NIGHTS IN ERBIL

IN THE HEART OF A REGION THAT FACES AGGRESSION FROM ALL SIDES, THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE CAN BE DEATH DEFYING. HERE’S HOW A HANDFUL OF LOCALS DO IT FROM ROOFTOP BARS TO THE UNDERGROUND DRAG SCENE

- Kevin Knodell

In Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, even locals admit that the summer heat is a kind you never really get used to. People go out only if they have to for work, sweating as the sun beats down through a pale blue sky. On the hottest days the breeze feels like a hair dryer blowing in your face.

But as the sun begins to set, the city comes to life. Families and children make their way out into the streets and the parks. Old men break out cards and dice, tea sets and shisha (water pipes better known to Westerners as hookahs). Kebab and fruit stands appear on the sidewalks and in the streets.

As the darkness spreads, young people congregate. From street corners you can catch glimpses of young women applying their makeup. Soon enough, the streets get louder and more kinetic. Despite being situated in a deeply conservative — and sometimes volatile — region, this city of roughly 880,000 is known for its bars and nightclubs.

At White Erbil, a rooftop bar above a hotel overlooking the city, a DJ cranks M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” as patrons lounge around a pool. To enter, you first have to get past an armed security detail of men in black military-style uniforms adorned with Kurdish flags. On the roof, local club goers and Western aid workers down beers and cocktails as the pool glows and soft lights illuminate the space.