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Troubled waters: Iraqi spa reborn after IS massacres
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Men gather at the Hamam al-Alil baths, south of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, on June 30, 2022. (AFP/Zaid Al-Obeidi)
A
mineral spa in northern Iraq is regaining popularity as renovation work has brought back visitors, in a city once ruled by jihadists who carried out mass executions.
Hisham Khaled often visited the Hamam al-Alil baths as a child with his father but since the facility's restoration he comes alone.
His father, a policeman, was executed near the baths by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2016.
Located 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Mosul, Hamam al-Alil -- meaning the baths of the sick in Arabic -- built a solid reputation over decades with its therapeutic sulphurous waters.
But the spa and surrounding village, which shares the same name, is now also known for massacres committed by IS during its occupation of the area.
"I lost the people who were dearest to me," says Khaled, 21, sitting shirtless and in his underpants near the spa's circular pool.
His father, a police colonel, was among hundreds of local officers rounded up and executed by IS. Their bodies were discovered in November 2016 in a mass grave close to an agricultural college in the village.
