Next stop…Iraq! After having the best time traveling through Afghanistan, I knew I had to return to the Middle East before the end of the year. As you may be aware, Iraq shares many similarities with Afghanistan, most notably the U.S. occupation from 2003 to 2011.
From The Garden of Eden & Mosul to Fallujah & Baghdad
However, it offers much more than that. Known as the cradle of civilization, it’s where it all began, and I hope the experience is at least half as rewarding as my time in Afghanistan.
WHERE IS IRAQ?
Next stop…Iraq!
I will be starting my trip with a day in Baghdad before getting the famous overnight train to the southern city and the oil rich region of Basrah. Here I will explore the sites of many wars, see where the Americans crossed from Kuwait and explore Saddam’s old yacht.
SADDAM’S YACHT
From Basrah I move north visiting some of the older and most important historical places in the world; the garden of Eden, URUK – the worlds first city, Babylon and Saddam’s palace, the battle zones of Fallujah before heading back to Baghdad for a few days.
But as I said, Iraq has tonnes to offer and it would be unfair not to visit the northern region to see Saddam’s birth place, the area he was found and executed and then into the independent nation of Kurdistan to enjoy the modern city of Sulaymaniyah before exploring the ruins of Mosul at the hands of ISIS. Talk about a trip of emotions.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I had other plans this year but as soon as I came home from Afghanistan there was only going to be one country for me to visit. So please, come along while we explore country 160, IRAQ!
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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