Southern Iraq

Mesopotamia

Odyssey

Baghdad, Babylon, Najaf & the Ancient Heartland

Overview

Seven days through the heart of Mesopotamia. Baghdad's bookshops and its Ottoman clock tower, the Ishtar Gate and the Lion of Babylon, the gold dome of Najaf, the spiral of Samarra. This edition adds the last gate of old Baghdad's walls, the lost city-states of Kish and Sippar, and a dawn walk through Wadi al-Salam, the largest cemetery in the world.

Itinerary

Arrival in Baghdad

Meet & assist at Baghdad International Airport, transfer to the hotel. Evening welcome dinner overlooking the Tigris.

Exploring Baghdad

Start the day like Baghdad does, with kahi and gaimar. Then the Iraqi National Museum, Al-Mustansiriya School and the historic souks: Bab Al-Wastani, the last surviving gate of the old city walls, the Qishla with its Ottoman clock tower, Souq Al-Saray where the calligraphers work, and Al-Mutanabbi Street with its bookshops and tea houses.

Babylon, Kish & Sippar

A full day in the ancient world's greatest city: the Ishtar Gate, the Lion of Babylon, the Processional Street and the site of the Hanging Gardens. Then Kish, one of the first centers of power in Mesopotamia, and Sippar, the holy city of the sun god Shamash. Sunset from the hill above the ruins, over Hilla.

Karbala & Najaf

Start before the crowds in Wadi al-Salam. The shrines of Imam Hussein and Al-Abbas in Karbala, then Najaf: the shrine of Imam Ali, the old alleys inside the city walls, and the street of bookstores. Khan Al-Musallah, the caravanserai where traders and pilgrims once rested, is on the way.

Samarra

The Malwiya, nine coils of brick rising 52 metres over the plain, and the seventeen hectares of its Great Mosque. The Abu Dulaf Minaret, the Pool Palace with its great water basin, and the historic prison of Imam Ali al-Hadi. Return to Baghdad.

Ctesiphon & Diyala

Taq Kasra, the great pre-Islamic arch of Ctesiphon, and the date palm groves of Diyala. The afternoon is yours; a Tigris river tour and the Abu Nuwas corniche are optional.