A land of stories.
A place for yours.
Explore Iraq’s timeless places, living culture, and generous people.
Real stories. Deeper connections. A more human way to travel.
IRAQ,
AND ALWAYS
A GOOD STORY.
PLACES.
PEOPLE.
A WARM WELCOME.
A FEW PLACES TO BEGIN
Extraordinary places.
Unforgettable stories.
Ancient cities, living traditions, and landscapes like no other.
Discover a different side of Iraq.
Ishtar Gate,
Gateway of Babylon.
The Iraqi Marshes,
Life at a slower pace.
Baghdad,
A city with a soul.
Not just places to see. Places to feel.
WAYS TO TRAVEL
Follow what
pulls you.
Iraq is not one story. It is faith, food, water, music, and craft —
threads you can pull in any order.
Pick a thread.
SUGGESTED JOURNEYS
A shape for
your first week.
Three routes to borrow, adapt, or ignore.
Every journey here can begin anywhere.
The first cities,
Five days in Mesopotamia.
- Baghdad — Capital city. Founded in 762 as the round city of the Abbasids. The Tigris still sets the pace here. Worth seeing: The Abbasid palace on the river, and the copper market at dusk.
- Babylon — Ancient city. Capital of the Babylonian empire, with the Ishtar Gate and the rebuilt palace of Nebuchadnezzar II. Worth seeing: The Ishtar Gate reconstruction and the processional way at first light.
- Ur — Ancient city. A Sumerian city and the birthplace of Abraham. Its ziggurat still stands above the plain. Worth seeing: The ziggurat stairway and the royal tombs — go early, there is no shade.
- Uruk — Ancient city. Uruk gave the world its first writing and its first epic. In legend, Gilgamesh ruled here. Worth seeing: The White Temple platform and the first clay tablets.
- Nineveh — Ancient city. Assyrian capital on the edge of Mosul, known for its palaces and the library of Ashurbanipal. Worth seeing: The Mashki Gate, and the reliefs in the Mosul Museum nearby.
The marsh road,
Three days on the water.
- Nasiriyah — Gateway town. The usual way into the marshes, halfway between Baghdad and Basra. Worth seeing: The Ziggurat of Ur is an hour away — leave before sunrise.
- Chibayish — Marsh town. Reed houses, mashoof boats, and the clearest view of life lived on the water. Worth seeing: A mashoof ride through the reeds at sunset, and the fish grilled on the bank.
- The Hammar Marshes — Wetland. The largest of the southern marshes, and the quickest to come back when the water does. Worth seeing: The birdlife in the early morning; the marshes sit on the migration route.
- The Hawizeh Marshes — Wetland. The marsh that held its water through the dry years, on the road down to Basra. Worth seeing: Buffalo herds, and the reed guest houses still built by hand.
Baghdad on foot,
Two days, no car.
- Mutanabbi Street — Booksellers’ street. Baghdad’s book street, named for the poet, and busiest on a Friday morning. Worth seeing: Friday morning, when the stalls fill the whole street.
- Old Baghdad — Historic quarter. Wooden balconies, narrow lanes, and the glass of tea that starts most conversations. Worth seeing: The wooden shanasheel balconies, best seen from the opposite bank.
- The Tigris corniche — Riverside. Abu Nuwas and the riverbank, where the city comes out to walk at dusk. Worth seeing: Sunset, when the riverbank fills with families.
- Kadhimiya market — Historic market. The market around the shrine: copper, sweets, and a crowd that never quite thins. Worth seeing: The gold souk and the sweet shops around the shrine.
WHAT'S ON
The year has
a rhythm.
Iraq reads better by season. These are windows, not fixed dates —
check locally before you book.
- MARErbil & Duhok
Nowruz in the mountains
CultureThe new year kept with fires, picnics, and new clothes across the Kurdish north.
- APR–MAYChibayish & the Hammar
The marshes fill
NatureThe water rises, the reeds come back, and the mashoof returns to the channels.
- SEP–OCTBasra & the south
Date harvest
FoodThe palms come down, and the whole south smells of sugar for a fortnight.
- NOVBaghdad
The Baghdad book fair
BooksA week of publishers and poets, spilling out along Mutanabbi Street.
THE JOURNAL
Longer stories,
written slowly.
Field notes, recipes, and conversations from the places we send you.
No listicles.
FIELD NOTES
What a mudhif is actually for
FROM THE WATER
Learning to pole a mashoof
IN THE KITCHEN
Masgouf, and the argument about how to cook it
ON FOOT
Mutanabbi Street on a Friday morning
FROM THE WATER
What the marshes lost, and what came back
IN THE GROUND
How to read a tell
THE SPIRIT OF MUDHEEF
Every journey begins
with a welcome.
Inspired by the mudhif — a place to gather, share stories, and welcome guests.
We believe the best way to discover Iraq is to feel at home in it.
