Photo: ahisgett
Yes, travelers do visit Iraq. Unfortunately, there’s not as much there for them to see as there should be.
Tourists…in Iraq?
In case you haven’t heard, three American travelers were recently detained in Iran after inadvertently crossing the border during a hike in northern Iraq.
Photo: jamesdale10
Apart from sparking some intense debate here on Matador about what the appropriate reaction should be, it’s caused many to ask the obvious question: “Why would anyone willingly travel to Iraq?”
As it turns out, the question isn’t quite as obvious as you’d think.
The trio’s companion explains in a revealing piece in The Nation that the group’s destination — the northern autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan — “is actually very beautiful and quite safe.”
Since the Kurds gained autonomy in 1992, no American has ever been harmed there. The city of Sulaimania is increasingly popular with tourists, and a friend of ours told us it was the most beautiful area he’d ever seen.
But the story doesn’t end there. An announcement was made that Gulf Air is scheduled to start five-times-weekly flights from Bahrain to Baghdad on September 1. Tourists welcome.
And back in May, you may remember that Trips reported on the World’s Newest Tourist Attraction: Saddam’s Babylon Palace.
The Babylon Story
Which brings us to what, in a perfect world, would be the country’s (if not the region’s) #1 tourist draw: the ruins of Babylon. This mythical city sat at the heart of one of the earliest civilizations on Earth, and its famed hanging gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Unfortunately, time has not been as kind to the physical site as it has to its reputation. A BBC piece from last month details a tragic recent history:
Photo: Rictor Norton & David Allen
* Nineteenth-century European archaeologists swiped countless relics, many of which are now housed proudly in the world’s most famous museums.
* Under Saddam, half-assed and amateur renovations were undertaken, which resulted in more damage than restoration. It was these actions that prompted Unesco to refuse to grant the site World Heritage status, something that might have helped prevent at least some of the destruction that was to come.
* In 2003 and 2004, U.S. forces set up camp in the ruins, digging trenches, bulldozing, and using fragile stone-paved pathways as tank streets.
* The looting that began during America’s tenure continues today.
Apparently, Unesco is now rushing to reverse their decision and offer Babylon some World Heritage protection. But the sad truth is, it might be too late.
Have you been to Babylon? We’d love to see an on-the-ground report in the comments.
Community Connection
Those planning to be on that inaugural Gulf Air flight into Baghdad should make sure to read How To Travel To Iraq Without Getting Killed.
If, on the other hand, you wouldn’t be caught dead (ahem) touristing Iraq, keep an open mind and peruse 5 Compelling Reasons To Visit Banned Countries.
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7 Comments... join the discussion!
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Hal-
Thanks for this thoughtful, well-researched article. You managed to tackle lots of different issues in a concise, meaningful way.
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Thanks Julie!
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Tourism in Iraq huh? I can’t tell you how many 60 year old vets can’t believe i was backpacking around ‘Nam (in our circles that is par for course!)
But Iraq?
Sign me up!
Matador Party in Baghdad 2010?!↵ -
I’ve been to Babylon and you’d have to be nuts to go there without military protection still. Babylon is in Southern Iraq below Baghdad and the US military pulled out of that place a while ago, leaving it to the Iraq Army (and thats not much to speak of either).
Iraq has so many historical places to see, plus with it’s oil that it could be an awesome country to see “one day.” South of Babylon is the Temple or Ur, the birth place of Abraham and it’s actually in good shape because the US army persevered it while there but that still didn’t stop insurgents from stashing explosives there on a regular bases. Also the world’s largest Mosque is in Baghdad but isn’t finished because of the problems.
The whole country has problems and what wasn’t widely know was that 2 of the people who were hiking in the North knew Arabic. Wasn’t some farm boys from Missouri out doing an extreme hike or something. If it had been I would have given them 2 days before Jihad sent them to Mecca.
The Iraqi people are sitting on a gold mine of tourism possibilities but they are still more worried about fighting with each other and the infidels to realize this. It’s a shame because the common Iraqi could really use the chance to a business with this but because of history, religious beliefs and political self motivations it’ll never happen in my life time. What a shame to but no one in their right mind wants to go to a country where your safety isn’t guaranteed even 5%, as dyeing isn’t that bad if your doing something you love…but having your head sawed off and your family watching it on the internet is a whole another story.
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Thanks for your input, T-roy. I agree–the idea of mass tourism in Babylon is more a hope for the future than a current trend. I am very curious about Kurdistan, though.
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Great article. I was very interested in you comments. Thank you……
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