My first impression of Halabja is of narrow, mostly empty streets; I imagine everyone is inside somewhere, out of the blazing sun. I have a chance to interview Mayor Nuxsha Nasih, who made headlines in 2016 when she became the first woman to be appointed mayor here.
A road trip through Iraqi Kurdistan: checkpoints and deep political divides
Halabja is known for its excellent pomegranates, but it is best known as the site of a devastating 1988 chemical attack that killed thousands of Kurdish civilians, and injured thousands more.
The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 4: The Kurdish American Dream
For more than three decades, Kurdish refugees have found a safe place to land in Nashville, but the newest arrivals are experiencing a more skeptical reception.
The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 3: Safety Zone
When a wave of Kurdish refugees came to Nashville, they quickly got to work.
The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 1: The Enemy Within
We dive headlong into one family’s migration odyssey from Iraqi Kurdistan to Nashville.
Introducing ‘The Country In Our Hearts’ podcast series
In 1988, hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled northern Iraq as Saddam Hussein’s armies hunted them down. Many ended up in Nashville, making this southern city home to the largest Kurdish community in America.
‘You can get people killed,’ and other advice.
Suha and Hanna have both reported extensively on Iraqi Kurdistan’s refugee camps, on their own and as fixers. They had a great deal of advice on how to report within these camps: how to act, what to say, what information to censor to protect the people who lived there.
An extremely grand bazaar
The Qaysari Bazaar is an absolute marvel. Nestled in the heart of old Erbil, this sprawling covered market sits in the shadow of the city’s ancient citadel, which is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited place on earth.
The generous journalists of Erbil
So, I had made it to Erbil. I had dinars, I had a working phone, and I had meetings set up with sources for weeks to come. Now, I needed to get a real understanding of local politics. I needed to find a good translator or two. I needed to make some friends. In short, I needed to meet some local journalists.
Liquor stores and LED crosses
I spent my first few mornings in Erbil taking long walks, trying to explore my new neighborhood before the full heat of the day.
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