Northern
Nineveh, Hatra & the Treasures of the North
Six days in the north: the rebuilt Al-Nuri Mosque of Mosul, the Hatra of the Parthians that Rome never took, the Assyrian capitals of Nineveh and Nimrud, the church where Pope Francis prayed in Qaraqosh, and the monastery of Mar Mattai on its mountain. This edition adds the church square of Hosh al-Bieaa, the shrine of Prophet Jonah above its hidden Assyrian palace, the sulfur springs of Hammam Al-Alil, and the Baytna Foundation, which rebuilt a Mosul house from the rubble into a cafe.
Arrival in Mosul
Meet at Erbil International Airport and drive across the plains to Mosul, about ninety minutes. The reconstructed Al-Nuri Mosque and the leaning Hadba Minaret, rebuilt under the UNESCO Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative. In the evening, Hosh al-Bieaa, where four churches of different denominations gather around one cathedral, and dinner at the Antica cafe, which grew out of a house rebuilt from rubble by the Baytna Foundation.
Nineveh & Nimrud
Sunrise over the Tigris from Bashtabia castle, with a lah'am b'ajeen breakfast. The ancient wall of Nineveh and one of its eighteen gates, the Shamash Gate, then Nimrud, the Assyrian capital. The shrine of Prophet Jonah, with the remains of the Assyrian palace beneath it.
Hatra & Hammam Al-Alil
Hatra, the City of the Sun: the double walls, the great iwans still standing to full height, the Temple of the Sun and the goddess Shahiro, whose story says that even in the desert the light returns. The stones still carry the bullet marks of 2015; the walls are rising again. On the way back, the sulfur springs of Hammam Al-Alil.
Kirkuk & Baba Gurgur
Kirkuk: the archaeological citadel where mosques, churches and shrines of prophets stand side by side, the wax museum in the Qashla, and the eternal flame of Baba Gurgur.
Qaraqosh & Mar Mattai
Qaraqosh: the Grand Al-Tahira Church, the largest in Iraq, where Pope Francis prayed in 2021, and the Syriac heritage museum. Then Mar Mattai, the Syriac Orthodox monastery high on its mountain; a night there is possible on request.
Departure
Transfer to Erbil International Airport.
- All accommodations (including a heritage hotel in Mosul)
- Private transportation
- English-speaking guide
- All entrance fees
- Breakfast and dinner daily
- Qaraqosh church, Mar Mattai monastery, Hammam Al-Alil hot springs and Baytna Foundation visits
- Airport transfers
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees
- Lunches
- Personal expenses
- Tips