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Top Things To Do
Iraqi National Museum
The Iraq National Museum re-opened with great fanfare in 2009 and is one of the top attractions in Baghdad. The wealth of archaeological artefacts brings the ancient world of the Babylon to life. Baghdad Bazaars After being a no-go area for some years, the famous city bazaars have started to come to life again. Head to the colourful bird market Souk al-Ghazal where pigeon fanciers, a popular pastime in Baghdad, buy birds, exchange tips and relax at local cafés. Kerbala Join the pilgrims travelling to Kerbala, 100 km south of Baghdad. It's the spiritual home of Shi'ia Muslims who make pilgrimages to the impressive mosque housing the shrine of Hussein. Najaf Najaf, 160 km south of Baghdad, is another of the Shi'ia holy cities and famous for the mosque of Al-Haidariya, crowned with a resplendent golden dome made of gold tiles and minarets each made of 40,000 gold tiles. The Marshes The Marshes are situated along the Shatt El-Arab waterway and are best explored by boat to experience the locals who live on man-made islands in beautiful dwellings woven in lattice-work from reeds. Basra Visit Basra, once called the Venice of the East, thanks to its canals lined with elegant 19th-century houses. Have a stroll on the lush island across from the Shatt Al-Arab Hotel where families picnic Basra remains the main seaport for large commercial ships and tankers as well as traditional dhows. Mosul Mosul is the site of the ruined city of Nineveh and many pre-Islamic artifacts can be found in the Mosul Museum. Wander through the old city and explore mosques, churches and castles. The centre of town is famous for narrow streets of beautiful 19th century houses. Erbil Erbil is the capital and seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government on Northern Iraq. Walk around sprawling citadel, you will be treading in the footsteps of Alexander the Great who defeated Darius III in the battle of Gaugamela here. The Erbil Museum marks this battle and houses a collection of Sumerian and Abbasid artifacts. Kurdish Mountain Resorts The foothills and mountains ring every town in Iraqi Kurdistan and in the spring and summer they are cool and beautiful places to escape the heat and dust of the towns. See Contact Addresses for further tourist information. Note: In the aftermath of the 2003 war, there may be damage to any of the above sites and buildings. Lootings led to the disappearance of many of the archaeological treasures and manuscripts from Iraq's museums. At present, travellers are not advised to visit Iraq due to its highly dangerous security situation. |
