Dahuk, Iraq

From World travel guide

Template:Refimprove Downtown Mendoza.jpg 'Dahuk (also spelled Duhok, Dohuk, Dehok or Dahok, Kurdish: دهۆك, Arabic: دهوك, Syriac: ܢܘܗܕܪܐ, Nohadra) is a city in northern Iraq and is the capital of Dahuk Governorate. It has about 500,000 inhabitants, mostly consisting of Kurds and Assyrians. According to some sources, the name "Dohuk" comes from Kurmanji Kurdish meaning "small village".

Circled by mountains along the Tigris river, Dahuk has a growing tourist industry. Dahuk's population grew extremely since the 1990s as the rural population moved to the cities, mostly consisting of Kurds though. The University of Dohuk, founded in 1992, is a renowned center for teaching and research in Dohuk.

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States during the Iraq War, Dohuk and Iraqi Kurdistan in general have remained the only safe places for foreigners. No reconstruction was necessary as no fighting occurred there while there has been considerable foreign investment, especially from Turkish businesses. Today, many new buildings, shops and minimalls can be seen unlike in areas outside Kurdish control.

It's the major city of the Badinan population of the Kurds.

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