Couriers Walking Up from Byara, Iraq, To Carry Smuggled Goods Into Iran, Kermanshah Province, Iran
For decades, the Iraq-Iran border has served as a smuggling route, mainly to transport goods from Iraq to Iran, such as cigarettes, cloth or satellite dishes. The cost of those goods is about 30% cheaper in Iraq, thus making smuggling a profitable business. Since the fall of president Saddam Hussein, the border has been controlled by Kurdish groups and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Frequent clashes happen. Couriers who work for Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish smugglers face high temperatures in summer and freezing cold in winter, as well as the risk of being shot by border guards or Iranian Kurdish armed groups in the area which have added to the risks facing those smuggling operations. They to earn up to $25 a trip and they are often highly educated jobless persons. All year long, Kurdish smugglers transport goods from Byara in Iraqi Kurdistan to Iranian Kurdistan. They do so 12 months a year and carry up to 50kg on their back. In winter, the route is much longer as they need to cross snow-capped mountains and passes, which this doubles their porterage time as well as their wages. Some end up with frozen fingers or toes in winter, while there is an open-air bazaar at the top of the Uraman valley road where passers-by can buy illegally imported goods from Iraq. Most of the goods though are transported on boats on an artificial lake to reach other regions of Iran.
Size: 5167px × 3445px
Location: Uraman Valley, Kurdistan & Kermanshah Provinces, Iran
Photo credit: © FO Travel / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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