It is located 93 kilometers northeast of Erbil high in the mountains featuring an ice cave, which melts into a trickling stream. Average temperatures of 18 Celsius attract tourists from across Kurdistan and elsewhere in Iraq.
"I came from the town of Akre. There is a little snow in winter in our town. It’s now July, but snow is still here. We are sliding on the ice with friends. The weather is very chilly," tourist Luqman Qadir told Rudaw.
Summer temperatures in Iraq can reach over 50 Celsius in the south. Honya Rajab and her dog Lucy came from the town of Koya; it is Lucy's first time seeing snow.
"It is very appealing for us to see snow in July. It is very hot in Erbil. We come here to spend beautiful moments in the cold air," Rajab said.
The cold snow has produced many mesmerizing ice caves as temperatures can reach freezing at night.
Hiran Hassan came from nearby Rania town with her friends.
"It is nice to come see the snow during summer. There are many tourists here. It is a nice feeling to be here amid the hot temperatures," she said.
Both Baghdad and Erbil are trying to diversify their petrol-dependent economies with the tourism sector. Cultural, natural, and religious sites blanket the mountains of Kurdistan, central plains, remnants of by-gone empires, and holy sites in the south.
Following four years of conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS) group, people are freer to travel amid an improving security situation.
Reporting by Bakhtiyar Qadir
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