Category: Iraq

Iraq is officially known as the Republic of Iraq which is located in the northwest of the Persian Gulf. The country is bordered by Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan. Through the center of the country two important rivers, Euphrates and Tigris and Baghdad is the capital of the country. The regions through which the rivers are flowing are considered as the ‘cradle of civilization’ because the country was the home of known civilization on the earth. Sumerian civilization is the most primitive known civilization of the globe which is said to be started in the valley of both the rivers.

Majority of Iraq comprises desert but the rivers are making the country fertile. Mountains are found in the northern side of the country. The major income is from the oil resources which provide 95% of the earnings through foreign exchange. The population of Iraq is about 31 million and 75-80% of the population is Arabs. Rest of the population consists of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Assyrians and others. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish. Other regional languages are South Azeri and Aramaic. About 97% of the people are from Islamic religion and remaining 3% consists of Christianity and others. Muslim population consists of both Shia and Sunni Muslims but majority is Shias.

Tourism is not popular in Iraq since 2003 as the country is considered as highly dangerous with kidnapping, assaults and car jacks. Even after the exile of Saddam Hussein, the country is facing problems internally also. But never miss a chance to visit Iraq as there are some great destinations to visit here. Tourists can check out the Churches, Mosques, zoos, Theatres, Cinema Halls, Music Halls, Museums and hotels here. As Iraq is the birthplace of the first civilization on the earth, there are many historical site that are worth seeing.

Even though the war has taken the beauty of the country and damaged the some of the historical sites of the country, still there are place that are worth visiting. One of the tourist spot that is not destroyed by war of years is the mountains, valleys and the Tigris River. The major cities of Iraq are Baghdad, Arbil, Ar Rutba, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala, Dahuk, Fallujah, Ukhaidir and Mosul in which Baghdad and Ukhaidir are not much safe to visit. Baghdad is the city of Caliphs and it is the place where Sindbad, the legendary sailor was born. Some of the place that worth seeing in Baghdad are Latin Church, Catholic Church, Dhagariya Gate, Halaba Gate, Abbasid Palace, Basaliya Gate and so on.

Mosul is the second largest among the cities in Iraq and the tourist spots here are The Great Nuridding Mosque, Qara Serai, Mujahidi Mosque and Umayyad Mosque. Basra which is the third largest city is also known as the Venice of the East as several canals are flowing in the city. Hatra is a Parthian city that is well preserved and listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Nineveh is an old city which about 3,000 years old. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria with reconstructed ruins.