Akre

Akre is built in a natural amphitheatre in the hills, stone houses climbing the slopes in tiers so that the whole town faces inward, and that shape is why it has become the centre of Newroz in Iraqi Kurdistan. On the evening of 20 March, thousands of people carry burning torches up the mountainsides above the town in long winding lines, and from below the effect is of rivers of fire running down the dark hills, with fireworks, drums and dancing in the streets until late. Tens of thousands come from across the region. The rest of the year Akre is a quiet highland town with an old quarter, a citadel mound and views over the plain, and very few visitors.

History

The town is said to have been built in the 7th century BC and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; the Medes ruled it from 612 to 550 BC, in what is called its golden age. In 115 it came under Roman control under the emperor Trajan, and from the 10th century it was the fief of the Kurdish Humaydi tribe (Wikipedia, Akre).

What you'll find

• Torch processions - lines of fire winding up the mountainsides at Newroz.
• The amphitheatre town - houses tiered up the sides of the bowl.
• Newroz celebrations - drums, dancing and fireworks through the night.
• The old quarter - stone streets and the citadel mound in quiet months.

When to go

20 March for Newroz, which is the reason most people come and which is genuinely spectacular; the town is packed and accommodation must be arranged well ahead. Otherwise April to June and September to November for the hills.

Things to know

At Newroz the town is extremely crowded, traffic is jammed for kilometres and accommodation is scarce and expensive. Crowd density on the slopes is high and the torches are real fire. Outside the festival there is little organised for visitors.

Nearby

Duhok lies west; Erbil is southeast.

Key facts