Some people have a different idea. This what I found in one of the sites at the internet.
I recommend you to read it. but don't visit Mosul right now. Wait till the end of the Election.
INVITATION TO VISIT MOSUL, IRAQ
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http://www.hobotraveler.com/131mosul/visitmosul.doc
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http://www.hobotraveler.com/131mosul/visitmosul.pdf
INVITATION TO VISIT MOSUL, IRAQ
Introduction: By Andy HoboTraveler.com
I entered Iraq in August of 2003 at the Silopi, Turkey border. This trip started with zero recommendations to proceed. Each step of the way I proceeded knowing that all my friends, family, and fellow travelers considered this too dangerous. But my instincts and my trust in humane nature told me they were wrong. After 7 years of traveling the world I believe that the normal citizen of any country is good.
But with full knowledge that if I was wrong, it could cost me my life I entered further into Iraq. Mosul is located on the cusp, or the Kurdish lands, and the Arab Lands. A semi no mans land where the two cultures collide. They agree or disagree in this city.
To my surprise and quite by accident I was come up on a group of Scholars. I call them the “English Scholars” because they study and taught the English Language at the University in Mosul. They were jovial, fun, serious, knowledgeable, energetic, and great host.
While still concerned for my safety I soon realized that the war was not part of my world, or the Scholars. It was easily avoided like staying out of a bad neighborhood.
I saw the real ravages of Sadaam and his regime. He robbed these Scholars of the world. I walk the world in freedom, but the people of Mosul and Iraq have spent the last 20 years with little or no knowledge of the outside world. All newspaper, television, internet, and even their conversations were censored.
I visit the entire world. This is not possible for the Scholars from Mosul, Iraq. They will remain a hostage of Iraq until the legacy of a Dictatorship and Terror ends and the world invites them to visit.
I have brought this invitation for the world to visit Mosul out of Iraq. 56 English Scholars signed this in utmost seriousness. They wish to be friends again with the world and extend their invitation to visit Mosul, Iraq.
Andy HoboTraveler.com
Visit Mosul by
Khalid of Mosul, Iraq
Mosul is a beautifully unique city. It is the salad of different tastes. Wherever you look, you find something that reminds you of its ancient history. It is the manifestation of Orient. In its markets and bazaars you see and feel the flavor of Arabian Nights with its merchants, passersby and women dressed differently like no other place. Here you can find various beautiful fashions, accents, languages and colors that meet all to gather and create a fine harmony of a melody like a Persian carpet. You might ask a question: how such variation of colors, fashions, religions, sects, accents and languages, turns to be a fine harmony. The best pictures of seasons can be found here in Mosul, especially nowadays where the second spring embraces the city, usually we call it city of two springs.
It is a symbol of all oriental cities and the West in its modern looking. Its river, Tigris, flows with pride and dignity since olden times. It takes you back to Nimrud, Sinharib, Assur Panupli, Hadba mosque, Bashtabya, Qara Sarai and walls of Assyrian Empire, etc. In Mosul, you can hear of other names for the city : Hadba (hunchback), Um Arrabi’ain (mother of two springs), Nineva (ancient name), Rimah (spears). The people here are quite generous, calm, respectful, curious and they love foreigner and feel very keen to help and host visitors, regardless of their nationalities or religions. They are peaceful with themselves and with others. Mosul is not like other cities of Iraq where you fear about yourself. In it, you can find good and cheap hotels, transportation and delicious meals at any time of the day. And as Andy says it is the “no-pay city”. One visit to Mosul makes you find that this description and words are very poor compared to its richness.
Now what you think, to visit or to wait, the choice is yours.
9 comments:
Too many bomb-clad fanatics in Iraq for us Americans. If I want to live on the edge I will walk Downtown Los Angeles at night with a I hate Mexicans sign on my back. As far as beauty in this great city, you can find it in the bikini clad women at the beach or on the top of Mt. Wilson overlooking all of the LA basin. Hollywood, the coastline, catalina island, the downtown highrises, the smog. Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, UCLA, USC, Venice.
Have you ever thought about picking up your family and living over here? We have a big Iraqi-American contingent in Orange County. Perhaps it would be a better stable life for you and your kids, as well as their kids kids. Doctors are paid well upwards of $150,000 dollars a year. Whats the use of living in a country that is so unstable that liberty is in jeopardy as they walk to their polling place? California is the place the world goes to for opportunity, my grandparents knew and my family is stronger for it.
Mosul sounds like a nice town with warm people. I do hope some day Mosul will enjoy rule of law, democracy and freedom. You have a very interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Regards,
Tom Penn
Joe...
To describe Mosul today compared to August 2003 is very difficult. Every day we have a new events. there is no rule, there are no policemen in the city or at least they don't show them selfes. there are traffic police but no body obay them, Only the ING are there, and moved with high speed in groups of 3+ cars. and when there is traffic jam the shoot fire in the air to open the road.
If you have a scale from 1-10 to estimate safety.
The safety at August 2003 was 4. now it is zero.
I think the situation may becom safer after the election, because the terrorists are increasing there missions now in order to prevent people from voting.
One strange thing is that, there is cases of killing peoples who have no relation to politics or to the Americans or the election, just ordinary people. living orinary life. the cause is still unknown. But there is rumors that there is some side who want deplete Iraq from the intelligent, thoughtful, caring and delightful people.
I really enjoying your Blog, good job!
Hi Truth Teller,
I ran across that website myself a few months ago (shortly after I discovered Najma's blog). It is interesting to note that Mosul was (until about a few months ago) considered an oasis of calm in Iraq. It has been with great sadness that I have read about how much the security situation there has degraded since.
I've read conflicting reports on what Mosul is like from other sources. Najma's blog and the hobotraveler.com article make it sound very appealing, but some American soldiers have used less complimentary words to describe it. One American soldier wrote in her blog: "The city is a mess, it’s disgusting and dirty. There’s nothing modern about this metropolis, except for the random satellite antennas that hang off of the ugly concrete buildings."
I'd be interested to know your thoughts, as someone who lives there, on what Mosul's character is really like.
Kind regards,
Shawn - www.madcanuck.com
I'm curious of your perspective on the election. What practical effect do you think it will have?
I agree with the first anonymous poster. What does it really matter how beautiful or historical Mosul is. Lots of places are. My hometown is. Big deal. My hometown isnt completely steeped in archaic religious divisions and discriminations. A thread on a Kurdish blog was trying to promote Hawler as an international destination. 90% of the responses were of the opinion that they would rather not be fodder for some suicide bomber trying to buy his way into heaven. Part of a city's charm is the warmth of its people. Unless you subscribe to a highly questionable religious ideology, much of the Middle East seems a pretty cold place. I wonder how many of people of Mosul who have spent the last 20 years with little or no knowledge of the outside world, are going to go backwards... and how many will embrace the present and the future.
Welcome to the World Wide Blogging Information. It's a wonderful invention. I enjoy reading each of your posts. I read a young girl's blog in Mosul and enjoy the photos of her baby neice. As a great-grandmother in Houston, Texas, USA, I know raising children is hard no matter where you live. I know you have read that some in the U.N. was stealing from the "Food for Oil" fund and that is something we Americans just can't stand. Stealing is stealing no matter what country you live in. I look forward to your future post. Be careful and stay safe and you can give your children a big hug for me.
I will respectfully disagree wit the first poster, though you certainly would be welcome in this country; you seem to have a wonderful family. And that is why, as long as you can try to stay reasonably safe, you should stay. Hopefully, your country is about to come out of these dark days and it will be up to fine people like yourself to make Iraq something truly special. Not in any image us American envision; it will be YOUR vision.
I tell this same thing to my adopted daughter in Uganda; as much as I'd like her to come here, special people are needed to build up a country coming out of evil times. They are remembered through history.
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