It's a land of big dreams

Peace and patience prevail in the Kurdish north.That boom you hear is luxury housing on the rise.

By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN, Times Senior Correspondent
Published August 12, 2007

IRBIL, Iraq - They call this "The Other Iraq."

The one where people still think rivers are for swimming in, not dumping headless bodies.

The one where Spc. Jotyar Tile, a U.S. soldier, can shop at the market on Saturdays without fear of being kidnapped or killed.

The one where life is generally so calm there's serious talk of developing tourism.

This is also the part of Iraq where you almost never see the Iraqi flag or hear anyone call themselves "Iraqi." Instead, 5-million Kurds know it as Kurdistan -- a veritable country within a country.

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