Erbil Edition

This episodes is a discussion with architect Sheenwar Siti about architecture in Kurdistan now and in the past, taking into account social, environmental, and economic factors. 

The guest of this episode is Erbil-based Political Analyst Lawk Ghafuri, who sheds light on Iraq's ongoing problem of sovereignty violations and militia groups.

This episode of Erbil Edition  is a conversation with Halwest Jamal, the host of Halwest News, an online Kurdish news channel based in Erbil.

Nabil Musa has spent the last 15 years advocating for the rivers and water sources of the Kurdistan Region through field activities, research, seminars, trainings and lobbying. He is one of the founders of Waterkeepers Iraq-Kurdistan. Based mainly in Slemani province, Musa works with water and environmental activists across the Kurdistan Region, Iraq and the world.

In this episode former US soldier, adventurer, Amideast country director Zack Bazzi tells us about US-Kurdish military, cultural and historic ties, horse riding in Central Asia, exploring the mountains of Kurdistan, and partnerships Amideast is creating among universities and educational institutions inside the Kurdistan Region and abroad.

MAPCOM CEO Mohammed Faisal tells us what it means to monitor the ground from space, the importance of satellite mapping, remote sensing and environmental impact assessment for development, climate work and infrastructure planning.

Lolan Mustafa has spent the last 35 years collecting and preserving nomadic textiles from across Kurdistan. He has put his collections on display at the Kurdish Textile Museum on top of the Erbil citadel, which he opened in 2004.

In this episode UK Consul General in Erbil Andrew Bizley reflects on his different trips to Shanidar Cave, the relationship between humanity and landscape, British diplomatic mission in the Kurdistan Region, illegal migration, and other topics.

Mariwan Hama is an American-Kurdish researcher and project manager. In this episode he tells us about what it is like to hike on American Vs. Kurdistan mountains while also comparing California and Halabja pomegranates. We discuss America Kurdistan relations, and more.

Dr. David Romano first came to the Kurdistan Region more than three decades ago and not long after the region had gained autonomy from Iraq. Since then, he has been visiting Kurdistan on numerous occasions, be it a sabbatical or speaking at a conference. Here he tells us about the evolution of the Kurdistan Region and the state of Kurds in the Middle East in general. We met and spoke at the Middle...

Caden Allison traveled from Perth in Western Australia to Erbil as part of a Middle East trip to see the ancient cities of Babylon, Erbil and Damascus. He tells us about his style of traveling, impressions along the way and life on an Australian farm.

Independent consultant and specialist on climate peace and security, Abdullah J Alfayadh tells us of the correlation between consumerism and supply and demand, of behavioral change for the sake of the environment, of climate security, an more. 

A conversation with Simone Filippini, Vice Chair of Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment on the importance of taking people and their environment into account before carrying out any project by governments or companies. She was in Erbil to discuss this subject with Kurdish officials and future cooperation on how institutions here can prioritize sectors and helping them do their own...

A special new episode with Dr. Hellen Almoustafa, a cultural heritage specialist, on preserving a people or a city's cultural identity while welcoming others into your society. 

After 72 countries and 80,000 kilometers on her Honda motorcycle, Crystal, who started out in California, is now exploring Kurdistan. 

In this episode Hiwa Afandi, Head of Kurdistan Region's Department of Information Technology (DIT) tells us about the Region's digitalization journey, KRDPass and MyAccount projects, our place in the AI race and future outlook. 

A group of more than one hundred students, graduates, and experts in different fields of Kurdish origin and some European friends visited the Kurdistan Region this month under the Confederation of Kurdistani Diaspora. For some, it was an exploration trip. For others it was reconnecting with the homeland. Listen to this special episode of Erbil Edition with some members of the group.

Lithuanian YouTuber Raimondas came to the Kurdistan Region for a short trip in the summer 2025 and we met in the old town of Akre. He tells us about his time in Kurdistan, his other world travels, Lithuanian winters, and the world of vlogging. 

How crucial is water management for now and the future, and what we can learn from ancient wisdom to tackle water scarcity, biodiversity, and live sustainably with our greater natural world. A great conversation with Thomas Wilson, Climate Action Program Coordinator at IOM (International Organization for Migration.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg is an experienced journalist on the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria with a focus on Kurdish affairs. He’s covered the ISIS war and many different political and cultural stories. He’s been living in the Kurdistan Region for more than a decade and speaks the local dialects. He tells us about his work now and when he first came to Erbil on a training program from the...

Sazan Mandalawi once wished Erbil was a proper city with shopping malls, gas stations and other conveniences. Having seen the city's transformation, this writer and youth development specialist now has a different look on a few things. 

Consul General of the Netherlands in Erbil Adriaan IJsselstein speaks about thousands of Dutch-Kurdish citizens in the Kurdistan Region, supporting agriculture in Kurdistan, potato and dairy products, diplomatic and military ties.

Bayan Sami Abdulrahman is a seasoned Kurdish diplomat who has represented the Kurdistan Region in Washington and London and is now Senior Advisor to the KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Foreign Affairs and Climate Change. She tells us of lobbying in America, history of Kurdish-US relations, diaspora communities and Erbil's climate actions and efforts.

Filip and Marcus came to Kurdistan on a short trip but ended up staying and they opened a German bakery which they saw lacking. They bring their ingridients from Germany and Italy and are now opening more branches. In this episode they discuss coffee, food and culture.

Media expert Dr. Mohammedali Taha explains the history of media in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, its historical evolvement and connection to political parties.