Bekhal Waterfall

Bekhal is a waterfall in the Zagros where water emerges from the rock and falls in several strands down a wooded slope beside the road up to Rawanduz, and it is one of the most visited spots in Iraqi Kurdistan, particularly with families from Erbil escaping the summer heat. The site is thoroughly developed: teahouses and restaurants built on terraces around the falls, tables set where the spray reaches, stalls selling honey, walnuts and mountain produce, and paths and steps climbing beside the water. Flow is strongest in spring with snowmelt and much reduced by late summer. The setting in the gorge is genuinely fine, and the Kurdish habit of sitting for hours over tea beside running water is the real attraction.

The landscape

• The falling strands - water spilling down the rock face in channels.
• Terrace teahouses - tables built into the slope beside the spray.
• Mountain produce stalls - honey, walnuts and preserves for sale.
• The gorge road - the route up toward Rawanduz and the high country.

When to go

April to June for the strongest flow from snowmelt, and for green hills. By August the falls are much reduced. Summer weekends bring heavy crowds; weekdays are calmer.

Good to know

The site is heavily commercialised, with concrete terraces and buildings crowding the falls. Litter is a problem at busy times. Flow drops sharply in late summer. Parking and traffic on the road are difficult at weekends.

Nearby

Rawanduz and Korek mountain lie north; Shanidar is beyond them.

Key facts