Iraq: Regions, Cities & Travel Guide

What is Iraq known for?

The land between the rivers held one of the earliest civilisations, and after the rise of Islam, Baghdad grew into a centre of learning through the Islamic Golden Age. Few places carry so long a past. Its holy cities of Najaf and Karbala draw pilgrims from across the Middle East, and the name of Mesopotamia still marks Iraq as one of the oldest settled lands on earth.

Where is Iraq?

Iraq lies in West Asia, within the Middle East. The country is ringed by neighbours on almost every side, with Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, and Saudi Arabia to the south, while Syria closes it off to the west. Land borders define it.

Jordan meets Iraq to the southwest and Kuwait to the southeast, leaving only a short frontage on the Persian Gulf as the country's narrow window to the sea. Only a sliver meets the sea. The land itself is the old ground of Mesopotamia.

The name Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers, pointing to the valleys that cross Iraq and gave rise to one of the world's first settled landscapes at the heart of the Middle East. Water shaped this place. Baghdad stands near the middle of it all, set on the river country at the core of Iraq, roughly between the Gulf coast and the northern border with Turkey.

From the Persian Gulf shore inland to the borders with Iran and Syria, Iraq spreads across the ground that carried Mesopotamia, reaching toward Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the south.

What is the history of Iraq?

Iraq holds one of the oldest recorded pasts on earth. The land of Mesopotamia, between the rivers, saw some of the first cities, writing, and law, which later ages came to call a cradle of civilisation at the heart of the Middle East. Civilisation began early here.

Over thousands of years the river country passed through a long succession of peoples and empires, each leaving its mark on the ground that would become Iraq. The rise of Islam reshaped the land. Baghdad rose as a centre of learning, its scholars, libraries, and translators making the city a focus of the Islamic Golden Age across the Middle East.

Learning flourished in Baghdad. In the same centuries the cities of Najaf and Karbala took on deep religious meaning, becoming holy cities that would draw pilgrims from across the region for generations to come. The modern state took shape in 1932.

Built on the old ground of Mesopotamia, Iraq was established as a country in that year, taking its place on the map of West Asia in its own right. The old name endured. Through every age, from ancient Mesopotamia to the Republic of Iraq, the land between the rivers has held its place at the centre of the Middle East.

What is Iraq like?

Iraq carries the culture of the Arab and Islamic Middle East. Arabic is the everyday language across most of the country, and the rhythms of Islam shape the calendar, the arts, and daily life from Baghdad to the smaller towns of West Asia. Faith runs through it.

The holy cities of Najaf and Karbala stand among the most important places of pilgrimage in the region, drawing the faithful from far beyond Iraq's borders. Family and hospitality anchor daily life, with shared meals and long visits binding households across Iraq and the wider Middle East. Beneath the modern country lies the memory of Mesopotamia.

Poetry, music, and craft reach back through the Islamic Golden Age of Baghdad to the deep antiquity of a land often called a cradle of civilisation, giving Iraqi culture a long horizon few places can match. Baghdad remains a byword for books and learning. The past is always close.

In the markets, the mosques, and the shrines of Najaf and Karbala, the old identity of the land between the rivers still runs through the daily life of the Middle East.

What is the climate of Iraq?

Iraq has a hot, dry climate for most of the year. Long, very hot summers stretch across the country from the Persian Gulf inland, giving way to shorter, cooler winters, with more rain falling toward the borders with Turkey and Iran. The heat defines it.

Across the lands of Mesopotamia, summer runs long and fierce, while the brief winter brings the year's rain to the land between the rivers before the dry season returns.

How do you get to Iraq?

Most travellers reach Iraq through Baghdad. The capital is the country's main gateway, with land borders reaching Turkey, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and a short coast on the Persian Gulf to the southeast. Arrival takes some planning.

Because travel across Iraq can pose challenges, most visitors route through Baghdad or the pilgrimage cities of Najaf and Karbala rather than crossing the wider country of West Asia on their own.