Iraq Through a Different Lens
February 2024
While sipping sweet chai inside a church building in Qaraqosh, a Christian town near Mosul in northern Iraq, a priest once shared a metaphor for war in his country. “War in Iraq,” he said, “is like a box of tissues. Every time you pull one out, another is already waiting.”
The story of war in Iraq is, tragically, a familiar one. Scarred by decades of conflict, the country has become almost synonymous with violence and instability, its image shaped by ethnic, religious, and political tensions, often compounded by foreign interests. But that, of course, is not the full story of the country that became my home away from home.
Over time, I fell in love with Iraq. A country layered with rich cultural and religious heritage, striking natural beauty, and a population whose warmth, humour, and resilience left a lasting impression on me. It’s also where, by complete chance, I met the love of my life at a “beach party” inside the Australian Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone. But that’s another story.
In December 2016, I travelled to northern Iraq during the military operation to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from the so-called Islamic State. I arrived in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region and one of the main gateways to the frontlines. What was meant to be a two-week photojournalism project turned into nearly three years of living and working in northern Iraq, documenting the battle against ISIS and the country’s long road to recovery.
From late 2016 until mid-2019, I lived with five housemates from Europe, the United States, and Indonesia in Ankawa, a predominantly Christian neighbourhood on the outskirts of Erbil. Our shared home, affectionately known as “The Castle,” became a lively gathering place for both locals and expats, with many evenings spent around a rooftop campfire. It was during this time that I came to know the Iraqi and Kurdish people more closely, and to witness the generosity, humour, and determination with which so many people were rebuilding their lives after years of violence and uncertainty.
After ISIS was defeated in Mosul in July 2017, much of the international media attention quickly shifted elsewhere. Many journalists left the country. I chose to stay. The post-conflict chapter, shaped by grief, resilience, rebuilding, and the quiet return of everyday life, felt just as important to document as the war itself.
Beyond the frontlines, I had the privilege of photographing stories that revealed a different side of Iraq, one of culture, community, humour, faith, and ordinary moments often overlooked by international headlines.
Below is a selection of personal anecdotes and stories from my time living in Iraq, snapshots of everyday life, unexpected encounters, and moments of humanity that shaped my understanding of the country far beyond the war itself.
The Ancient City of Erbil
Travelling to Iraq for the first time in December 2016, I arrived in Erbil carrying many of the same misconceptions shaped by years of headlines and images of conflict. Instead, I found a city where I felt unexpectedly at ease.
With a 30-day visa issued on arrival at Erbil airport, valid only within the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the city felt worlds away from the brutal battle unfolding little more than an hour away in eastern Mosul.
A short drive from my new home in the Christian neighbourhood of Ankawa lay the historic heart of Erbil, where bustling bazaars and traditional tea houses sit beneath the walls of the ancient Citadel, believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. Although many of the tea houses cater primarily to Kurdish men, I always felt welcomed there as both a woman and a foreigner, and was never refused a hot glass of sweet chai.
For nearly three years, I was proud to call Erbil home. Despite its proximity to the front lines of the war with ISIS, the city remained a relatively safe and stable place to live. After the fall of Mosul in July 2017, Erbil—and much of the broader Kurdistan Region—enjoyed an elevated level of security, with low crime rates and a calm, welcoming atmosphere. Visitors could explore the region’s natural beauty and cultural heritage with relative ease.
Motorbikes and Horses
During my time living in Erbil, I decided to learn how to ride a motorcycle—something I’d wanted to do for years. With the help of my friend and fixer, Makeen Mustafa, I bought my first motorbike from Erbil’s main bazaar in June 2018.
One of my main motivations was practical: I needed a faster and more flexible way to reach the Erbil International Equestrian Club, a luxurious riding facility about 30 minutes from my home in Ankawa. I spent many weekends there, photographing the club’s regular horse races and glamorous showjumping competitions—an unexpected but welcome contrast to the stories of conflict that had originally brought me to Iraq.
The Erbil International Equestrian Club, established in December 2014 as the first of its kind in Iraqi Kurdistan, began hosting horse races on its international-standard racetrack in March 2017. In the early days, spectators could place bets to win prizes like mobile phones or refrigerators. But on December 1, 2017, the club held its first professional racing event where cash prizes were awarded—marking a significant step toward formalizing the sport in the region.
“This is the first race on a professional track with cash betting,” explained Godar Ibrahim, the Club’s former Finance Manager. “Races have been held in the countryside before, but not officially. It gives us pride for Kurdistan to have such a professional place. The club doesn’t have a lot of income, so we want to make some money—and many people here love horses and want to get some profit from them.”
The single largest bet placed at the December 1st event was $100. “He didn’t win in the betting,” Ibrahim added with a smile, “but he won a heater in the lottery.”
To find out more about this story click here.
Aside from photographing the events, I also seized the unexpected opportunity to compete in showjumping at the club—something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager.
A Scenic Gem
Less than a three-hour drive from Erbil lies Lake Dukan, a serene reservoir on the Little Zab River, formed by the Dukan Dam built between 1954 and 1959.
Beloved by Kurdish families, the lake is a popular weekend escape—especially for relaxed picnics along its peaceful shores.
Iraq is a country of immense—and often overlooked—natural beauty and ecological diversity. From hiking and horseback riding to river tubing and even snowboarding, it offers a surprising wealth of outdoor adventures for nature lovers and thrill-seekers alike.
A Horse Named Taj
No matter where I go in the world, I seem to be a magnet for horses, or vice versa…
In June 2023, I came across an initiative called ‘Horses for Hope’ that’s offering equine-assisted learning and psychological therapy to survivors of ISIS captivity and genocide, as well as orphans, less abled people and anyone affected by war and displacement.
Part of the Springs of Hope Foundation, the equine project is run by two young Yazidi men who were themselves captured by ISIS and forced to join the terror group’s ranks as child soldiers.
When I first visited the stables, located in the picturesque countryside near the Yazidi village of Shariya in the Duhok Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, I was immediately mesmerized by the unexpected sight of a beautiful grey stallion named Taj.
To find out more about this extraordinary initiative and how it’s helping Yazidi survivors, click here.
Baghdad: A Historic City with a Bustling Book Street
With brightly painted mosque domes, bustling streets and bazaars, and an iconic historic center, Baghdad is a fascinating and engaging city. Attracting visitors both Iraq and international, one of its highlights is the intellectual and literary hub of Al-Mutanabbi street. Named after the 10th century classical poet Al-Muntanabbi, the famous street is lined with book shops and outdoor book stalls, interspersed with cozy cafes where some of the great thinkers of the past would gather to share and develop ideas.
Underground Night Life
In February 2019, I was assigned to photograph a party at a nightclub in Baghdad on behalf of the Sunday Times. For the culturally conservative society, night life – particularly where alcohol is served – has been largely absent or hidden until recent years, and remains part of the underground rather than mainstream society. It was great to see young Iraqis enjoying a night of dancing at a packed club along the Tigris River.
Glitz and Glamour: Kurdistan Fashion Week and a Booming Beauty Industry
Fashion and beauty are big business in Iraq. In September 2018, the city of Erbil hosted the first international standard fashion week to take place in the country.
Kurdistan Fashion Week 2018 kicked off with musical performances by well-known local artists while models glided along the catwalk displaying a range of clothes designed by local talent, from traditional to casual wear. Seventy models took part in the well-attended event – fifty women and twenty men, including Iraqis and internationals who travelled to the Kurdish city from Ukraine, Turkey and Iran.
Click here to see more photos from Kurdistan Fashion Week 2018.
Beauty treatment is a fast-growing industry in Iraq, with cosmetic centers across the country opening their doors to men and women exercising a renewed sense of freedom and empowerment post-conflict. From lip fillers and Botox to breast implants and liposuction, cosmetic treatment is becoming increasingly popular and accessible, attracting many young Iraqis to go under the knife to alter or enhance their appearance.
Amid the devastation of the city of Mosul, where wearing make up was once a punishable offense, several beauty centers have appeared in the aftermath of the bloody battle against the Islamic State, which controlled the city from June 2014 until their defeat in July 2017. Home to a culturally and religiously conservative society, such centers are a relatively recent feature of the city’s war-torn streets. “Now it’s become a trend for young women,” says Bashar Alani, Manager of the Shahrazad Beauty Center in East Mosul, which opened in June 2018. “Having beauty treatment is not just acceptable in society now, it’s becoming a trend.”
Click here to read more about Iraq’s burgeoning beauty industry.
The Referendum for Kurdish Independence
On 25 September 2017, Kurds across northern Iraq cast their votes in a historic and highly contested referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, cities and mountain towns across Kurdistan were alive with rallies, as hundreds of thousands gathered beneath Kurdish flags, expressing hopes for a sovereign state after decades of struggle.
For many Kurds, the referendum represented a long-held aspiration for self-determination. But the move was fiercely opposed by Baghdad, which declared the vote unconstitutional. In response, the Iraqi central government imposed punitive measures against the Kurdistan Regional Government, including economic sanctions and the suspension of international flights to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.
Clowning Around: Bringing Joy to Displaced Children
In the tense months surrounding the Kurdish independence referendum, political uncertainty weighed heavily across northern Iraq. For the thousands of families still living in displacement camps after years of conflict with ISIS, daily life was marked by hardship and instability. Yet even in such difficult circumstances, small moments of laughter and joy broke through.
When a group of brightly dressed clowns appeared at one such camp between Erbil and Mosul in September 2017, children rushed forward in delight. Some squealed with excitement, others hung back with cautious curiosity, but soon the air was filled with laughter as the visitors performed.
The entertainers — volunteers from Denmark and Sweden who make up the humanitarian collective Clowns 4 Care — travel to crisis zones around the world with a simple mission: to create moments of happiness for children living through war and displacement. For the young residents of the camp, their visit offered not just entertainment, but a brief and precious escape from the difficult reality of exile.
Mosul: A Troubled but Resilient City
Rewinding to the summer of 2017, as the battle for Mosul raged and Iraqi forces closed in on the last ISIS strongholds in the city’s west, a very different scene was unfolding just a few streets away. In June, during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, children in brightly coloured dresses and ribbons poured into the streets, celebrating amid the lingering sounds of airstrikes and gunfire.
Though still on the edge of danger, these districts had already been retaken by the Iraqi Army. What struck me most was how quickly daily life began to return — shopkeepers reopening their stalls, families gathering, children laughing in the streets. Even in the shadow of devastation, Mosul’s residents showed a fierce determination to reclaim a sense of normality after years of ISIS occupation.
One year after ISIS was defeated in northern Iraq, I returned to Mosul during Eid al-Fitr. With much of the city still in ruins, children played in makeshift playgrounds and rode horses into the Tigris River as part of the holiday celebrations.
On my recent visit to Iraq in February 2024, I returned to Mosul to see how things have changed. Where gun fights and explosions were once commonplace, there are now museums, visitor centers, markets and cafes.
Yazidi Culture and People
With cone-shaped roofs and bright-colored pieces of silk tied around pillars, no trip to northern Iraq would be complete without a visit to Lalish, the holiest temple of the Yazidi faith and the location of the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure in Yazidism.
An ethnoreligious group indigenous to the historical region of Upper Mesopotamia, the majority of Yazidis now reside in northern Iraq. Throughout their history, the Yazidi people have been the victims of multiple genocides, surviving several attempts of cultural and religious eradication. When ISIS militants seized control of most of northern Iraq in 2014, Iraq’s Yazidi population once again became the target of persecution, genocide, and the enslavement of their women and girls.
For centuries, Yazidis have gathered each April to celebrate the Yazidi New Year, or Sere Sal as it’s called in the Kurmanji language, at the Holy Temple of Lalish. Those celebrations came to an abrupt and brutal halt when Islamic State militants captured the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar in August 2014.
In April 2018, a few months after Iraq’s Prime Minister declared victory over ISIS following the recapture of areas that remained under the militant group’s control, Iraq’s Yazidis returned to Lalish to celebrate their new year together.
Click here to see more photos of the Yazidi New Year celebrations in Lalish.
Saving Panda: From the Streets of Iraq to the USA
One of my fondest memories from Iraq is of a scruffy little pup with striking black-ringed eyes, whom I named Panda.
I first met her in May 2019 while walking home from the supermarket in Ankawa, the neighborhood where I lived. She was just a few months old, thin and limping from what seemed to be a car accident, scavenging through rubbish bins for scraps. The moment she spotted me, she bounded over, rolled onto her back, and begged for a belly rub. From the start, Panda was impossibly affectionate — too gentle, I thought, for the unforgiving life of a street dog in Iraq.
She followed me home that day, and it quickly became clear she was staying. Panda captured my heart, and I knew I had to find her a safe, permanent home. With my own departure from Iraq only months away, the search for someone to take her in felt urgent. Despite vet visits, vaccinations, and endless asking around, no local solution could be found.
That’s when a small miracle happened. Thanks to War Paws , a charity dedicated to rescuing animals from conflict zones, and the incredible generosity of my friend Lyndsey, Panda’s story took a turn I hadn’t dared hope for. Not long after, she boarded a plane bound for the United States — where she was welcomed into Lyndsey’s home and into a new life filled with safety, comfort, and love.
