UKC

I've recently been in Iraqi Kurdistan, and while I'm not really a climber I noted an awful lot of interesting geology and exposed rock faces of various sizes/seeming challenge there.

I thought I'd do a search on this forum, and found a whole range of adventurous peeps have been there - some climbing and some there for other reasons. 

All of the threads were archived so I can't post in them. So, I post this thread to tip my hat to all of you. Rocktalk chosen because that's where I saw some of the most interesting threads. 

I first went to Iraqi Kurdistan when I led an official University Expedition there in 1956.  Subsequently I joined the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) and organized inter alia the skiing at Hajji Umran. In 1958 on a local leave we walked all the way from the Persian Frontier along the Turkish almost to the Syrian and were caught up in the July 14 1958 revolution. If you are interested in my experiences you can contact me through UKC email or by continuing this thread. 

I suspect I'm not the only one who would find these stories interesting, please post them here if you have the time.

I'd love to hear your stories. And since Robert Taylor has requested they be posted here, that seems to be the best method.

In my trip, I got closer to borders than I planned to. I was driven along the Syrian border on my coach from Turkey to enter the country and entered Kurdistan at the border crossing close to where the Turkish, Syrian, and Iraqi borders meet. 

Later on I wanted to see Amadiya so much that I went close to the Turkish border where there has been recent military action. It's an ancient town built on the flat top of a mountain. They have built a killjoy modern road up one side of it, but I walked down and up some way on the old traditional route. As the town is on the top of the mountain and there are sheer rocky cliffs around most of the circumference, I can easily imagine UKC members utilising, shall we say, a 'third option' to get to the town If anyone has - boy would I like to hear the story. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadiya  (includes the aerial picture that made me decide: I (word deleted) well want to go to this place.)

And, I got near to the Ahmad Awa waterfalls, about 4km from the Iranian border. My plans were to go no closer than Halabja about 9km away. But, my friends took me closer. I'm quite relieved that the road is in bad condition this time of year or they may have taken me to the waterfall itself, about 2km away from the border, and the place where some American hikers were captured by Iranian border guards. (Though, they continued from the waterfall to the actual border - for some reason known only to them it seems.)

While I don't have a trained eye, I was looking around the hills of the Iranian border area and thinking that for those both more experienced and braver than me (I'm a rather nervous traveller) it looked as if there was a cornucopia of climbing opportunities. 

While the political and social environment will have changed a lot since 1958, I'm guessing that the rocks will be more or less the same I'd love to hear of your experiences. Given your description, there may be overlaps in the regions we visited. 

Hi Ross.

I got your email. In answer to it I was planning a trip to Baghdad in October this year. The plan was to go south on a cultural trip to Basra and then back again...one way via Nasiriyah and back via Kut.

Things went south fairly rapidly however. I sent off for a visa from the tourism ministry in Baghdad, but shortly after that the whole thing went to shit because a militia group had taken over the ministry and was asking for a lot more money. After talking to my contact in Baghdad it seemed a) unlikely I would get the visa even if I paid and b) political unrest was becoming too scary for me. I binned the trip and went to Indian Creek for three weeks instead. Looking at the news it was a wise choice to sack it.

Kurdistan is still safe so well done for getting yourself there and having a good time. You may like to know that having been to Iraq, if you want to go to the US you cannot now use the ESTA system. You will have to apply for a 10 year visa and go for interview in London. I did that myself a couple of years ago after a trip to Sudan, and it's a straightforward but expensive process. ($250 plus travel/accommodation in London).

Thank you Frank. 

My ESTA capable days are long gone. Iran, too, is nice this time of year  I've heard from several people that the visa process is simple but expensive, as you describe it. However, I just don't have motivation to go to the US.

Sorry to hear about your visa issues. But, at least you got to go somewhere nice. Your visa issues are entirely consistent with the description of the situation in Iraq proper that Kurdish friends described to me. 

I hear this from a lot of people - that they don't want to go to the US. I'm curious why that is in your case. Anecdotally it's to do with Trump and Americans being awful. One of those you can't do anything about and the other isn't true at all.

I am a bit concerned about the convo getting off climbing. It was only marginally on climbing in the first place

Los Angeles is one of the few places in the world where I felt unsafe. I would much, much, rather walk around a random part of the city at night in Tehran or Erbil than Los Angeles. And, I have walked around random places in all of those cities at night.

I find I get on fine with Americans that I meet. I don't think all Americans are awful by a long shot. Because I live and work in a particular bubble, the Americans I meet are typically great. I do despise Trump, but my disinclination to travel to the US pre-dates Trump.

I'd say that part of it is that if I travel, I want to get something out of it. Because we're saturated with American culture through media etc., I feel that I will get less out of an American trip than other places. I've never once in my life visited anywhere in Africa or South America. I can't imagine the US getting to the top of my travel list.

EDIT: I did make one attempt to get to Kenya. (Long story behind 'attempt'). If I did, then climbing Mount Kenya has paths suitable for even the likes of me. I can't think of anywhere in the US that attracts me as much as Kenya, and Kenya isn't at the top of my list. 

For Annoying Twit. I am not sure that this is the right place to post, or whether it will be of the slightest interest to UKC: it was six years before I even started to climb. I will not be the slightest offended if UKC decides to close the post. But since you are interested in the region and its impressive physical scenery, herewith an account of my first acquainatnce of Kurdistan in 1956, The Oxford University Expedition to Iraqi Kurdistan, 1956   

This took a huge effort to organize and had some serious ups and downs. It was a Catch 22 situation: sponsoring only really followed recognition as an official OU Expedition which only came when you were viable and properly organized. Peter  Galloway and I, geographers,  recruited a botanist Barry Haley who was a real asset and Euan Thomson, who was reading Engineering and could help the land-use survey of a village Peter and I were planning for our Final’s dissertation: Euan was also put to train as our "doctor”. At the same time, I got to know Wilfrid Thesiger who had been in our part of Kurdistan and was most hospitable and helpful. In the meantime, I needed to earn money for my contribution which had just been raised by the Exploration Club Senior Committee, and spent the whole summer vacation (1955) freezing peas at Ware.

The great coup was getting the Iraq Petroleum Company Group (IPC) to take us on from Beirut to Kurdistan. We had a five-day voyage Turkish Maritime Lines Class IIIB from Marseilles to Lebanon, and amazing as it sounds today, we were always smartly turned out, blazers, tie, and felt hat. Perhaps that’s why we were rapidly upgraded to dine in the Second Class and allowed to use the First Class deck facilities: the sleeping quarters were nevertheless tolerable and there was a shower. 

Letters home (summary extracts). 

31.7.56 BaradostWe flew to Kirkuk by IPC Dakota charter on 23 July (first flight for two of us) where we spent three days. The IPC laid everything on and sent us up Hamilton’s famous “Road to Kurdistan” with a lorry, a Land Rover and equipment, allowing us to keep the LR a week. Unfortunately, Barrie got a bad boil that inflamed his whole arm and Euan had to put his training on a piece of meat into practice on Barrie's buttock while we all looked on, before himself falling ill and returning to Kirkuk. So plans had to be changed: Peter and I went to the karst limestone of the 24 mile long Baradost mountain, accompanied by Rehana, Thesiger's Assyrian hunter guide from Havdian who had been in the “Levies” and spoke good English. On the steepest section before reaching the cave, we were benighted, but eventually made it by torchlight, carrying the donkey’s load on our backs. Next day we explored the cave, reaching the big caverns by narrow crawls, finding old bones and Assyrian pottery. Next morning, we watched the sun rise and climbed to the Baradost summit. 

14.8.56 at Rust. We've been at Rust 10 miles north of the road over a mountain pass since August 5. Land use survey map with contours about completed and Barry has collected lots of plants. The hospitality of the Kurds is incredible, from the chiefs down to the smallest man. But sometimes it’s a bit difficult when trying to work. Rust is a delightful village, perched on the side of a mountain rising to 8,700' with an enormous, almost Dolomitic cliff at the top which Barry, I, and Warda (our interpreter) climbed with some difficulty. Below 5,000' there is lots of running water and enormous walnut trees. We are existing largely off local fruit and veg to eke out our expensive tinned supplies bought in Kirkuk. There follows a description of the village, the two rival chiefs and how we reciprocated their hospitality. Continue by describing how Kurdish dress shows off their fine features, the handsomest race I have ever seen. Many of the women are good-looking, though they hide their faces; but they are dirtier and do the menial tasks as well as looking after their numerous progeny: the babies are kept in cosy cots but are completely swathed in swaddling clothes with just a split to breathe through. The mountains in the eastern part of our area are mostly igneous and rugged, especially Sacri Sacran with its beautiful snow-covered north ridge, a marked contrast with the limestone anticlinal hills to the west. We were to climb it later. 

23.8.56. I shouldn't worry about Suez. We are in good hands here and I’ve written to the British Consul in Kirkuk for advice (I won’t describe our return). Anyway, Iraq may morally support the Egyptians but they will never fight for them. We climbed Halgurd, the highest mountain (12,229'), easy, just a grind and the flora typically Alpine. The black tents looked "romantic" from afar but we were soon disillusioned. The people were extremely poor but gave of their best. We had goat stew and tried to sleep, but kept on being woken by dogs barking, sheep wandering into the tent, and general discomfort. The last straw was finding a large poisonous spider and a small scorpion under my bedding. 

Our next trip was to the villages in the centre of our area, two days march. We spent six days exploring this often-dry undulating shaley country. Whilst there, the very powerful Shaikh Pousho came in from Bole; very friendly and speaking brilliant English. Near Lilkan we spent the night with the Black Tent people: very crowded and noisy, but we were so tired we slept well. On the way back to Sidekan, 28 miles over hill and dale, we had our first shower of rain, clearing the air. Before returning to Galala, we went to Bole for lunch with Shaikh Pousho in his beautiful garden:  he had a superb mare with a foal just five days old. Returned not by Ghazna but Rust to say farewell, and spent the night with the main shaikh, Qadar Agha, and then back next day back over our old familiar pass to our roadside base. 

To complete the coverage of our region we set off on a final fortnight’s walk and climb to the Persian-Turkish frontier in the remote extreme North-East: even Rehana was in unfamiliar ground. After five days getting there, we stayed three days, seeing the impressive seasonal migration of the Hurke. From the summit of Ser-i-Khazni we could observe the whole area we had covered, the big mountains of Turkish Kurdistan to the North, and to the East the limpid blue of Lake Urmia. After which we followed the Turkish frontier to Kani Rash and finally Charma where we’d arranged for Warda to pick us up with a Land Rover. So after exactly eight weeks in the field we returned to Kirkuk, having walked 500 miles, made a serious land-use study of a Kurdish village and Barry completing his survey with two collections of 300 plants, one of which was for Baghdad. Above all, we enjoyed really good relations with the Kurds, and when I returned in 1957-8 was able to pick these up again.   

I lived in dohuk for 6 months.  Lovely place surrounded by mountains and crags. Drive for 10 mins and your and your there.  Some one had produced a pdf guide of hikes around Kurdistan which included a number of them in the dohuk area.  These included ridge hikes and old pilgrimage trails to ruins. 

On these hikes I would scope out places to climb.  Too many to choose from really and as I don't have much experience in these things alot of my choices were just a shot in the dark. One Clif had a giant old wasps nest and another a muddy choss fest where every hand hold exploded. Eventually I found 3 really good cliffs with several lines on them in beautiful locations.  By then end we could get out and do several climbs in a day. By the time I was leaving I was eyeing up a scary looking off with but never got round to it. A great experience.   

Thanks very much indeed to JCW and Inhambane for your posts. Fascinating, both. 

JCW - Reading your account I'm reminded of the classic era of exploration. Your trip was somewhere in between the reports of people such as Edmund Hillary from the big expeditions, and the more ad-hoc approach of someone like Earl Denham. Really interesting to read and I'll be reading your account several times. 

I note that I am indirectly linked to the 'Rock ur Bones' group on Facebook (and now follow them). They climb and trek around Kurdistan and I note that they have a report and photos from Mount Halgurd. https://www.facebook.com/RockUrBones/

Secret Compass also run a full expedition to 'The Secret Peaks of Iraqi Kurdistan' including Halgurd. https://www.secretcompass.com/expedition/iraqi-kurdistan-halgurd-zagros-exp...  Their fitness and skill requirements are quite low - reasonable fitness + Scottish Grade 1 rock scrambling. 

JCW mentioned meeting important people. I was very pleasantly surprised to be invited to lunch by Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Socialist Party, who has been important in Kurdish history including being the one who fired the first shot in the insurrection against Saddam Hussein. 

JCW also mentioned seeing Lake Urmia. A year ago I was on the other side of the lake. No climbing there either but my interpreter from Maragheh said that she mountain climbs for relaxation in the Iranian side of the Zagros mountains.