My trip to Iraq happened much like many of my other trips. I was looking in a Facebook group and noticed that a woman named Nena was trying to find somebody to go on a guided tour of Iraq who was looking for someone to go with her. We began chatting and decided that we would try and go together. Luckily, she did all the groundwork contacting different guides that had been recommended to her and we decided to go with one guy who was the most responsive and seemed the most easy going.
Late Night Arrival
She and I met in Istanbul and flew together to Baghdad. The visas are given on arrival and all you need to do is fill out a piece of paperwork and give your passport along with $77 to the border guard. Within minutes, we were on our way. Our guide met us thankfully because it was around four o’clock in the morning then and took us to the hotel.
Day 1 – Samarra
The next morning we were up bright and early to begin our trip to Samara. Samara is about a two-hour drive out of Baghdad and it is home to the Samara Minarette, a beautiful swirling structure that looks a little bit like an ice cream cone. Although it was hot and I am terrified of heights, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the beauty and rushed to start climbing up.
The pathway leading to the top had no railings and I was close to having a heart attack but luckily my guide was very understanding and helped me get up one step at a time. He walked along the edge next to me just to make me feel safer and even managed to catch a photo so I could remember this terrifying ordeal.
The views from the top were amazing and you could see the walls of the mosque that had once stood next to the minaret . Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century and the minaret is all that remains.
While we were there, we spent a lot of time talking with the security guard/museum manager who attempted to tell us the history of the minaret and the surrounding area. According to him, Samara actually meant “to be amazed” and was supposed to represent how people felt when they saw it. A lot has changed over the past 1,000 years but it is easy to get a sense of the grandeur that could once we found there.
After visiting the Minaret of Samarra we headed to the Imam’s Prison where a Shi’a was put in prison by Sunnis (or the other way around – I don’t really know or care). This is still used today as a way to explain the animosity between the two sects of Islam and probably, in some crazy person’s mind, as a way to justify killing other people. Although it was interesting, it was definitely not the highlight of the day.
Next up, it was another dusty drive to the modern city of Samara which is home of a beautiful mosque. When we were entering, we had to put on an abaya and completely cover our heads. This was the first time that I had been to a mosque when a headscarf wasn’t sufficient and an abaya was necessary. Unfortunately, mine wouldn’t stay on my head and so I got lots of dirty looks from women as I walked around. We also needed to put on socks so we wouldn’t somehow scandalize some defenseless man with our bare feet which felt absolutely ridiculous but, in the end, I was pretty grateful as the ground felt like walking on lava and the socks offered a tiny bit of protection against the burning hot ground.
The mosque was beautiful in an over the top gaudy way but the ridiculous rules about modesty made it feel almost like it wasn’t worth it.
From Samarra, we head back to Baghdad for the night doing a quick round of sightseeing including the Memorial Park, and Tahrir Square. After that, it was time for an early night sleep as we were off on another exciting adventure the next morning.
Day 2 – Babylon and Ur
The next morning, we hopped back in the car for the two hour drive south to Babylon, known for the did-they-or-did-they-not-exist Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the spot of Alexander the Great’s death, the seat of many of the biggest empires of the time, and also the location of one of Saddam Hussein’s many palaces. Walking through the ruins of Babylon was like walking back in history and you could easily imagine how it was once one of the biggest cities in the world. Although many of the ruins have been rebuilt, you could still get a sense of the city’s grandeur.
We then made the long drive to the ruins of the Sumerian city-state of Ur. Although there is not much left to see, the Ziggurat of Ur has been partially restored and it is an interesting place to see. When we went there was only one other group of visitors – an Iraqi family who didn’t seem the least but shocked to see me wandering around the ruins in a pair of shorts which made me love the country even more than I already did!
We spent the night in Nasiriyah. My guide and I went to the city park and met lots of young guys who were eager to show off their English speaking skills and cool haircuts to the foreigners. We also randomly saw a lion cub that was part of makeshift zoo set up in the park being adorably naughty and terrorizing all of the other animals.
Day 3 – The Iraqi Marshes
The next morning we were up bright and early to go explore the Iraqi marshes by boat before making the long drive back up to Baghdad. The Iraqi marshes are a wetland located between Iraq and Iran and are also referred to as the Mesopotomain Marshes, which is actually much cooler of a name in my opinion!
The marshes were beautiful and it was easy to forget that you were a “war-torn” country like Iraq. We stopped to see some of the traditional houses and watched as water buffalo happily cooled off in the waters, escaping the atrocious heat of Iraq in early September.
Once we made it back to dry land, we started the very long trip back to Baghdad stopping for lunch along the way at one of the many rest stops that looked pretty similar to the ones that we have all along the highways in the US.
Day 4 – Baghdad
We spent our fourth day visiting some of the attractions of Baghdad including the swirling blue Martyr’s Memorial which honors the people that were killed under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the main Bazaar, the oldest teahouse in Baghdad, and a seemingly forgotten Ottoman Palace with great views of the river. It was fascinating to walk around a city that I had only ever heard terrible things about and had previously thought had been destroyed by bombs and see how NORMAL life was there.
That evening, we headed out to one of the local malls to see how rich Iraqis spent their evenings and once again, it was amazing to see how normal everything felt. You could just as easily have been in a shopping mall in Iowa.
Day 5 – Baghdad to Erbil via Kirkuk
The next day, my guide and I said goodbye to my trip companion, Nena, and then started to make the long trip between Baghdad and Erbil via the historic town of Kirkuk, home to the ruins of an ancient citadel that stands high above the city and offers great views. The citadel is believed to have been established in 800 BC which makes it extremely old and although much of it had been destroyed, it was easy to see how immense it would have been during its heyday.
Day 6 & 7 – Erbil
Now for the unexciting part and the reality of life as a digital nomad…..
After arriving in Erbil, I then spent the next few days trying to get caught up on work with brief trips out during the day to grab lunch and then heading out with my guide in the evening to explore different parts of the city. Thanks to him, I was able to see newly developed sections of town which were overflowing with bars, expensive restaurants, and shopping malls – all of which I never really expected to see in an Iraqi city.
Day 8 – A Day Trip into the Mountains
After finally getting a bit more caught up on everything I needed to do, it was time for some fun! I met up with my guide and we headed out into the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan stopping in charming small towns and oohing and aahing over the many spectacular viewpoints including the view over an impressive gorge. The atmosphere was very laid back and we even got to finish the day with a cable car ride up to the top of a hill to watch the sunset.
Although I had been to Erbil before and had traveled overland to Sulaymaniyah from there, I never expected Kurdistan to hold so much natural beauty and I was certainly grateful that my guide had suggested the excursion as I honestly hadn’t even considered it! (I know, I know…..poor planning on my part!)
Day 9 – Erbil to Duhok via Mosul
The next morning, my guide and I left Erbil bright and early to go to Mosul. Despite having thousands of years of history, this ancient city is sadly now known for being the site of a vicious battle that ended four years of ISIS occupation. Mosul has long been an important meeting point of Mesopotamia and the city is incredibly diverse (admittedly much less so than it was before the ISIS occupation). Although UNESCO is working tirelessly to rebuild the city, much of it was lost and you can still see entire neighborhoods that have been reduced to nothing but piles of rubble.
I personally thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to visit Mosul considering potential safety issues and eventually decided that it was an important place to see. While there were definitely parts of it that were haunting, the overall atmosphere was actually much more lively than I would have thought (even during the COVID pandemic) and you could see how the local people wanted to put the past behind them and focus on the future. It was interesting to experience and I honestly can’t wait to see what the city will transform itself into.
After touring Mosul, my guide dropped me off in the city of Duhok, a laid back place near the border of Turkey. We said a sad goodbye and then I was back on my own again.
Day 10 – Duhok
I spent the next day (and my last day in Iraq) getting caught back up on work again and taking leisurely strolls around the town. Duhok is nestled within a valley making it extremely picturesque but there really isn’t that much to see there compared to some of the other cities in the region. It was a nice place to finish the visit and it served as a final reminder of how much I want to go back and spend more time in Iraq as soon as possible!
Day 11 – Duhok to Mardin, Turkey
The next morning, I was up bright and early to try and get across the border of Turkey where I was heading to the historic Kurdish town of Mardin. Getting a bus from Duhok to Mardin was actually really easy and although the border crossing took a few hours, it was amusing to watch as all of the Turkish men tried to find places on the bus to hide all of their contraband cigarettes that they were smuggling back into Turkey.
Happy belated birthday! The trip to Iraq looked fascinating.