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Season's Greetings from the mideast
#1
Continuing a periodic series of trip reports from some of the more obscure corners of the planet, I recently returned from spending 2 weeks in Iraq (plus a few days in Qatar).  The trip was evenly split between southern Iraq (the Arab portion), and Kurdistan (the northern third).  It was a rather fascinating place to say the least.  Thousands of years of history have made Iraq a truly unique place, and more recent events have unfortunately left much of the country in a not great state.  Despite that, the people were generally friendly and welcoming. The entire trip was organized via a private tour, with a guide & driver accompanying me most of the time.  In southern Iraq, it was a sheer neccesesity, as language barriers coupled with safety concerns would have made it difficult, if not impossible.  I could have likely managed on my own in Kurdistan, but having a guide definitely made the experience easier and more enjoyable overall.

What follows are a sampling of the photographic highlights of the trip.

[Image: 51744589077_6b8b88f8d4_h.jpg]the martyr's monument in Baghdad

[Image: 51744547462_df2ce80b00_h.jpg]the minaret and original grand mosque of Samara

[Image: 51745680143_d96c7aeacc_h.jpg]what remains of Mosul, following air strikes on ISIS

[Image: 51745444846_f8e347afe4_h.jpg]The ruins of a 19th century Mosul church, after ISIS intentionally destroyed it

[Image: 51745618118_dd67c57237_h.jpg]the ancient city of Babylon

[Image: 51744598327_a73b376f7a_h.jpg]Najaf shrine

[Image: 51744593537_a8b0c7ce55_h.jpg]the holiest Shia muslim shrine

[Image: 51745397671_d4721a95ee_h.jpg]Gara mountain, Kurdistan

[Image: 51745680228_cdef618401_h.jpg]Koy Sinjaq thousand year old caravanserai

[Image: 51745672043_7fe0c0e289_h.jpg]driving west to Sulaymaniyah

[Image: 51744598487_1bf28acd5c_h.jpg]pilgrims at the shrine

[Image: 51745423916_cd1fce0860_h.jpg]the world's largest cemetery, Najaf

[Image: 51745379006_6183fab201_h.jpg]Ukaydir fortress

[Image: 51746017329_b8f4cdf5f3_h.jpg]
Ctesiphon

[Image: 51746333865_8d0d989eda_h.jpg]Al Zubara fortress, Qatar 


A detailed, day by day trip report is available here.

Happy holidays!
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Season's Greetings from the mideast - by netllama - 2021-12-13, 10:45 PM
RE: Season's Greetings from the mideast - by bbbb - 2021-12-15, 10:45 AM

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