5/5 Ahmed M. 1 year ago on Google
Smaquli
dam,
a
new
tourism
haven
in
Kurdistan
Region.
Located
80
kilometers
east
of
Erbil,
the
Smaquli
dam
has
become
a
new
tourist
attraction
in
the
Kurdistan
Region
that
attracts
thousands
from
Iraq
and
neighboring
countries.
The
dam
also
has
a
lake
where
tourists
can
have
picnics
and
enjoy
barbecues
and
kebabs.
The
Kurdistan
Regional
Government
(KRG)
has
banned
swimming
in
the
lake
for
safety
reasons.
"I've
come
from
Darsim,
and
among
so
many
other
things,
this
lake
is
so
nice
during
sunset,"
Ayman
Asi,
a
tourist
from
Turkish
Kurdistan,
told
Kurdistan
24.
"We
have
been
enjoying
it
for
the
last
four
hours.
We
are
also
thinking
of
coming
back
to
see
a
sunrise
as
it
must
be
beautiful."
There
are
various
activities
to
be
enjoyed
by
the
lake
and
dam,
both
named
after
Smaquli
village.
Tourists
can
enjoy
boat
tours
and
jet
skiing
on
the
lake
and
relax
in
the
surrounding
cafes
and
restaurants.
"We
have
brought
our
own
jet
ski,"
said
Azad
Fathi,
a
local
tourist
from
Erbil.
"At
least
once
a
month,
I
come
here
to
enjoy
jet
skiing
with
my
friends.
We've
come
more
over
the
last
few
days
because
the
rain
has
revived
the
lake."
The
KRG
has
recently
resumed
working
on
a
number
of
dams
in
the
Kurdistan
Region,
including
the
Gomaspan
Dam,
which
is
only
30
minutes
away
from
the
Smaquli
dam.
Tourism
experts
suggest
that
the
Smaquli
dam
can
be
further
developed
to
realize
its
great
potential.
"There
is
so
much
space
around
the
dam
for
investors
to
build
hotels
and
restaurants,"
said
Gaylan
Ibrahim,
a
local
tourism
expert
in
Erbil.
"Smaquli
dam
has
so
much
potential.
It
could
be
as
attractive
as
Dukan
lake.
But
it
needs
better
plans
and
more
investment."
As
much
as
tourists
enjoy
the
lake,
they
still
have
some
complaints,
particularly
about
poor
infrastructure.
"It
is
beautiful
and
amazing,
but
the
bridge
is
so
narrow.
It
can
easily
cause
a
huge
traffic
jam
here,"
said
Ali
Shakir,
a
tourist
from
Baghdad.
"During
the
holidays,
it
gets
too
crowded
and
takes
a
long
time
to
cross
over
the
bridge.
It
took
us
an
hour
just
to
move
one
kilometer.
That
is
not
good."
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