Beautiful places to visit in Iraq

1. Babylon:

 

Babylon is considered as one of the most ancient cities in the world and located by the side of Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The name literally refers to the - Gate of God and the city name has been cited in the biblical books as it is related with the Mesopotamian archaeology. It is estimated that this was the largest city of the world for a certain time (during c. 1770 to 1670BC). The city was considered as a major city in ancient Mesopotamia and was built on the river banks so that the floods could be prevented with embankments. Historically the city started journey from 2300 BC and achieved its freedom in 1894 BC. Gradually the city got expanded and an empire was set here in the 18th century known as Babylonian Empire which could not exist longer and then went under domination of several other empires. It was ruled by empires like Achaemendid, Seleucid, Parthian and Roman empires. The city was destroyed and rebuilt while the Hanging Gardens of Babylon brought it fame and was one of the Seven Wonders of the world. The ruins of the city are now located in Iraq. 

2.  Ziggurat of Ur: 

 

It is believed that this Ziggurat was located in the city of Ur and this a Neo-Sumerian structure and still existing in Iraq under its Dhi Qar province. Historians believe that that the temple was made in the early days of Bronze Age and fall apart in the 6th century BCE. This particular ziggurat was constructed by King Ur-Nammu. After the ruination, the structure was rebuilt in the 6th century. King Nabonidus rebuilt the ziggurat on the same place and the structure remains were hidden until the excavation in 1920. In fact, two excavations had taken place here in 1920 and in 1930 with the leadership of Sir Leonard Woolley. Initiatives were taken in 1980, by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, to reconstruct the staircase of the monument. This is the most undistorted monument in the entire region while the other ziggurats have been damaged by some means. The entire structure is over 30 meters in height and served different roles for the city of Ur. The temple was considered as the shrine of Nanna, the mood god for the inhabitants of Ur. Now, this is a great place for visiting in Iraq.

3. Hatra Ruins:

 

Hatra was another city in Iraq and now under the domination of Ninawa Governorate and al-Jazira region. The city was also known as al-Hadr and has its close contact with the ancient history. The city has played different roles in different ages while it was also a Persian province. Archaeologists believe that the city has been built in the 3rd century BC during the Seleucid Empire but the actual growth of the city was done during the 1st and 2nc centuries AD when the city was made as a trading enter and it is also estimated that the city was the very first Kingdom of Arab and somewhat was governed by the Arabian princes. This is a stronger city than other ancient cities as it experienced numerous attacks by several empires like Roman. The Second Parthian War was closely related with the city and some traditional stories are still found on the fall and rise of the city. The inner and outer wall of the city is nearly 2 kilometers in length and the Great Temple is really an enormous structure which contains columns and vaults. The structures inside the city are made with mixture of different civilization and empires and as a result, it has become a great place now to visit in Iraq.

4. Grand Mosque - Mosul:

 

Iraq is a land of mosques and the country has some famous mosques which attract attention of foreign tourists. The Great Mosque of al-Nuri is an example of great architecture and mostly famous for the leaning minaret. As a result, the city holding the mosque has got a different local title – the hunchback. It is said that the mosque was built in 1172- 73 by Nur Ad-Din Zangi. Before construction of the mosque, Nur ad-Din Zangi occupied Mosul and asked one of his intimate relations to prepare for constructing a mosque. Then the mosque was constructed under the direct vigilance of Nur Ad-Din. There are stories that Nur ad-Din wanted to grab the lands which he had seen from the minaret of the mosque but with the permission of the land owners and after having the lands following proper ways and paying the right prices, the construction for the mosque began. The cylindrical minaret is around 148 feet in height and the geometric pattern towards the top looks stunning.

5. Arch of Ctesiphon: 

 

Ctesiphon is another Mesopotamian city and it is believed that the city was founded in 4th century BC. The city is located on the Tigris bank and now the ruins of the lively city available now. The city is located around 35 kilometers away from Baghdad. Ctesiphon is interrelated with the Parthian Empire and was made as the capital of the Empire in the 1st century but the city got integrated in to a single city during the Sassanid ruling periods and was known as Seleucia-Ctesiphon and by the same time, it served as the capital for Sassanid rulers in the region. The city also experienced some other dominations like the conquer of Romans in AD 226, by the Byzantine rulers, Muslim invasion in 638 and finally started declining when the Arab capital was shifted to Baghdad. The city, once reached in to the peak as a commercial and political center and gradually became a cosmopolitan metropolis. But before everything, this was a large village for relaxation of the Parthian kings and accordingly a large number of crowd started gathering in the locality and earned importance. Now the ruins are great places to visit in Iraq.

6. Nineveh:

 

The bank of Tigris River was used as the location to build up cities as this was a perfect location enriched with a moderate climate and communication system. Nineveh is another Assyrian city in Iraq that was located in the Upper Mesopotamia and served as the capital of Neo-Assyrian Empire. Nineveh remained as the largest city until 612 BC and lost its fame due to a civil war inside the empire. Historical information reveals that human settlement on the city began in 6000 BC and gradually achieved reputation as the center for goddess Ishtar- a Mesopotamian goddess. Now, only the ruins of the city are available only to remind the visitors about the golden past of the city. Naming of the city has some specific histories but the meaning of the name is still unclear and has different meanings in different languages and interpretations. The remaining of the city is now serving as a suburb for Mosul but in its days, the city served as an important hub and commercial route to Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

7.  Samarra:

 

This is the only city that has retained its former look and stands on the east bank of Tigris River under the Saladin Governorate in Baghdad. Majority of the city’s populations are Sunni Muslims. The city is enlisted with the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its original architecture, plan and artistic relics. The remains of the city were excavated in the early part of 20th century b y a German archaeologist and the revealed artifacts revealed huge information about the Samarra culture. The city was considered as the first town during the Ubaid period in the east and survived till 3900 BCE with the beginning in 5500 BCE. Historical evidences show that the city initially was a village and with the expansion of the village, it turned in to a town of moderate importance. Initiatives for some other extensions were taken, but was not completed for unknown reasons. When the city served as a capital, the rulers of the city built expensive palaces here with garrisons for their guards and regularly it was developed by the authority.  But the city was abandoned in 940 after the fall of Abbasid empire and now the ruins are the only attractive things for the visitors in Baghdad. 

8. Al-Shaheed Monument:

 

This is a national monument in Iraq and this is also known as the Martyr’s Memorial. The monument is located in Baghdad in remembrance of the soldiers who died in the Iraq-Iran war. Saman Kamal, an architect of Iraq and Ismail Fatah Al-Turk, an Iraqi sculptor have jointly designed the Al-Shaheed Monument and it was opened for all in 1983. Similar other monuments were also built between 1970 and 1980 marking different events by the government ruled by former president Saddam Hussein. The structure of the monument is circular and situated on an artificial lake that has enhanced the beauty. There are two turquoise domes on the monument while an eternal flame is on the center on the domes. The dome shells are constructed in such a way that they will last for longer days. The visitors of the monument are also allowed to visit the museum, listen lecture on the lecture hall, take snacks from the cafeteria, read books from the library and all such facilities are set two level below of the main monument. 

9. Uruk: 

 

Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later it came under the domination of Babylonia and related with archaeological history of Iraq very well. The city is located y the side of Euphrates river in Iraq and a site of the Uruk period. Sumer was urbanized with the help of Uruk during the 4th millennium BC. It was considered as the largest city in c. 2900 BC and stories tell that the city was ruled by Gilgamesh, a legendary king of the world, during the 27th century BC. The city was abandoned before the Muslim conquer the region and before the Muslim conquer, it was dominated by different empires and rulers. Excavation for the city began in 1850 and information was revealed how the agricultural villages were turned into urban centers filled with modern urban facilities. The economy and culture of the city was influenced by the outsiders who came here as traders and colonists. The area was also famous for the large edible vegetation and gradually became the largest human settlement during the Sumerian period. Now the place is one the of attractive spots in Iraq for the travelers.

 

10. Lagash:

 

Set on the hub of Tigris and Euphrates river, Lagash is another ancient city in Iraq and archaeologists consider the city to be the oldest one of the region of Ancient Near East (from ca. 2075 – 2030 BC). The city was important in religious perspective as well while the primary temple E-Ninnu was set here and dedicated to god Ningirsu. Historian also reveal that the city was important for certain reasons in the 3rd millennium BC as a Sumerian city and was ruled by some independent rulers and kings. But with the fall of the rulers, the city lost its independence but remained important in the artistic perspective as the art and culture that developed here were the most beautiful in the entire region. In the later years, the city grew again and had commercial communications with distant lands. But after the Babylonian period, the city lost its importance. The city has some disputes with the neighboring cities over border issues but the battle details are incomplete. Excavation for the site began in 1887 and the details of the city were completely unearthed in 1953. This is now a fantastic place for the tourists.

 

11. Kish: 

 

Kish is another wonder for Iraq and is considered as an ancient city of Sumer during the Mesopotamian age. The city is located adjacent to Tell al-Uhaymir under the Babil Governorate. Babylon is around 12 kilometers away from the city. The city started gaining attention after ca. 3100 BC. Some of the archaeologists have found that the East Semitic culture bloomed here in the beginning and Kish was the center for the cultural expansion. Many of the names of the kings of the city are not available on the list but the evidences have proved that the kings were dissimilar than the other kings of the adjacent regions. But the Third Dynasty of the land is renowned in the history as it was ruled by a woman and later she was worshipped as a goddess. Due to its strategic values, some of the later rulers claimed their supremacy on the land as they wanted to control over the other surrounding lands and it was occupied in different other periods as well.