Rawanduz

Rawanduz is perched on a rocky spur in the far northeast of the Kurdistan Region, in the Soran district of Erbil Governorate, with the town's houses squeezed onto the ridge between two deep river gorges cut by the Rawanduz river. Surrounding peaks — Korek to the south, Hindren to the north, Zozik to the west, Bradasot to the east — box the town into one of the most dramatic settings of any town in the region.

From 1816 to 1836, Rawanduz was the capital of the Soran Emirate, a near-independent Kurdish principality built by Mir Muhammad Rawandzi, one of the most formidable regional rulers of his era, before it fell to Ottoman forces. The road in from Erbil (about 116 km) climbs steadily through the gorge country and is itself one of the most scenic drives in the Kurdistan Region — the town makes a natural overnight or lunch stop en route to Gali Ali Beg and the Hamilton Road further northeast.