A digital rendering shows the design of the “Zhiyan Walkway” project in Erbil, featuring cycling and walking paths, green spaces, and outdoor cafés along a modern canal.
Work begins on Erbil’s Zhiyan Walkway project following ceremony
ERBIL — The Erbil Municipality announced Thursday that construction has begun on the Zhiyan Walkway project, a major urban development launched one day earlier by Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani near the city’s 120-meter street.
In a statement, the municipality said the Minister of Municipalities and Tourism and the Erbil mayor visited the site as construction equipment began operating immediately after the foundation-laying ceremony.
The project spans about 101,600 square meters and will feature three bodies of water linked by two artificial water channels that encircle the city. The walkway will range between 15 and 25 meters in width.
Designed by local engineers in collaboration with Italian consultants, the Zhiyan Walkway will begin near Shaweis and Sebardan streets, extending to the Kirkuk main road before eventually connecting toward Makhmour.
At Wednesday’s ceremony, Barzani said, “We decided to launch this important project in this area, which will bring fundamental change to people’s lives in these neighborhoods and across Erbil, and will become one of the city’s and Kurdistan’s main tourist destinations.”
He said the site had long suffered from neglect and health risks. “We often heard complaints about the poor and unhealthy conditions in this place, which was once a waterway to prevent flooding but later became a site for dirty water and waste that posed health risks. That is why we decided to develop the Zhiyan Walkway project here,” Barzani said.
The prime minister said the first phase will include “a park, green spaces, a canal for clean and rainwater, and areas for shops and recreation, turning it into a lively tourist spot in central Erbil that will also create many job opportunities for young people.”
Barzani added that balanced urban development remains a government priority. “Our goal in developing cities has always been to ensure balance, so that attention is not limited to central areas. We want all neighborhoods to benefit equally from services,” he said.
