ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Restoration works at Erbil’s landmark Grand or Qayseri Bazaar have been completed, over a year after it sustained severe damage during a devastating fire that destroyed part of the historic marketplace, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told The New Region.

A massive fire broke out on May 5, 2024, in Erbil’s historic Grand Bazaar, one of the city’s oldest markets, severely damaging 277 shops and seven warehouses. The Iraqi government described the incident as arson and blamed the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for being behind it. The PKK dismissed the accusation.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) initiated restoration efforts shortly after the devastating blaze at a cost of 5.3 billion dinars, applying historical designs to reflect the original architecture.

“The new Qayseri contains 100 shops. They have all been handed over to their owners, and they are currently working in them,” Khoshnaw said, adding that the “old” market consists of two floors, with “40 shops [in the first floor] are nearly completed, and the remaining ones [60] are handed over to their owners.”

He noted that there are 43 shops on the second floor of the second part of the Grand Bazaar.

“We are planning to hold a meeting with the relevant authorities to turn it into a cultural spot.”

The Bazaar and Citadel sit in downtown Erbil. The Citadel has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. At over 7000 years of age, the Citadel is one of the oldest continuously occupied human settlements. 

Fires across the Kurdistan Region have often hampered small businesses and traders, with the renowned Langa bazaar (thrift market) in Erbil succumbing to flames on multiple occasions.

Erbil province witnesses hundreds of fire incidents every year, including residential fires, fires at religious sites, generator-related fires, fires in commercial establishments, farm fires, and various other incidents, with the monetary losses resulting from such incidents surpassing billions of dinars.

Earlier this month, over 100 shops in Sulaimani's Dara Sutawaka caught on fire, incurring massive financial damage.