Erbil, the capital of Iraqi
Kurdistan may lie only 400 km north of Baghdad, but the difference
in the recent fortunes of the two cities is startling.
As the hour-long flight from Erbil reaches Baghdad airport, formerly
known as 'Saddam International Airport', the plane circles the
runway several times before landing, protected by anti-missile
batteries to ensure its safety.
Looking towards Baghdad, a city now in ruin, I could see heaps of
rubbish on its streets. I wondered what had befallen the city in
which I was born and brought; its landmarks had disappeared amongst
the engulfing smog. In the three years since the US liberation
began, Baghdad had deteriorated rapidly. The look on visitors’ faces
spoke at length of the sadness and sorrow that has come to dominate
the Iraqi capital. Only those who were leaving had a smile on their
faces. It seemed as if time in Baghdad had stopped at 7:05, when it
came under US bombing on 9 April 2003.
Earlier, when I looked down on the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, I saw
a city undergoing a construction boom with buildings peppered around
the runway.
In Erbil, visitors are met with a huge billboard welcoming them to
Kurdistan, written in Kurdish, Arabic and English. North of the
current airport, a new runway and terminal are being built as part
of ambitious plans to create a new truly international airport,
capable of welcoming thousands of visitors a week to Erbil. As we
rode towards the city, my companion Rawand Abdul Qader, an official
in the Kurdistan regional government, pointed out a construction
project, with plans to build deluxe private homes. “The finest
square kilometer in Iraq,” a giant billboard read.
Dream Land’s director told Asharq Al Awsat, on condition of
anonymity, “This project is aimed at investors. We started work last
year and hope to complete building 1200 deluxe villas in 2009.”
“I always travel to Baghdad but I fear being kidnapped. I have
already been kidnapped once. I was released after paying a
considerable ransom. We chose Erbil for our project because it is
more stable than other Iraqi cities. Investors are also welcome here
and the regional government does not interfere and does not allow
financial mismanagement," he added. More buildings that are new lie
behind the construction site and these were recently built by an
Iraqi Kurd who returned from Europe to invest in his city.
On the other hand, no investment projects are currently lined up in
the Iraqi capital. According to Ammar al Biyati, a civil society
activist, “The rate of unemployment, with the exception of Iraqi
Kurdistan, is between 68% to 73%. If we add to that the number of
professionals who are employed in menial work as taxi drivers or
builders for example, the unemployment rate becomes much higher.”
In Erbil, Dream Land’s director said, “We are looking to hire more
people, especially those with technical skills. There is no
unemployment to speak of in Iraqi Kurdistan. Around three quarters
of the work force comes from other areas of the country, such as
central and southern Iraq. Whereas the average salary of a
construction worker in Baghdad is 15 thousand Dinars, they can make
up to 20 dollars a day in Kurdistan, more than a fourfold increase.”
“The construction boom is cased by the stability and security here,
as well as the return of Iraqi Kurds from exile. I have returned
from the United States to Erbil and obtained a piece of land and a
small loan from the government to build a house in the suburb of
Ayin Qawa, which I last visited in the mid-1980s. I discovered it
has been transformed into a rich neighborhood full of flowers and
social clubs.”
I enter Babel Hall in Baghdad’s international airport and
immediately, I am struck by the pervading silence. Once a bustling
arrivals hall, full of visitors and families awaiting their loved
ones, it now stands almost deserted.
Until recently, the six-mile stretch of road leading from central
Baghdad to the country’s main airport used to be known as “the road
of death,” one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in Iraq,
if not the world. Many attacks occurred along the stretch of road
and several people lost their lives, before the US army beefed up
security and heavily fortified it, as the taxi driver, a young Iraqi
called Ahmad, explained to me.
In the past, this road used to be one the most beautiful in the
capital and was frequently used by Saddam Hussein to travel to his
palaces in al Radawaniya, surrounded by lakes. Nowadays, like other
roads in Baghdad, it appears neglected and is full of craters,
evidence of bombings and explosions.
On our way to the capital, our taxi stopped to let a US patrol of
several Humvees go through. On the back of each vehicle, a sign
warned of imminent death if anybody dared to get closer than 200m.
However, in the streets of Erbil, no foreign troops are to be seen.
Security is maintained by the local police and guards distinguished
by their uniforms. Many used to belong to the Peshmerga forces whose
duty is no longer to fight Saddam’s regime in order to defend the
rights of the Kurdish people.
Every day, dozens of beheaded bodies are discovered across Baghdad
and its suburbs. In the latest statistics announced by the Ministry
of Defense, 263 Iraqi civilians were killed and 310 were injured in
63 separate “terrorist” attacks in the last seven days. More than
1051 Iraqis were the victims of terrorism in the month of May alone,
another study revealed last week.
The security situation is markedly different in Iraqi Kurdistan,
with the last terrorist attack occurring more than three years ago.
According to Nechirvan Barazani, prime minister of Kurdistan’s
regional government, terrorists “are trying to create problems and
bring terrorism to Kurdistan but they have no place amongst our
people and our region. We have succeeded in this regard thanks to
the awareness of our security services and ordinary citizens. We
feel secure in this regard.”
Ibril’s streets are crowded with cars and pedestrians as policemen
try to direct traffic until midnight each day. Its packed markets
stay open until 10pm; consumers can find all the latest electrical
equipment they might need, including computers, televisions,
freezers, washing machines, satellite dishes, clothes and other
household essentials. Families stay up into the night and enjoy the
city’s restaurants and cafes, where they can hear traditional Arabic
and Kurdish songs, without fear of bombings or attacks.
Every Monday and Thursday evening, the streets of Erbil are witness
to dozens of wedding celebrations, with cars decorated with ribbons
and roses ferrying the bride and groom to one of the capital’s fancy
hotels or nearby summer resorts, such as “Saladdin” or “Jandiyan”.
“Life here in Erbil is very normal. People stay up in the early
morning. In Baghdad, we used to fear leaving the house after sunset.
We hope normal life returns to Baghdad so we can visit it again. We
have good memories there,” said Madhat Mandalawy, the 52-year-old
minister in the regional government.
For her part, Nisrine Bikr, a secondary school teacher, recalled
visiting Baghdad every summer with her family. “But we no longer go
because of the bad security situation. The opposite is now happening
and our cousins and friends from Baghdad now visit us to enjoy
Kurdistan’s beautiful nature and atmosphere and enjoy the security
and stability in Erbil.”
An Iraqi airways employee on a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan told Asharq
Al Awsat she hoped the length of her trip would be extended and
welcomed the chance to leave the carnage in Baghdad behind, if only
for a few days. The Iraqi capital, she explained, lacks “electricity
and security. We cannot leave our houses in the evening. Here, in
Erbil, I can go out whenever I want. There are spaces for families
to pass the time and shopping areas. The Kurds are, by nature, good
people and have cooperated with us.”
Indeed, the streets of Baghdad are empty after 6pm, when the city is
transformed into a battleground, with the sounds of gunfire and
bombing echoing in the distance. Public and private occasions are
celebrated midday in Baghdad, especially weddings, which have been
targeted by suicide bombers in the past. Even government-sponsored
activities, such as conferences or cultural events, have to finish
before dusk.
Life in the two capitals could not be more different: one is the
daily victim of death and destruction while the other flourishes and
enjoys its change of fortune.
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