new tourism developments in Iraq

Saddam Hussein's bedroom isn't too popular for honeymoons. -from The Economic Times

Saddam's former palace was recently renovated into a luxury hotel and tourist attraction after being vacated by US troops in 2005. -from ArabianBusiness.com.

A $107 million tourism development in Basra has been approved. It will cover an area of 158 donums, or more than 39 hectares, next to the Shatt al-Arab. -from Basra Blog

Western tourists talk about their travels in Iraq. They travelled in areas including Kurdistan, Karbala, Najaf and Basra. -from NPR, link to radio story.

Baghdad's first motorsports meet in a long time was held recently. -from AFP.

And of course, another story asking can Erbil be the next Dubai? Dubai is now teetering on the brink of financial collapse after its property bubble burst. Lets hope any major developments in Iraqi Kurdistan are more economically viable.

Erbil / Hewler maps

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Detailed map:




Large-scale map:




Please note that the building marked as 'new huge shopping ctr' is called the Nishtiman shopping mall (opened February 2007), as it overlooks Nishtiman Square.

Dohuk map

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