Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Baghdad
Welcome at Baghdad International Airport. Your Koryo Tours guide handles the formalities and transfers you to your hotel in central Baghdad. Evening orientation: walk Al-Mutanabbi Street, the legendary book market where Iraqi intellectuals have gathered for centuries. Friday is market day, so bookstalls line the entire street if you arrive then — a bibliophile’s paradise. Welcome dinner at a traditional Baghdad restaurant featuring Iraqi mezze and masgouf — the iconic grilled fish from the Tigris. Overnight in Baghdad. (D)
Day 2: Baghdad — The Round City Revealed
Full-day exploration of Baghdad. Begin at the Iraq National Museum — the greatest collection of Mesopotamian artifacts anywhere on Earth. The Assyrian Gallery alone is worth the journey, with colossal winged bulls (lamassu) from Nimrud and Nineveh, the treasures of the Royal Cemetery of Ur, and the exquisite “Lady of Warka” (Sumerian Mona Lisa, 3100 BC). Walk through the Abbasid Palace and the 13th-century Mustansiriya Madrasa — one of the world’s oldest universities. Visit the Martyr’s Memorial and Tahrir Square. Afternoon: the copper market (Souq al-Safafeer) where craftsmen hammer intricate designs into copper trays, and the Shorja covered market. Evening: sunset cruise on the Tigris. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 3: Babylon & Karbala
Morning drive south to Babylon — just the name evokes millennia of history. Walk through the reconstructed Ishtar Gate, its glazed bricks depicting dragons (mushussu) and bulls. Visit the Southern Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC), the site of the legendary Hanging Gardens. Stand before the Lion of Babylon — a 2,600-year-old basalt sculpture. Tour Saddam Hussein’s palace, a surreal monument overlooking the ruins. Afternoon: Karbala, one of Shia Islam’s holiest cities. The golden-domed shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas are spectacular — vast courtyards filled with pilgrims, intricate mirror-work interiors that glitter with a million reflections. Overnight in Karbala. (B)
Day 4: Najaf — The Sacred City & Wadi al-Salaam
Drive to Najaf. Visit the Imam Ali Shrine — its golden dome is visible from miles across the desert plain. Walk through Wadi al-Salaam (Valley of Peace), the world’s largest cemetery — over 6 million burials across 1,500 acres. Visit the Great Mosque of Kufa, where Imam Ali delivered his last sermon, and see the house where he lived — a simple mud-brick structure that speaks to early Islamic ideals of simplicity. Afternoon: a rare opportunity to visit the private library of a Najaf religious scholar, viewing centuries-old manuscripts. Overnight in Najaf. (B)
Day 5: Uruk & Ur — The First Cities
A day of profound archaeology. First to Uruk (Warka), the city of Gilgamesh — considered the world’s first true city, where writing was invented around 3400 BC. Walk the ruins of the Eanna temple complex dedicated to Inanna, goddess of love and war. See the White Temple, one of the oldest surviving temples on Earth, and the ziggurat that inspired the Tower of Babel story. Then to Ur — the Great Ziggurat rises from the desert in remarkably preserved condition. Climb the modern staircase to the upper platform and imagine Abraham looking out across this same landscape. Visit the Royal Tombs where Sir Leonard Woolley discovered the magnificent death pit of Queen Puabi. Overnight in Nasiriyah. (B, L)
Day 6: Mesopotamian Marshes — The Garden of Eden
Full day in the Mesopotamian Marshes (Al-Ahwar UNESCO site). Board a traditional mashoof (canoe) and glide through reeds taller than a person, watching for water buffalo, pied kingfishers, and the endemic Basra reed warbler. Visit a Ma’dan village — the Marsh Arabs whose way of life has remained largely unchanged for 5,000 years. Lunch in a mudhif (communal reed house), eating freshly caught fish grilled over an open fire. Afternoon: more exploration by canoe, reaching parts of the marshes accessible only by water. Stay overnight in a reed hut, experiencing a way of life that is one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures. Overnight in the Marshes. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Marshes → Basra
Sunrise coffee in the marshes — an unforgettable moment as mist rises from the water. Morning drive to Basra, Iraq’s historic port city. Visit the Basra Museum, the old suq, and the Shatt al-Arab waterfront where the Tigris and Euphrates meet. See the “Tree of Adam” — a gnarled ancient tree marking the mythical location of the Garden of Eden. Farewell dinner at a renowned Basra seafood restaurant. Overnight in Basra. (B, D)
Day 8: Departure
Transfer to Basra International Airport. You leave with memories of ziggurats against desert skies, reed houses on still waters, and a profound appreciation for the land where civilization first put down roots.
