20 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.

Bahdinan Gate

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

Saddam Hussein's Blood Quran

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

The Tree of Knowledge

A shrine on the shores of the Tigris.

Chamchamal, Iraq

Chamchamal Fire Well

A boiling wellspring flowing with natural gas burns in a continual blaze.

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Stories About Iraq

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

The ruins of the ancient city of Ur, in present-day Iraq.

How to Get Your Laundry Done in Ancient Mesopotamia

A humorous dialogue between a cleaner and customer, useful to both ancient scribes and modern scholars.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

February 6, 2019

Vintage photo of the Tigris River, flowing through Iraq. The cradle of civilization and of <em>shaku maku</em>.

The Iraqi Version of 'What's Up?' Is an Existential Riddle

The phrase "shaku maku" offers a question, a playful paradox, and an invitation to share.

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