The Russian jeeps date back to the 1960s and most of them arrived as part of the Iraqi army, a result of long standing cooperation with Russia. In Kalar some of their owners have renovated them, changing engines and other parts as well as decorating them differently. Some owners have added remote locking and even air-conditioning.
Local man Fouad Karim is a big fan of the UAZ-469 and he believes a lot of people from elsewhere in Iraq are now coming to Kalar to buy the cars too, hence their gradual disappearance from the city.
But there are other reasons why the Russian-made cars are no longer so popular in the city. “These cars were especially manufactured for military purposes and for mountainous areas,” Karazan Majid, a spokesperson for the local traffic police, told NIQASH. “People are still using the 1960s models but they've actually been banned by the traffic department already.”
The cars lack basic safety equipment, Majid explained, and they're made of extremely thick steel and can be very dangerous if they're involved in an accident. In fact, he says, his department has asked that authorities compensate the owners of Kalar's UAZ-469s so that they will stop using them. Owners of UAZ-469s in other cities in the semi-autonomous northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan, such as Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Dohuk, had already received such compensation.
City officials in Kalar know that the old Russian cars are an important part of the city's culture. The municipality intends to name a newly paved street in the tourist district after the UAZ-469 and place the body of one of the cars in the street as a sort of memorial.
The mayor of Kalar, Ata Mohammed, confirmed these plans to commemorate the city's distinctive vehicle. But, as he told NIQASH, “unfortunately the project is on hold right now because of the financial crisis in Iraqi kurdistan”.
Right now the UAZ-469s are used mainly for special occasions like weddings and funerals, its memory kept alive in locals people's photo albums. One day though, Mohammed confirms, the old car, nicknamed “goat” by many owners, will get it's due in Kalar.
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