As Iraq Concrete Jungle Swelters, Ancient Stone Houses Stay Cool

Stone houses dominate in the Kurdish town of Akre, 500 kilometers north of Iraq's capital Baghdad SAFIN HAMED AFP
Stone houses dominate in the Kurdish town of Akre, 500 kilometers north of Iraq's capital Baghdad SAFIN HAMED AFP
TT
20

As Iraq Concrete Jungle Swelters, Ancient Stone Houses Stay Cool

Stone houses dominate in the Kurdish town of Akre, 500 kilometers north of Iraq's capital Baghdad SAFIN HAMED AFP
Stone houses dominate in the Kurdish town of Akre, 500 kilometers north of Iraq's capital Baghdad SAFIN HAMED AFP

As the sun beats down on Iraq, most people swelter in their concrete homes -- but not the inhabitants of one mountain town known for its ancient and cool stone houses.

Tracing its roots back 2,700 years, the picturesque Kurdish town of Akre says it is better adapted to the modern-day perils of climate change than other parts of Iraq, AFP said.

"Stone houses are far more resistant" to the rising temperatures and also preserve the town's unique character, said Mayor Baland Reda Zubair.

"Cement radiates heat, raises temperatures and affects the environment," said Zubair of the building material that is allowed only in outlying neighborhoods.

Many of Akre's narrow alleyways can only be navigated by donkeys and wind through a historic city center bathed in the pale yellow and brown hues of the locally quarried stone.

Oil-rich Iraq is the world's fifth-most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change, according to the United Nations.

The Kurdistan region where Akre lies suffers from heat and water scarcity like the rest of the country.

Akre, a city of 100,000 residents about 500 kilometers (311 miles) north of Baghdad, believes sticking with the old ways will help it adapt.

Since 1991, when Kurdistan gained de facto autonomy from Iraq, it has declared concrete off limits for construction and renovation in the old city of Akre.

- No air-con -
An impressive building welcomes those entering the old city. Dating to 1853, it is a remnant of the Ottoman Empire that once ruled the area.

"It's an old military barracks," said Jamil Siddik, a 63-year-old engineer who oversees renovation works in the city.

The limestone used for renovation is sourced from the mountains that surround Akre, he explained. For its residents, "limestone is easy to use. It's cheap and available," Siddik said.

It also provides great insulation. "Concrete blocks may only be 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide, while the stones are 40 or 60 centimeters wide," he said.

Bewar Majeed, 37, lives in the old city. By his doorstep, kittens were playing in the sun, as the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

But inside the house, the rooms are nice and cool thanks to its limestone walls.

"I don't need an air conditioner," he said. "I have a small air cooler, which is enough for me, and it's less expensive."

The city's policy promoting stone over concrete relies on public financing.

For years after 2011, public funds paid for the renovation of 25 old houses and a mosque. In 2014, however, funding was suspended "because of the financial crisis", said Mayor Zubair.

Now, he added, old city residents may renovate or build with their own money, so long as they avoid concrete, or "eventually cover it with stone".

- Tourist draw -
On top of the environmental benefits, Akre's conservation efforts aim to preserve its heritage value and attract tourism.

According to the regional tourism board, 1.7 million visitors came to Iraqi Kurdistan during the first quarter of 2022, the vast majority of them Iraqis.

The autonomous region has cultivated an image of stability, distancing itself from the violence that has engulfed other parts of Iraq in recent years.

Still, Kurdistan hasn't been entirely spared the sounds of battle.

Neighboring Türkiye regularly carries out military operations there in its fight against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been designated a "terrorist" group by Türkiye and its Western allies.

In July, artillery bombardment several dozen kilometers away from Akre killed nine civilians, most of them Iraqi holidaymakers. Baghdad blamed Ankara, which denies the Iraqi claim.

But Akre's residents shy away from politics.

Ali, an ice cream vendor, said tourists who are drawn to the town bring him "joy".

"We get Iraqis, Germans and French," he added. "They like our historic city center."



Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again
TT
20

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Surfing enthusiasts have cheered the reopening of a beloved whitewater site in downtown Munich, the German city better known for partying at Oktoberfest than splashing in the waves.

The Eisbach ("ice brook") standing wave in the city's Englischer Garten park was closed after tragedy struck in April when a 33-year-old woman drowned during a nighttime winter surf.

After a safety review and a petition to keep it open, the site -- just a stone's throw from an art museum and shopping streets -- was reopened by authorities in recent weeks.

Putting on a wetsuit and taking a board out of its bag after a day's work, Moritz, 43, said he's a regular at the surf spot on an arm of the Isar river.

"It's amazing. A wave right in the city center is something very special," he said. "I missed it during the closure."

Nearby, surfers performed tricks with virtuosity on the powerful wave, formed by the presence of rocks on the riverbed near a bridge.

"It's completely different from the ocean," said Moritz.

"Even if you know how to surf very well in the sea, you don't necessarily know how to do it here where the water comes from the front and not from behind."

Another surfer, Irina, 34, said she tries to come three times a week, "before work, because it gives you energy".

She finds "the power of the wave is good" and said she feels safe at this unique spot, even if "there are rocks at the bottom and you have to be a little careful when you fall".

A German surfer lost her life during a night session in April after being trapped underwater for nearly 30 minutes, her leash caught on an unidentified object.

Friends and emergency services rushed to help her, but she died a week after her accident.

An investigation found no safety breaches on the part of the city or state, which had always warned surfers to attempt the challenge "at their own risk".

New guidelines have, however, been issued: night surfing is banned between 10:00 pm and 5:30 am, and the minimum age for braving the wave is 14.

Surfers must also use a system that allows their leash to be detached in case of emergency.

These rules are "largely reasonable", said Franz Fasel, head of the local surfers' association IGSM, who said between 3,000 and 5,000 local surfers use the Eisbach site.

"Surfing is simply part of the lifestyle in Munich," he said. "Not just for the surfers themselves, but also for the city's image."

It was not always this way. In the past, the Eisbach wave was entirely natural and surfable only occasionally, for example, when gravel accumulated in the riverbed.

Surfers took matters into their own hands in the 1980s, installing a river crossing and adding objects to improve the wave, not all well received by the authorities.

The site is now promoted by the tourist office as one of Munich's top attractions.

Bavaria's state premier Markus Soeder proudly declared during a recent visit that "Munich is a surfer's paradise" and Bavaria "a bit like the California of Germany".