English Village, Erbil

English Village is a British-built luxury housing compound located in western Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The compound contains identical villas, the vast majority of which are used as offices for companies.[1] English Village is among several modern compounds in Erbil named after Western countries, such as American Village, Italian Village and German Village.[1][2][3] It represents an economic boom that occurred in Erbil at the turn of the 2010s.[1][4]

English Village
Street in English Village
Street in English Village
English Village is located in Iraqi Kurdistan
English Village
English Village
English Village is located in Iraq
English Village
English Village
Coordinates: 36°11′34″N 43°58′18″E
Country Iraq
Autonomous region Kurdistan Region
ProvinceErbil Governorate
MunicipalityErbil
Area
 • Total26 ha (64 acres)

History

The compound was built by a consortium named Hawler Housing Project (Hawler is Kurdish for Erbil),[5] following a 2004 initiative from the UK Foreign Office Trade and Industry Department, in cooperation with British property development company J.M. Jones & Sons. Construction and sales began in early 2006.[5][6] The compound cost US$76,000,000 to develop.[7] By 2011, companies had started slowly moving into newer compounds with cheaper rent prices.[8]

In July 2019, an illicit gambling scheme operating out of a casino in English Village was shut down by the Kurdish security forces.[9]

Characteristics

English Village contains 420 villas, covering a total of 26 hectares (64 acres).[5][6] Each villa has 235 square metres (2,530 sq ft) of floor space on two floors and contains five bedrooms, full air conditioning, fitted kitchens and two bathrooms[6] with combined Eastern and Western toilets.[7] The villas are reported to have a reliable electricity supply and sanitation system, in contrast to other areas of Erbil and Iraq.[7] The compound also contains a school and five-storey shopping centre.[7]

In 2006, the purchase cost of each villa was US$125,000,[7] while in 2008 it was US$200,000,[7] and in 2011 it was US$500,000.[8] In 2011, the rent cost was around US$3,400 per month.[8]

Demographics

The complex is populated mostly by upper-class locals, foreign businesspeople and aid workers.[7] The vast majority of villas in the complex are used as offices for companies.[1]

In the media

In 2019, GQ Australia featured English Village in a photography series on the urban development of Erbil.[10][11]

References
  1. Danilovich, Alex (18 November 2016). Iraqi Kurdistan in Middle Eastern Politics. Taylor & Francis. pp. 80–82. ISBN 9781315468402.
  2. Beehner, Lionel (24 October 2008). "On War's Outer Edge in Kurdish Iraq". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. Khalaf, Roula (21 November 2014). "Kurdistan: a nation in waiting". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. Harding, Luke (16 July 2014). "Revisiting Kurdistan: 'If there is a success story in Iraq, it's here'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  5. Mohammed Salih, Haval (January 2015). "Residential Housing Development In Kurdistan Region Government of Iraqi Federal" (PDF). Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017.
  6. "jmjonesholdings.com - iraq projects". www.jmjonesholdings.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. "A piece of England booms in Iraqi Kurdistan". ekurd.net. Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  8. "English Village Erbil". EDIA Iraq. 16 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. Kurdistan24. "Erbil security bust online gambling operation; 'unimaginable' amounts of money sent abroad: official". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  10. "The houses look modern but the threat is never far away". NewsComAu. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  11. "GQ Magazine - Erbil, Iraq". Siren. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
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