Traveling to Erbil’s Dera Castle in Iraqi Kurdistan
What To Expect In Iraqi Kurdistan
There is only a handful of Indiana Jones-like archaeologists searching for out of reach places such as Dera Castle. Most travelers are in Iraqi Kurdistan out of pure curiosity. Except for a few destinations that have been written about by your adventurous travel bloggers, most of Iraqi-Kurdistan remains largely unexplored by travelers.
The feeling of relative safety is left behind at the first military checkpoint as you leave the city of Erbil. The sense of paranoia and wonderment of the Kurdish countryside will have your nose pressed up against the glass. For the first time in your lifetime, you are seeing a country usually painted as a war-torn hell hole for what it truly is: A land of golden fields and rich history.
One of the sights that will strike you to your core more than anything else as the scenes of Kurdistan fly by your window is the many forts and castles which are dotting the golden hills. Almost like a child who forgot to clean up his toys, the entire countryside of Iraqi Kurdistan has bastions, towers, and citadels scattered about in every which direction.
While you, of course, have heard of the Erbil Citadel, and maybe even the Khanzad and Dwin (Deween) Castles, you probably have never read about Dera Castle (Derey Fort).
Want to read my complete guide to Erbil? You can find it here!
Getting (Even More) Off The Beaten Path In Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan is already a pretty off the beaten path place as it is. Only foolish young backpackers and veteran adventurers can be found climbing up the ancient ruins and running blindly into the folds of old ISIS strongholds. If you were smitten by the crumbling crusader’s castles and remains of the Kurdish Kingdoms, it won’t be long until you come across some of the more out of reach destinations from Erbil.
The gutted remains of the Dera Castle lay about 40km outside of Erbil, well out of the reach of most cab drivers. The only other (and cheaper) option, is to first get a shared taxi to Baharka and attempt to find a car from there. Even if you do find a taxi in this small suburb of Erbil, having a driver that will trust the directions of some foreign backpacker and his phone is a whole nother battle.
From Baharka to Dera Castle and back to Erbil you can probably talk your way to spending just about 20 USD (2,400 Dinar). Be prepared, however, to haggle through your teeth.
One of the most breathtaking cities you won’t want to miss in Iraqi Kurdistan is Akre! Read more here!
Finding Dera Castle
After nearly 30 minutes of reassuring your driver that you are on the right road, you will point out the decrepit ruins of Dera Fort as your taxi comes to a screeching halt. Without knowing what to look for, many Iraqis probably fly by the ruins without known that they are in sight of an ancient Kurdish castle.
It won’t be only you that will be climbing out the taxi on all fours to reach Dera Castle. Odds are your cab driver will also be wanting to whip out his phone to get some shots of this little known fort. In front of the ruins is a modest sign with a brief description in both English in Arabic. While you may expect some more insight on the history of Dera Fort, the brown landmark is almost more of an admission that the local archaeologists also don’t know the origins of the castle, only that it may have been built during the era of the Soran Kingdom.
Wanting to explore Yazidi culture? Be sure to visit Lalish Temple!
Exploring the Kurdish Countryside
For the amount of time put into getting to the ruins of Dera Fort, you will only spend a mere hour circling the base of the hill and wandering the small interior of the castle itself.
Although there is a sense of accomplishment that one will feel after arriving at an undiscovered historic fort lost in the blankness of the map, the castle offers little to hold one’s attention. Regretfully you will head back to the taxi, feeling underwhelmed after turning over each and every rock around Dera Castle to only find more dirt.
What will make all the hassle and stress reaching the castle worth it is the local shepherds that call Dera Fort home. While you (and probably your taxi driver) are struggling to reach the top of Dera Fort, the sheep will be nonchalantly prancing their way about the ruins.
The sheep and the foolish tourist are all being watched over by the watchful eyes of the shepherd. Draped in a headscarf and grasping his crook as if it were his scepter, this Kurdish man looked as if he was the master of the hills. While the ruins of Dera are reminders of the dead, the shepherd and his flock brought life to the otherwise empty landscape.
Wanting canyons and mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan? You won’t want to miss Rawanduz!
