But no blood test for Kurdistan, indeed. Cdrk (talk) 00:11, 21 August 2020 (UTC)

New structure for regions

The current structure mixes both cities and regions together. For example, Dahuk is both about the city and the region. I suggest we create new sub-regions Dahuk Governorate, Erbil Governorate and Sulemania Governorate. Then we can add cities to that sub-region. --Jonte-- (talk) 16:44, 2 August 2020 (UTC)

Go ahead. Ikan Kekek (talk) 17:59, 2 August 2020 (UTC)

Conflict often throughout history?

@Roovinn: I think the wording introduced here is confusing:

Throughout history, the Kurds in Iraq have vacillated between autonomy and self-determination, and this has often put them into conflict with the Iraqi government.

1. When has there been autonomy or self-determination?
2. Iraq hasn't existed throughout history, so I assume this "often" mostly refers to the more or less ongoing conflict with Saddam Hussein and later with the current regime.

I don't know the history of the region well enough to rewrite this, but I think a rewrite is needed.

–LPfi (talk) 19:15, 17 May 2023 (UTC)

Hello. To clarify, the mention of "throughout history" was intended to indicate a broader timeframe, encompassing various periods and circumstances. It does not imply that Iraq as a nation has existed for the entire span of history.

To provide a clearer representation of this historical dynamic, a revised statement could be as follows: "In recent history, the Kurds in Iraq have experienced fluctuations between seeking autonomy and self-determination, often resulting in conflicts with the Iraqi government. These struggles became particularly pronounced during the era of Saddam Hussein and have continued to shape the relationship between the Kurdish population and the central authorities."

Let me know how that sounds. I hope this revision better reflects the intended meaning and addresses your concerns. Roovinn (talk) 04:55, 18 May 2023 (UTC)

Where to breadcrumb Iraqi Kurdistan

Swept in from the pub

Should we breadcrumb it under Iraq like we do now, or should it be treated as a de facto separate country? Iraqi Kurdistan has its own visa requirements and runs its own diplomatic missions, so in a way it appears to be like a separate country from a traveller's perspective, even if it may still be legally part of Iraq. The dog2 (talk) 20:56, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

It hasn't declared independence. I think it makes sense to breadcrumb it to Iraq. Ikan Kekek (talk) 21:34, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

Agreed. We also have Kurdistan as an extra region breadcrumbed to Middle East, and Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) breadcrumbed to Syria. That's all fine. A similar case is the overall extra region article Ferghana Valley, breadcrumbed to Central Asia, and three articles for the parts of it in various countries, each breadcrumbed to a country. Pashley (talk) 22:20, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

The only question I see is whether to add articles for Iranian or Turkish Kurdistan. My guess is that neither is needed, but I do not really know the region. Pashley (talk) 22:56, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

I haven't been to the region myself, but from the web-site of the Iraqi Kurdistan government, it appears that you need to have a separate Iraqi Kurdistan visa to visit Iraqi Kurdistan, and you can't visit with a regular Iraqi visa. And likewise, Iraqi diplomatic missions can't issue Iraqi Kurdistan visas, and you need to seek out the separate Iraqi Kurdistan diplomatic missions to get your Iraqi Kurdistan visa. So in that respect, I was wondering if the situation is analogous to Taiwan, which likewise has not declared independence even though the current governing party is pro-independence. But that said, unlike the case for Taiwan, it appears that there is no separate Iraqi Kurdistan passport, and people from Iraqi Kurdistan get regular Iraqi passports for travel. The dog2 (talk) 23:03, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

The visa issue is covered at Iraqi_Kurdistan#Get_in. I'd say that's all we need. Pashley (talk) 23:44, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

We do have articles for Turkish and Iranian Kurdistan: Southeastern Anatolia, Central Western Iran. Ikan Kekek (talk) 01:19, 16 May 2023 (UTC)