The Zagros Trail

Hiking between Shush and Akre (12 km distance for 6 hours of walking).
The route traverses the southwest flanks of the Zagros range.

A view of Akre.
Akre is located 100 km East of Duhok, 25 km from the Ruvea intersection, on the way to Erbil and the Barzan Region. The town was built on the side of a mountain range by the Kurdish Prince Zand in 580 B.C. Above the town sits the ruined Akre Citadel.

Tourists take selfies at the Erbil citadel viewpoint.
Settled more than 6,000 years ago, Erbil Citadel is thought to be one of the longest-continuously inhabited sites in the world. The Citadel, located on an archaeological tell rising around 98 ft. (30 m) above the plain, is surrounded by a lower town that developed into the modern city of Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

A woman from the Yazidis community observes the small valley that is home to Lalish.
Lalish is a mountain valley and temple in Shekhan, Duhok Governorate in Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis.
The Yazidis have inhabited the mountains of northwestern Iraq for centuries, and the region is home to their holy places, shrines, and ancestral villages.
Yazidism is an ancient faith, with a rich oral tradition that integrates some Islamic beliefs with elements of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion, and Mithraism, a mystery religion originating in the Eastern Mediterranean. This combining of various belief systems, known religiously as syncretism, was part of what branded them as heretics among Muslims.
For their beliefs, they have been the target of hatred for centuries. Yazidis have faced the possibility of genocide many times over.

Men from the Yazidis community visit Lalish during Friday festivities.
Lalish is a mountain valley and temple in Shekhan, Duhok Governorate in Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis.
The Yazidis have inhabited the mountains of northwestern Iraq for centuries, and the region is home to their holy places, shrines, and ancestral villages.

Yazidis visiting Lalish during the Friday holiday.
Lalish is a mountain valley and temple in Shekhan, Duhok Governorate in Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis.
The Yazidis have inhabited the mountains of northwestern Iraq for centuries, and the region is home to their holy places, shrines, and ancestral villages.
Yazidism is an ancient faith, with a rich oral tradition that integrates some Islamic beliefs with elements of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion, and Mithraism, a mystery religion originating in the Eastern Mediterranean. This combining of various belief systems, known religiously as syncretism, was part of what branded them as heretics among Muslims.
For their beliefs, they have been the target of hatred for centuries. Yazidis have faced the possibility of genocide many times over.

Evening life in Akre’s old town center. Akre is a little historic town in Kurdistan. Located at the edge of the Nineveh Plains, it was traditionally a mixed town of Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

On the way to the Rabban Hormizd Monastery, in the city of Alqosh.
Alqosh is a village in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a sub-district of the Tel Kaif District, and is situated 45 km north of the city of Mosul. The locals of Alqosh are Chaldean Assyrians.
Although the town of Alqosh is exclusively Christian, many other groups live in the surrounding villages.

Hashtka village, local guide Sadiq Zibari rests after lunch at one of the families in the village. The village is located in the stretch of road between the towns of Akre and Dinarta.

The branches of the trees are reflected in the small river that accompanies most of the walk in the stretch between Safti and Zoragvan.

A view of the landscape on the stretch of trail between Khalan and Soran.

Guide Sadiq Zibari stands out in the landscape of Kale Mountain overlooking the city of Akre.
The route traverses the southwest flanks of the Zagros range.