English Village | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 36°11′34″N 43°58′18″E / 36.19278°N 43.97167°E | |
Country | Iraq |
Autonomous region | Kurdistan Region |
Province | Erbil Governorate |
Municipality | Erbil |
Area | |
• Total | 26 ha (64 acres) |
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]
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]
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]
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 2019, GQ Australia featured English Village in a photography series on the urban development of Erbil.[10][11]