ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq on Saturday completed the nomination of five villages for the UN’s Best Tourism Villages for 2026 award, with three villages from the Kurdistan Region in the list. 

“Iraq has completed the nomination of five villages within the Best Tourism Villages for 2026 initiative of the UN tourism organization to promote rural tourism,” Ali Yassin, spokesperson for the Iraqi tourism board, told state media.

Among the villages are Biyara located in the Hawraman area of Halabja province, Rawanduz in Erbil province, and the picturesque village of Hiror in northern Duhok. 

The Assyrian village of Merki, situated on Mount Alfaf in Nineveh province, and the village of Abu Subat in the southern Dhi Qar province – in the heart of Iraq’s famed marshlands – are the other two villages that complete the list. 

The villages are set to compete in the UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages, a program established in 2021 that has thus far seen more than 1,000 applicants from over 100 countries. The network currently brings together 319 rural destinations, according to its website.

“The aim of this nomination is to achieve sustainable development and promote responsible and green tourism through the development and advancement of ecotourism,” said Yassin. 

Biyara is a village in Halabja’s Hawraman region. Nestled along the Iraq-Iran border, the village offers a beautiful resort and breathtaking scenery and nature, particularly in the spring season. Biyara also houses a religious shrine, Khanaqa, that was built over 135 years ago and adds to the destination’s rich culture and heritage.

Lying some 90 kilometers east of Dhi Qar, Abu Subat is located in the heart of Iraq’s marshlands. The Iraqi wetlands, which once served as the world’s first urban centers, are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Merki is a historic Assyrian village in Nineveh on the slopes of Mount Alfaf, also known as Mount Maqlub. It is situated below the famed Mar Mattai Syriac Orthodox monastery – one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence and the oldest Syriac Orthodox monastery in the world, dating back to 363 AD. 

Located in Erbil province, Rawanduz is a mountainous town known for its breathtaking canyon and rich cultural heritage.