Kurdistan is the homeland for the world's 25 million or so Kurds. The largest ethnic group in the world without an official country of their own, the Kurds just won't give up fighting for what many consider a lost cause.
A mountain people, their language is similar to Persian; but centuries of isolation have created a number of dialects. The two main ones are Kurmanji and Sorani. The former is spoken in Turkey and the latter in Iraq and Iran. Another dialect is Zaza, mainly spoken in Turkey. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims. They are descended from the Medes.
Business hours in eastern Turkey are the same as in the rest of the country, from 8.30 a.m.-noon and 1.30 p.m.-5/5.30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Turkish post offices are recognizable by the black PTT letters on yellow background. Postal service is efficient and modern, as are telecommunications.
There are no such luxuries in northern Iraq. There are, though, numerous satellite telephones, which cost about $2 a minute.
Local time in northern Iraq is GMT + 3 hours April-September and GMT + 2 hours October-March. Electricity is available in most towns and is 220V/50Hz. Bottled water is recommended. The currency in Turkey is the Turkish lira (460,000 TL = 1 US dollar). In northern Iraq the currency is the dinar (20 ID = 1 US dollar). Hotels can be found in Salahudin, Arbil, Dohuk, Zakho and Sulymanya. The best hotel in Arbil is the Arbil Tower Hotel (Tel.: 23797), which costs about US$15 a night, has a well-stocked bar and decent food. The manager is Mr. Said. If you're in Dohuk, the only place is the Lowkama Hotel, at around the same price. In northern Iraq it's cash only. Hundred dollar bills are the advisable currency to carry. In southeastern Turkey, credit cards can be used in most sizeable towns.
Web Resources
Komala
http:/www.pi.se/webpage/comm unist.party.of.iran/Komola/Komola.html
Kurdish Parliament in Exile
http://www.ariga.com/peacebiz/peacelnk/kurd.htm
National Liberation Front for Kurdistan (ERNK)
http://www.megabaud.fi/~ernk/
Kurdistan Democratic Party
http://www.kdp.pp.se/
Kurdistan Workers' Party,
http://www.uni-passau.de/~lindeman/ kurd.htm
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
http://www.puk.org
Peoples' Liberation Party-Front (DHKC)
http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc
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