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WATCH: Underground ISIS tunnel and the rise of dark tourism

Cape Town - Certain travellers are less and less attracted to pretty castles and chocolate museums and more intrigued by death, murder and historical destruction it seems.

Dark tourism or grief tourism is when a kindred traveller visits cities, landmarks and museums associated with death and horror. 

The main value behind this bizarre vacational idea is the attraction of recognising how the world is affected by man-made destruction as well as man-made creation. 

READ: 13 Creepiest SA road trips to explore

With that said, would you be brave enough to venture into tunnels where hundreds of soliders planned the demise of innocent people, or risk exposing yourself to radioactivity? What about witnessing a public execution?

The doom and gloom of tourism travellers love...

Dark Tourism, like the typical ‘in-with-the-locals’ visit, does not sugar coat anything, with everything left as "raw and deadly" as possible. 

Pathway to hell...

A spine-chilling video has been released on YouTube showing an underground tunnel system in Iraq used by ISIS members - giving an insider look at the terrorist group, While Iraq is not actively on the War tourism radar, the video, filmed in Sinjar gives a gripping perspective.

Sky News posted the video taken by freelance journalist Eddy van Wessel  as he walks through the tunnels. It shows how tunnels are equipped with things like cooking utensils, prescription pain medication, what appears to be holy scripture, washing on washing lines, ammunition and blankets to protect themselves against airstrikes while underground.

READ: Isis explained: Seven wars in Muslim countries travellers need to know about

The tunnels are reinforced with what looks like hundreds of sandbags to protect against bomb raids. 

They are also big and wide enough for an adult male to stand up straight. 

The Iraqi town of Sinjar was held by Islamic state for over one year before Kurdish troops and rebel forces "rescued it", reports Sky News. 

READ: #ParisAttacks: 5 Hard lessons on how terrorism affects global tourism

Take a look at what takes place underground...

The rise of dark tourism...

Did you know, one of the fiercest war-tourism thrills happens to be standing on the front-line of battle fields in Syria. Kobi Marom, a retired Israel Defence Forces colonel regularly brings people to gaze on Syria's battle fields. 

READ: The World's worst tour guide

Up above the valley in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, tourists can enjoy a panoramic view of the strategic location known as the Gateway to Damascus. After your day trip through wineries, cherry markets and other historical sites - you can stop by and catch a glimpse of the smoke and sometimes carnage, says The Atlantic.

These three locations will give you a deadly encounter with what transpired in America, Uganda, Ukraine and Hiroshima says The Richest – reminding us all that death and disaster exists everywhere and travellers just find it utterly fascinating. 

 

Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre - Kigali, Rwanda

The dark shadow of the Rwandan genocide remains one of the world’s most brutal and gut-wrenching killings. A visit to the Genocide Centre in Kigali is a deep shade of dark. 

For 100 days, 500 thousand to 1 million Rwandans were murdered – spurred on by the political party and radio propaganda. The centre is built where 250 thousand victims are buried.

Hiroshima Peace Museum - Hiroshima, Japan

In 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima fell victim to  the US atomic bomb attacks of World War II.  Over 70 thousand people were immediately killed and another 70 thousand were severely injured. The event left thousands more to die from cancer. Tourists flock to the city to walk among ruins and visit museums where the belongings of victims remain. 

Pripyat, Ukraine

In the year 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat sent radioactive particles into the air, spreading across the city of Pripyat  and on into the greater regions of Ukraine and Russia. 

Some 50 000 people living in Pripyat were not evacuate and were effected by the incident. Now, all that lives in the ghost town is radioactivity. You can visit the area where after it is compulsory to be scanned for radio activity. 

A photo posted by Piotr Ka (@piotr_ka) on

 

Share your travel experiences with us. You can email us at info@traveller24.co.za or connect with us on FacebookTwitter or Instagram.

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