Director of Kirkuk’s heritage says there is no plan to renovate old houses in Kirkuk though some of it are about to collapse and fall apart as no budget is allocated for the process, Kirkuk heritage says.
According to guidelines by Kirkuk heritage, houses, stores, mosques and old warehouses (Khan) built 150 years ago are directly registered by their directorate while those aged 100 years old, their owners have to apply for its registration.
“There are many old houses in Kirkuk neighborhoods but up today there is no plan to renovate it since it has not been registered at our directorate,” said Raid Ougla, director of Kirkuk heritage directorate. “This is carelessness by the owners whom have not registered the properties.”
“There are many old houses in Kirkuk neighborhoods but up today there is no plan to renovate it since it has not been registered at our directorate,” said Raid Ougla, director of Kirkuk heritage directorate.
Following a story by KirkukNow about 111-years-old house of Salih Malli in Imam Qasim neighborhood of Kirkuk, people called on Kirkuk heritage to register the house for renovation before it falls apart.
“Another reason behind the devastation of those old houses is the current economic situation and lack of proper budget for this purpose,” Ougla added. “For this year, our plan is registration of those houses in an inclusive campaign so that we are prepared in case a budget is allocated.
The fourth generation of the owners live in this 111-years-old palace of Salih Malli in Imam Qasim neighborhood in Kirkuk. Photo by KirkukNow.
Kirkuk heritage is not maintaining a record of old houses in the city.
“We register Khans where carriers and travelers were resting, old houses, old bazars, couple of old mosques which we plan to only keep it standing not destruct or change its design,” he added.
Regarding Kirkuk citadel and its hoses, he said that some of the houses are falling apart so there is a budget to renovate it.
The oil rich city of Kirkuk is home to multiethnicities of Kurds, Turkmen and Arabs, Sunni and Shiites and is the center of the disputed territories.
After 2003, article 140 of Iraqi constitution in 2005 was outlined as a framework for the determination of the fate of the disputed areas. The three-stage process requires the normalization of the areas, conducting a census, and holding a referendum to know the will of the people to join Baghdad federal government or Iraq's Kurdistan region government KRG. Up today, part of the first stage has been implemented.
