Seventeen stadiums in Iraqi Kurdistan are to be renovated, and new sports centres will be created, at a total cost of 20 billion Iraqi dinars ($17m), reports AKnews.

• 4.6 billion Iraqi dinars ($3.9m) will be used to refurbish stadiums in and around Erbil, while 991 million Iraqi dinars ($850,000) will go towards renovating Sulaimaniya stadium;
• Around 2 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.7m) will be used to finish the incomplete sports center in Sulaimaniya;
• A sports center worth 991 million Iraqi dinars ($850,000) will be constructed in the disputed Makhmur parish, and another one in Khabat parish worth 495 million Iraqi dinars ($425,000);
• Approximately 2 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.7m) will be allotted to Garmiyan administration where a 1.7 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.5m) sports hall will be built.

Funds have also been allocated to Kirfi, Kalar and other areas.

The project is to be put out to tender soon, and will be funded by the Ministry of Finance.

(Source: AKnews)

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Sports and Youth, Kawa Mahmoud, has announced that Spanish soccer club Real Madrid is to open four soccer schools in the region.

According to a report from AKnews, the opening of the schools has been seen by officials in Kurdistan Region as a significant project that will greatly raise standards of football in Kurdistan.

The schools will be opened in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Duhok and Kalar, each with capacity for 100 students.

Part of the contract signed between the KRG and Real Madrid involves the training of Kurdish referees, both in Kurdistan and in Spain.

The club currently has 62 soccer schools around the world and there are reequests from 136 countries worldwide to build more.

Daban Shadala, KRG representative to Spain said the KRG had also attempted to communicate with Barcelona, as well, to have them open soccer schools and academies in Kurdistan. “But we have not heard from them officially, yet.”

(Sources: AKnews, KRG)

The foundation stone of a five star hotel and shopping center was laid in Kirkuk on Wednesday, according to AKnews.

The mall and hotel,  the first project of its kind in the city, will cost $31.58m (36.8 billion Iraqi dinars).

Construction will take over three years and will be undertaken by the Rekani company, based in Kurdistan, and several Turkish companies.

(Source: AKnews)

The Iranian currency, the toman, or rial, has lost half its value against the Iraqi dinar in recent weeks following U.S. and European sanctions, according to a report from Azzaman.

Iraqi traders welcomed the slump saying it has made the import of Iranian goods much cheaper than before.

In the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, where demand for the Iranian currency is high, the dramatic depreciation in the Iranian currency was preventing some exchange bureaus from dealing in the toman.

The slump in the toman’s value was a shock and surprise to Iranian pilgrims who flock to Iraq in their tens of thousands every week; suddenly they found that they could not get the dinars they hoped for when exchanging their tomans.

Religious tourism, the backbone of the economies of Iraqi cities like Karbala, Najaf, Baghdad and Samarra, could be negatively affected.

(Source: Azzaman)

Wasit Provincial Council is currently puting a committee together to discuss plans to transform Damlaj Lake into centre for tourism, according to a report from AKnews.

The panel will discuss how to increase the 435 sq km lake’s capacity of water storage, and to attract and discuss investment opportunities with foreign and domestic companies.

The proposed plans include of a paved road to provide accesss to the lake, and will also take advantage of the abundant wildlife in the area such as fish and rare birds.

Salam Mazaal Ekalm, the deputy governor of Wasit’s Agriculture and Water Resources Affairs, told AKnews that there is already interest from Iran.

“The Commission accompanied an Iranian delegation representing a group of companies to the lake and they expressed their willingness to invest the site,” he said.

The committee will be comprised of representatives from the executive and legislative powers as well as representatives from the Agriculture and Water Resources, Environment, and Tourism departments of Wasit and the manager of the estuary project.

Eklam said they will be responsible for “making it an important economic and tourist landmark”, and is its hoped that the province will benefit from significant financial returns.

Two-thirds of Damlaj Lake lies in the Wassit province and the rest belongs to Diwaniyah.

(Source: AKnews)

AKnews reports that over 16 million pilgrims flocked to Karbala to mark Arbain, the 40th day after Ashura, which is the day Shiite’s believe Imam Hussein Ibn Ali was martyred in the 7th century.

The deputy leader of the Karbala Provincial Council Nassif, Jassem al-Khutabi, told AKnews that over half a million come from abroad, including from Europe, America, Australia, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Afghanistan.

Khutani called on the federal government and the Iraqi Council of Representatives to vote on Karbala City’s request to form a special body to deal with the millions of visitors to Iraq.

“The visitors need security and services that Karbala and other popular provinces cannot manage without the cooperation of their neighbors.”

(Source: AKnews)

A new railway line between Karbala and Musayyib [Musayyab] was opened this week by the Transport Ministry, reports AKnews.

The new line was opened in Babil and Karbala Provinces just to the south of Baghdad, to transport Shiite pilgrims marking the 40th day after Hussein Ibn Ali was martyred. Around 8,000 people are expected to be traveling from Musayyib to Karbala for the ceremonies.

The federal government had allocated 5 billion IQD ($4.2 million USD) to provide services, including transport, to visitors.

The chairman of Karbala Provincial Council, Mohammed Hamid al-Moussawi, told AKnews the Ministry wants to reduce road traffic when pilgrims return to their homes after the ceremonies.

“The most significant problem for Karbala is transferring the visitors to their provinces at the end of the visit, although new railway lines have been opened and several Iraqi ministries including Trade, Transport and Defense participate in the transport process.”

“The government in Karbala began building a modern road network last year to link the Province with its neighbours. The Ya Houssein road cost 50 billion IQD ($42.8 million USD) and was paid for by the Iraqi Council of Representatives. It will reduce traffic on the main roads that connect Karbala to Baghdad, Babil and Najaf Provinces, and it is scheduled to be completed this year.”

(Source: AKnews)

[Picture: Musayyab – Karbala railway]

AKnews reports that the Iraqi Ministry for Tourism will begin renovating Kirkuk’s historic citadel in early February.

Deputy head of Kirkuk’s archeology office told AKnews that the ministry has not announced the allocated budget for the project.

She added this is the second time the citadel, located in the central Kirkuk, will be renovated. The first time just parts of the citadel were refurbished.

The citadel is almost 5,000-year-old and 18 meters high citadel, and contains the shrines of Prophet Daniel. The former Iraqi regime sidelined this ancient site.

(Source: AKnews)