ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Situated around 155 kilometers northeast of Erbil is a hidden natural gem that is a largely inaccessible tourist spot due to poor road infrastructure leading up to it.
Kani Bast, in Wallze village in Erbil province’s Balakayati area, is the tallest waterfall in the Kurdistan Region.
"The name of the waterfall is Kani Bast [meaning freezing springhead] because it is always frozen in the winter,” Hiwa Qasraiy, a local resident, told Bakhtyar Qadir on Saturday.
“It turns into ice. This year it is not as frozen because we have not yet seen enough snowfall and freezing cold temperatures,” he added.
The waterfall, which is nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, is 36 meters high and was formed from melting snow and natural springs.
A sight of unparalleled natural beauty, Kani Bast was the picture chosen by Iraq’s Central Bank to be on the 50,000 dinar note.
However, as is the case with many of the Kurdistan Region’s spectacles, the mountainous road leading to the waterfall is rugged and unpaved, which makes the spot largely inaccessible.
"It does not display a charming view only in the winter, but also during the fall and spring. If the waterfall was accessed by a paved road, tourists would come to the scene across all seasons,” Shamal Walzi, a student, said.
The site is viewed as an area of untapped potential by local authorities, who consider it not only a tourist attraction but as a source of electricity for local residents, who have called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to invest in the improvement of Kani Bast’s infrastructure.
