Chinatown, Sulaimaniyah

According to an article from Al Jazeera, Iraq's northern city of Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan is attracting much foreign investment. According to this article, about 500 Chinese live in Sulaimaniyah of about 750,000 population. The Chinese market is located in the Kawa Mall.^[1][2]

History

Historically, the Chinatown has only been around since 2006 after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, right after the start of the Iraq War. According to a documentary, the "Chinatown" in Northern Iraq formed as a result of increased foreign investment to the Kurdish autonomous region.^[3] According to another source, "... Chinese make up only 500 of Sulaimaniya’s 750,000 population, but they have already made a cultural mark on the city." The incentive for investors from China is that "... Kurdistan lures foreign investors by enticing them with a 10-year tax break and the freedom to repatriate all of their capital, there are also no initial visa requirements for visitors and business people."^[4]

References

1. "Northern Iraq's budding Chinatown".
2. "Chinatowns' avant garde in Northern Iraq by Rhodri Davies".
3. "Chinatowns’ avant-garde in Northern Iraq".
4. "Iraqi Kurdistan sees 1st emerging China town".