IRAQ | Hospitality Sector

[elusive]

this thread is for everyone to discuss the growing hospitality industry of Iraq including new restaurants, malls and cinemas etc

[elusive]

Al Reef Pizzeria in Baghdad's 'Italian' neighbourhood:



A new turkish restaurant/cafe in Baghdad:

[Get Smart]

brilliant, like the pizza restaurant

[BigDreamer]

That turkish resturant looks soooo nice !

mmm.. I wanna eat there...

[elusive]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

brilliant, like the pizza restaurant

same, i want to go there haha

[BigDreamer]

Old pics from last year of a new small mall in Baghdad:

[Persi]

like the pizza restaurant

[sheytanElKebir]

well, these little "malls" if we may call them that, exist everywhere in Iraq. there are no real malls anywhere except the one in Erbil.

in terms of hotels, There are 8 high rise hotels being built (actual structures complete) in Karbala alone. There are more in Najaf and Arbil. But I didn't see much outside these locations. In baghdad there's one that I noticed. (10 storeys only).

In terms of restaurants, things have improved considerably, and in Baghdad you can actually eat out in relatively clean restaurants without getting food poisoned, and the local Iraqis are beginning to understand what western cuisine is supposed to look like (at least).

[elusive]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

well, these little "malls" if we may call them that, exist everywhere in Iraq. there are no real malls anywhere except the one in Erbil.

in terms of hotels, There are 8 high rise hotels being built (actual structures complete) in Karbala alone. There are more in Najaf and Arbil. But I didn't see much outside these locations. In baghdad there's one that I noticed. (10 storeys only).

In terms of restaurants, things have improved considerably, and in Baghdad you can actually eat out in relatively clean restaurants without getting food poisoned, and the local Iraqis are beginning to understand what western cuisine is supposed to look like (at least).

you seem to have extensive knowledge in hospitality industry and the situation in iraq as a whole...i'd like to ask how you know all of this? are you living there atm or something

[sheytanElKebir]

I left Iraq a couple of weeks ago and worked extensively around Iraq (but mostly Baghdad / Karbala / Muthanna).

[yunowu]

Pizza joint rocks !!

[sheytanElKebir]

that's an old pizza restaurant in arasat from saddam's days,

it was one of the main haunts for Oday and his entourage

they used to abuse the fat waiter a lot. as he told us.

food is OK, there's a pianist in the corner and OK wine. prices are not too high either.

I stopped going there when all the foreigners started going there with their "mercenaries" standing guard outside... I am shocked it hasn't been blown up to be honest.

as always, when in baghdad, avoid the "westies"!!! and the 8-10am rush hour. and you're all safe.

[BigDreamer]

Tours of Iraq's ancient wonders open up as violence ebbs
By Sammy Ketz (AFP)

NASIRIYAH, Iraq — Foreign tourists will soon be tramping around Mesopotamia again after a French company on Sunday opened an office offering visits to ancient sites in war-ravaged southern Iraq.

"We have organised our inaugural journey between 6-14 June to the region of Nasiriyah and we will do it regularly, every three weeks from September," said Hubert Debbash, boss of Terre Entiere, a cultural and religious tours operator.

With the road from Baghdad not yet secure, the visitors will arrive in Kuwait and cross the border to reach Nasiriyah about 370 kilometres (230 miles) away. The nine-day tour will cost 2,500 euros (3,375 dollars).

The company hopes to secure 100 clients this year, rising to 500 in 2011, Debbash said at the opening of an office for Babil Tours, a subsidiary company, in a Nasiriyah hotel.

The tourists -- in groups of 20 -- will be accompanied by an archaeologist to Ur, the Biblical birthplace of Abraham, and one of the cradles of civilisation.

Ur of the Chaldees, as it is called in the Bible, was one of the great urban centres of the Sumerian civilisation of southern Iraq and remained an important city until its conquest by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC.

Among its glories is a well-preserved stepped platform, or ziggurat, which dates back to the third millennium BC, when it was part of a temple complex that was the administrative centre of the Sumerian capital.

With Iraq ravaged by conflict and strife in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, there has been a lack of large-scale digs at Ur, and only small teams have been working since 2005.

The tourists will also visit other historic sites in the area, including Babylon and the region's marshes, one of the world's ancient ecosystems which is undergoing rehabilitation after being drained by Saddam to punish his Shiite enemies.

"After a long time of war in Iraq we wanted to organise tours to this area, where civilisation started," said Debbash, who was joined at the office opening by the French ambassador to Baghdad, Boris Boillon, and his family.

Although tourism is acknowledged by the Iraqi government as a valuable source of income, the industry has yet to take off despite considerable security improvements across the country in the past two years.

Iraqi officials held an event last November in London, where Babylon and the Garden of Eden, which according to some historians is located 80 kilometres north of the southern city of Basra, were touted as premier attractions.

The officials, who were seeking investment to help restore many of Iraq's hotels that have been left in a poor state by the war, as well as expertise to help promote the country as an up-and-coming tourist destination, said "very few pockets" of the country remain dangerous.

Iraq is already a well-known destination for religious travel for Muslims from near neighbours such as Iran, Pakistan and Bahrain, and in 2008 received almost one million tourists, mostly from the Middle East.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...ftfgatQBJsZyiw

[Get Smart]

i wish the best for Iraq, its nice to see people getting on with their lives but there is still a lot more to do. can we have more pictures like these from Iraq showing ordinary people/families please. thanks

[QWECXZ]

Nice pictures
I hope the Iraqi government would fix the damages of the war soon
wish the bests for Iraqis

from Iran/Tehran.

[elusive]

a gold-souk in Baghdad


some workers painting the new flag


new city of Nasiriyah games


families enjoying the park in Erbil


the pool at Baghdad social club




floating restaurant in Basra

[baghdad_sara]

I am not to sure on how to embed non-youtube videos on here, but here is the link of a video on Iraq's first bowling alley in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan.

http://current.com/news-and-politics...-kurdistan.htm

It looks like a wonderful place for the locals to relax and enjoy themselves, i hope to see more of such leisure activities developing for the people.

[sheytanElKebir]

It cannot be Iraq's first bowling alley since there have been bowling alleys in Baghdad and Basra for at least 3 decades now.

perhaps its the first one in Kurdistan (I've seen it once actually).

[elusive]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

It cannot be Iraq's first bowling alley since there have been bowling alleys in Baghdad and Basra for at least 3 decades now.

perhaps its the first one in Kurdistan (I've seen it once actually).

i was gonna say the same thing...

[baghdad_sara]

Originally Posted by sheytanElKebir

It cannot be Iraq's first bowling alley since there have been bowling alleys in Baghdad and Basra for at least 3 decades now.

perhaps its the first one in Kurdistan (I've seen it once actually).

I have never been to Iraq before so i really would not know, i'm only repeating the director's information told in the video and description box. Maybe i should have researched it beforehand.

My apologies