Season's Greetings from the mideast

[netllama]

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.

the martyr's monument in Baghdad

the minaret and original grand mosque of Samara

what remains of Mosul, following air strikes on ISIS

The ruins of a 19th century Mosul church, after ISIS intentionally destroyed it

the ancient city of Babylon

Najaf shrine

the holiest Shia muslim shrine

Gara mountain, Kurdistan

Koy Sinjaq thousand year old caravanserai

driving west to Sulaymaniyah

pilgrims at the shrine

the world's largest cemetery, Najaf

Ukaydir fortress


Ctesiphon

Al Zubara fortress, Qatar 


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

Happy holidays!

[TacoLand]

Oh dang! Your trip reports are always wild with great photos too. Only had the chance to read through part 1 so far and am looking forward to the rest. Thanks for giving the play-by-play on the food as well, always one of my favorite parts of international travel (even when it's mediocre, confusing, or non-existent).

Sounds like this trip you went with 3 other Americans, correct? I'm under the impression this was a change of pace for you versus previous trips, or have you also travelled with others before like this?

[bbbb]

These are really terrific photos, llama.

I'm always fascinated by the logistics for your travel too. There are a lot of places that we in the west assume are too dangerous to travel to, when reality they might be similar to walking through certain parts of the U.S. That said, do the guides in these areas also act as security, or is that not necessary on trip like this?

[netllama]

Oh dang! Your trip reports are always wild with great photos too. Only had the chance to read through part 1 so far and am looking forward to the rest. Thanks for giving the play-by-play on the food as well, always one of my favorite parts of international travel (even when it's mediocre, confusing, or non-existent).

Sounds like this trip you went with 3 other Americans, correct? I'm under the impression this was a change of pace for you versus previous trips, or have you also travelled with others before like this?

I was with one other American. I normally travel solo, but this was a bizarre mess of pandemic chaos, and it just worked out easier to share the trip with another person.

[netllama]

These are really terrific photos, llama.

I'm always fascinated by the logistics for your travel too. There are a lot of places that we in the west assume are too dangerous to travel to, when reality they might be similar to walking through certain parts of the U.S. That said, do the guides in these areas also act as security, or is that not necessary on trip like this?

On this trip, there was no special security. My guide was only a guide (or sometimes a driver), but that was it. In reality, I don't think I was ever in any real danger. While southern Iraq is definitely not the most stable place, beyond some political instability, its relatively safe & stable now. Kurdistan is fairly safe too. The only area that was questionable was Mosul, and that was intentionally a day trip, as ISIS is unfortunately still operating around there and launching attacks at night.

[DeathValleyDazed]

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

Happy holidays!

I loved following you daily on your Instagram account. Thanks for sharing your world travels which in many ways is more accurate than mainstream media.

[GowerGulch42]

An achingly beautiful part of the world. Thanks for sharing.

[trailhound]

The pictures are incredibly good.  Hiking in a war zone takes a pair.

[netllama]

The pictures are incredibly good.  Hiking in a war zone takes a pair.

Thanks, although Mosul is no longer an active war zone. ISIS was defeated in 2017. That said, they still launch periodic night attacks, but I was only in Mosul during the day.

[MojaveGeek]

Wow, another awesome trip for you! Very nice photos - you start with great scenes but have a good eye for the shots through the lens. I really enjoy reading about each of your trips - thanks for posting!