21 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Iraq - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Iraq

Babylon

Celebrated as a center of civilization, the remains of the ancient city have been nearly destroyed by greed, egoism, and war.

Great Mosque of Samarra

9th century Abbasid mosque, damaged in modern warfare.

Al-Shikhan, Iraq

Lalish Temple

The sacred shrine of the Yazidis.

Erbil Citadel

An ancient fortified mound raised over the millennia from settlements built one on top of the other.

Saddam Hussein's Blood Quran

A 605-page Quran penned in the blood of a dictator is locked away in a mosque.

Bahdinan Gate

This beautiful arched gate is all that remains of the fortress the ancient mountaintop town of Amadiya once was.

The Tree of Knowledge

A shrine on the shores of the Tigris.

Qyzqapan Tomb

Ancient rock-cut tomb? Definitely. That of a great Median king? Unlikely.

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Stories About Iraq

Courtesy of the Penn Museum, image no. 251051

The Most Lavish Mesopotamian Tomb Ever Found Belongs to a Woman

And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright.

February 10, 2022

Customers return to Maktaba al-Sham in Mosul's Old City. Shopping for books on Najafi Street is a tradition that dates back more than a century.

The Only Bookstore on Najafi Street

Four years after the Iraqi city of Mosul was liberated from ISIS, Daud Salim is the first—and the only—bookseller to return to the storied street.

August 26, 2021

This silicone doll plays a central role in <em>Hanging Gardens</em>.

A New Generation Is Remaking Iraqi Cinema

“If we can’t make the revolution on the streets … we can make it in cinema, sending a message, spreading our vision of the world.”

by Laura Silvia Battaglia

Ra'ad Abdelemir, a trader, sorts truffles in a tent at a market in Samawa, Iraq, February 22, 2021.

The Risks and Rewards of the Remarkable Desert Truffle

Mysterious to scientists, dangerous for foragers, and coveted by gastronomes.

by Elizabeth Wang Whitman

A fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, which caused many injuries but no casualties.

Found: Possibly the First Recorded Death-by-Meteorite

Call it a cold case from space.

by Isaac Schultz

The cuneiform tablets were taken from Ur in Iraq in the early 20th century.

After a Century Abroad, a Collection of Cuneiform Is Heading Home to Iraq

Some will remain in Philly, but only because they might be too fragile for the trip.

by Isaac Schultz

December 3, 2019

Outside the gates of Babylon is a vast maze.

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

“If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” says a guide to the ancient site.

December 2, 2019

A Late Babylonian tablet spelling out a ritual to quiet a crying child.

How to Calm a Crying Baby Like a Mesopotamian

Sing a simple song and sprinkle some sacred dust.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

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