RAMADI, Iraq, Nov 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The opening of a new hotel is posing
a challenge to tribal customs in western Iraq’s Anbar province, where locals
traditionally welcome outsiders into their homes.
In the heart of Ramadi, the provincial capital, a tall building is lit up
with neon lights. “Rose Plaza Hotel” reads a bright sign in Arabic and
English.
The 80-bed hotel, built by a young Iraqi businessman, has caused a stir in
Anbar, the vast desert province to the west of Baghdad that extends to the
borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Wearing a suit and with his hair slicked back, hotelier Mohammed Kassar
stands ready to defend his project.
“We are the province of generosity and hospitality,” said the 29-year-old.
“But it’s a joke that a province which covers a third of Iraq, looks out
onto three countries and is a commercial hub, doesn’t have a hotel.”
Anbar has come far.
A longtime bastion of the anti-US insurgency, it was later overran by the
Islamic State (IS) group and became off-limits to tourists or investors on
business trips.
But since Ramadi was retaken by Iraqi authorities in 2016, reconstruction,
new housing and commercial projects have sprung up, attracting entrepreneurs
from across Iraq.
Louai Rafe, an Iraqi businessman, was happy to have found Rose Plaza.
He thought he could finish some administrative work in Anbar and return
the same day to the capital Baghdad, 100 kilometres (60 miles) away.
But the work took longer than he expected and he decided to book into the
new hotel.
“Whenever I came here, I used to sleep at a friend’s house, and I was
embarrassed to bother him again,” said Rafe.
“This hotel is really welcome, it makes everyone’s life easier.”
– Hotels ‘destroy our reputation’ –
But in Anbar, life is governed by the region’s tribes and their ancestral
customs.
A sense of hospitality is paramount, with any outsiders being invited to
eat a hearty meal and stay overnight in a resident’s home.
Houses are even built with such a welcome in mind, as the diwaniya or
reception hall must be the largest and most impressive room.
This remains true even if it means cutting down on space for the family.
The only previous attempt to open a hotel in Ramadi was a failure, evident
from the unfinished and abandoned building in the city centre.
The Turkish firm behind the hotel was forced to abandon the project in
2014, when IS overran the city. Residents jest that even the jihadists stayed
away from the building.
But some Anbar residents are keen to take advantage of the new hotel, such
as 28-year-old Mohammed Ahmed who has reserved a room for his honeymoon.
“I didn’t have anywhere to go and the hotel is a good alternative,” said
Ahmed, his beard neatly trimmed and wearing a crisp white shirt.
The owner also aims to attract business clients, holding out hope to
welcome delegates for reconstruction conferences and summits on Iraq’s post-
IS future.
But for some residents, the arrival of the hotel remains a threat to the
region’s customs.
“These hotels never exited in the traditions of our fathers and our
grandfathers,” said Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil al-Hamed, a 52-year-old tribal
dignitary.
Hamed, wearing a white bedouin scarf and black robe, said the tribes have
always been known for welcoming visitors.
“These hotels destroy our reputation,” he said.