Although heavily devastated by wars, Iraq has many potential tourist destinations. Not only does it have a long-standing heritage, Iraq is an attractive place with beautiful natural paintings and human cultural beauty. Let Vietsense travel suggest some Iraqi tourist destinations not to be missed in our journey to discover the Middle East.
Country Overview Iraq
The full name of Iraq is the Republic of Iraq, a country located in the Middle East. Iraq borders Turkey to the north, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Syria to the northwest, Jordan to the west, and Iran to the east. The capital of Iran is Baghdad, where the country’s apparatus and commercial centers are concentrated. The Republic of Iraq is predominantly Muslim and includes Shia, Sunni and Kurdish groups.
The country of Iraq was part of human civilization millions of years ago, alongside ancient wonders built since the Babylonian period. Iraq has a desert climate with cold, temperate winters and hot, dry summers with almost no rain. In winter, there is snow in the northern mountainous regions and some areas are flooded.
Although it has gone through many stages of war, Iraq has many famous tourist destinations that attract a large number of tourists who want to visit and explore the cradles of human civilization.
Top 10 Beautiful and Famous Tourist Destinations in Iraq
When the city of Baghdad is mentioned, people immediately think of the place that has suffered continuous bombings and attacks from many different groups of soldiers. If we want to enter the green zone of the city, we must obtain a special permit. But I hope that this city, like other cities, will not have to issue papers, that people will be able to move freely and that there will be no more gunshots.
Coming here, visitors can see with their own eyes the treasures, the Assyrian bronze market exhibited in the National Museum and numerous traces of anonymous soldiers who fell here.
The Ziggurat of Ur Ur is widely associated with biblical accounts of epic floods and stories of the fierce Babylonian king. This place also preserves the most beautiful ancient remains of the region. Ur is located in the desert of southern Iraq, with its designs, high walls and steep stairs used as a ritual ceremony for the Akkadian moon god. With attractive and extremely strange sights, it always attracts tourists when they come to Iraq.
Erbil Citadel is over 7,000 years old, with a heroic history that can be cataloged with the Cádiz and Byblos eras. Erbil Citadel is located majestically in the heart of the city with exceptional architecture creating a highlight, which is why Erbil has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Visitors to Erbil Citadel cannot miss the Erbil Civilization Museum and the Kurdish Textile Center to learn more about the history and cultural beauty of the region.
Surely we all know the name Basra, as many violent attacks took place here during the Iraq War. Don’t worry about anything, when you come here you can explore and discover many famous places. Basra is surrounded by palm forests and a city located in the middle of the Shatt al-Arab river covered with the sunny al-Basra corniche, here we can follow the river to enjoy the fresh air of the steam rising.
Every year, the city of Karbala welcomes around 30 million pilgrims, this place is a spiritual destination for Shia Muslims. Here is the Imam Husayn Temple, which is the burial place of the martyr Husayn ibn Ali who died during the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
This place is also considered by the archangel Gabriel as the most sacred place on the planet. For this reason, every year, the Imam Husayn temple welcomes millions of worshipers on the Ashura of Great Atonement.
In the deserts of western Iraq lie imposing colonnades, here we can admire the unique architecture and beautifully decorated temples of Hatra. This is why scientists chose it as the country’s archaeological site. We saw with our own eyes the massive and splendid works of the Parthian era recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Although the region has recently been ravaged by war, it is still visible how untouched Hatra remains.
Ancient ruins dating back to over 3,500 BC have left Dur-Kurozu behind. Dur-Kurozu was previously known as the cultural and political center and cradle of civilization in southern Mesopotamia. Dur-Kurozu borders the Euphrates and the Tigris, it is the site where the Kassite kings of the Ancients built the Ziggurat in the 14th century. We can see traces of it through the beautiful stone steles. Brick walls on the surface rise above the desert. . This was marked by caravans en route to Baghdad.
The city of Sulaymaniyah is considered one of the most peaceful and comfortable cities in Iraq and is chosen by foreign governments as a business stopover location during a visit to Iraq. Sulaymaniyah is located in the rugged mountains of northern Iraq, where the climate is relatively cooler than other cities in the region. Sulaymaniyah once had a famous artistic culture.
Coming here, visitors can taste famous local delicacies, among which one cannot miss the delicious kofta. If you are a person who loves to explore and conquer adventurous places, you cannot miss exploring the oasis towns and valleys of the Sierras de Goya and Alzheimer.
When we talk about Babylon, people mistakenly think of ancient empires. Hanging garden and typical battles of the kings of the Alexandrian and Persian eras. The changing appearance of Babylon through restoration and preservation has given a different perspective on this place. We went to visit some of Homer’s huge castles and ruins.
When exploring Babylon, visitors believe we are following in the footsteps of the great emperors. Admire the antiques with broken lion statues.
Ctesiphon in the 4th century BC is considered a small Persian colony located on the banks of the Tigris River. By the 1st century AD, Ctesiphon had grown and became the capital of Parthia. This represents the prosperous development of Ctesiphon and becoming the most modern city in the region by the 7th century. And was chosen to build the Arch of Ctesiphon with another name, Taq Kasra, designed with unique designs. Sasanian dome. It is one of the largest designed domes in the world and has been chosen as the region’s must-see archaeological site.
Above are the famous tourist destinations in Iraq that Al Kaabi would like to introduce to us. We hope that the above suggestions will help tourists to make a trip to the Republic of Iraq with many meaningful things in their trip.