Highlights: (soon)

1. Intro and Iraq Facts

3. Iraq Visa

4. International Airports in iraq

5. Arrival in Baghdad international Airport

6. Baghdad Airport Taxi

7. iraq Taxis

8. hiring Car

9. public transportations

10. Museums, Working hours and prices

11. Sim cards and internet connectivity

12. Iraq Travel Restrictions and covid-19

13. Official iraq Travel PCR centers

14. Travel insurance

15. is iraq safe?

16. Independent travel

17. Organized tours

18. Female Experience in iraq

19. Best Time to Visit iraq

20. Getting in

21. Money, Prices, Budget and ATMs

22. Transportation and Moving around iraq

23. Checkpoints

24. Dress Code and what to wear

25. Culture

26. Food and Iraqi Cuisine

27. Alcohol

28. where to Stay and accommodation options

29. iraq Travel itinerary

31. Travel Tips

32. Top Places in Baghdad to visit

33. Top Travel Destinations in Iraq

34. iraqi People and Culture

35. Social Media in Iraq

36. Photography and Drone in iraq

37. other info

38. iraq telephone system and important phone numbers

iraq visa on arrival countries

Requirement:

1. $77 visa fee

2. hotel reservation (designated hotels, at least for one night)

3. Return flight tickets

4. Visa is Valid for whole Iraq including Kurdistan Region.

5. Visa Length is 60 days.

Eligible Countries:

UK, USA, Russia, France, China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.

European Union countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden

OTHER NATIONALITIES:

long process through an official invitation letter through travel agencies, then transfer to the specific iraqi embassy abroad, whole process will take around a month.

International Airports

1. Baghdad Airport

Telephone: 00964 7901403537

facebook: www.facebook.com/1baghdadinternationalairport

Email: info@icaa.gov.iq

2. Basra Airport

Telephone: 00964 40 886 3999

Media department: Facebook

3. Najaf Airport

Telephone: 00964 33 334935

Email: info@alnajafairport.net

Media Department Facebook: www.facebook.com/NIAP.Media

National Flag Carrier

Iraqi Airways

website: www.iraqiairways.com.iq

Telephone: 00964 7811000036

Email: contactus@ia.com.iq

Official pcr centers

TRAVEL UPDATE DEC 2022

Starting 1st of December 2022, iraq removed all covid vaccine certificates or PCR Test requirements to travel in or out of iraq, for all locals and foreigners.

TRAVEL UPDATE APR 2022

Iraqi government decided to remove PCR test requirement for travelers in/out of iraq, starting 1st of April 2022

to be eligible for this, you have to hold Vaccine Certificate with QR code. if not then you have to do in/out PCR test.

1. Baghdad

A. Al-Nukhba laboratory clinic

Location: salman faeq street, near alwathiq square

Google coordinate: 8C5J+V6 Baghdad

Telephone: 00964 772 2228666

Cost: around $75

working hours: 24/7

B. Private Nursing Home Hospital.

Cost: 75000 iraqi dinars

Telephone: 009647815175504 - 009647901630152

working hours: 24/7

they have service to come to your hotel to take the swap and do the test

C. Imam Ali Hospital

Location: 9FW7+4J Baghdad

2. Basra

Al-Sadr hospital and Al-Zubair Hospital

3. Najaf

Al-Hakeem Hospital

tRAVEL Tips

No photography of Military and checkpoints.
DONT PANICK, iraq is heavily militarized! police and military are everywhere, inside and outside cities.
inside Mosques, for MEN, no shorts are allowed, and also cover your tattoo. while dress code for WOMEN, cover your head with a scarf and cover yourself with an abbaya.
MEN greets MEN with waving their hands, or hand shakes (first times) while hugs and kisses on 2nd times. Women Greets MEN with waving their hands or hand on heart gesture. WOMEN greets WOMEN by hugs and kisses. also putting your hand on your heart is a respectful greeting or thanking gesture for both genders.
people are eager to interact with foreigners, and will ask you for lots of selfies and your social media account. if you dont like, then just apologize with a big smile and hand on heart gesture.
even some ATMs available around big cities, but CASH IS KING.
Traffic jam in Baghdad, so be patient and give plenty of time for traveling around the capital.
many check points around the country, just smile and hand your passport! again dont get panicked, they are here for our safety and stability.
Dress code for Women, cover your shoulder, no shorts, no lower than knees, to blend in.
Tea Culture is a huge thing, cups are filled with sugar! NO SUGAR:bidun sukar(arabic) Beshakr(kurdish)
bring your own towels, not every hotel provide towels!
we use eastern toilets (squat), only in some places western toilets are available. Instead of toilet papers we use bidet spray. so prepare and practice squatting to embrace new cultures (:
no public toilets (or few, might cost 500 iqd), but you can access mosque toilets for free. (toilet in arabic : twalet; hamamt; marafuq; w.c.)
DO NOT pick up any artifacts from archeological sites, no matter how small it is! you might face Death penalty!
No drugs, if caught, you will end up in jail!
Alcohol only in specific areas! dont try to drink in holy cities, Najaf and Karbala at all.

BASIC ARABIC iraqi WORDS

greetings, Salamu alaikoum (peace be on you). Answer: alaykum alsalam
Hi/hello : halaw
No: Kala Yes: Naam (e)
How you doing: shlonak
Whats up: shakw makw
Thank you: shukran
Iraqi loves to use HABIBI (love, darling, sweety) for everyone! Its common.
Good morning : Sabah alkher
Good evening : masaa alkher
Where are you from : Min Wen/Mn ya dawla
i/me: ana
What is your name: ma esmuk
Can i take a photo : mumkin akhud soora
how much : kam / shgad
Bye: bye or ma'a alsalama
ONE: wahd TWO: ethnen THREE : thalatha

top travel destinations in iraq

Iraq is full of historical and Cultural sites, here are some of the highlights while still there are SO many other places that will keep it off the beaten path!

Baghdad: Old and Modern side, minimum 2-3 full days to cover major highlights of the capital.

Outside Baghdad

Agargouf Ziggurat
Ctesiphon Arch

Babylon

Saddam Hussein Palace
Historical Babylon city
Ezekiel tomb

Samarra

Spiral minaret

Karbala

Holy shrines

Najaf

Imam Ali shrine
Wadi alsalam cemetery

Nasiriyah

UR Ziggurat temple
Marshlands - chibaysh

Basrah

Old town (shanasheel)
Archeological Museum (former Saddam Palace)
Fish market
Shatalarab boat ride

Outside basrah

Qurnah

Mosul: old and modern side

Historical sights outside mosul:

Nimrud
Ashur
Hatra

Samawa

Uruk

Kirkuk: Historical Citadel and downtown

Outside Kirkuk:

Baba gurgur eternal flame

photography and drone

1. iraqi people are very friendly people, ask for permission before taking photos, %99 of the time you will get greenlight. smile and point to the camera then to the person.

2. asking for photography in arabic:

can i film you : mumkin asawrak

can i take a picture with you : mumkin atsawar ma'ak : mumkin atsawar wyak

can you film me : mumkin tisawrni

3. No photography of Military and checkpoints. dont be careless!

4. sometimes police or military smile to you and ask for a selfie, dont panic! they are friendly.

5. people are eager to interact with foreigners, and will ask you for lots of selfies and your social media account. if you dont like, then just apologize with a big smile and hand on heart gesture. but remember your act will leave a fingerprint about people of the world, so pass your social media to the curious lovely people and accept their selfies request.

6. drones are prohibited, it will get confiscated at the airport! and if it passed without noticing, then again dont try to fly it! dont be a careless traveler.

iraq telephone system and important phone numbers

the country calling code assigned to Iraq is 00964

Iraq’s telephone numbers are made up of 11 to 12 numbers split into groups of 3. So if you’re going to make a call to Iraq using a mobile phone, you should dial country code+area code+7-digit number.

A call from outside Iraq would have the following dialing format when calling a:

Landline telephone:

00964 (Area Code) (Telephone Number)

LIST OF AREA CODES

Area (City) and Code

Baghdad 1
Erbil (Hewlêr) 66

Salah ad Din (Tikrit) 21

Sulaimaniya (Slemani) 53

Dohuk (Duhok) 62

Wasit (Al Kut) 23

Anbar (Ramadi) 24

Diyala (Baquba) 25

Babil (Hilla) 30

Karbala 32

Najaf 33

Al-Qādisiyyah (Diwaniya) 36

Al Muthanna (Samawa) 37

Basrah 40

Dhi Qar (Nasiriya) 42

Maysan (Amarah) 43

Kirkuk (Kerkuk) 50

Nineveh (Mosul) 60

Mobile telephone:

00964 7xx 123 4567

Mobile Telecommunication Services:

Asiacell (code 077) Zain (code 078) Korek (code 075)

List of Mobile Phones Codes:

079x xxx xxxx Cell phones Zain Iraq

078x xxx xxxx Cell phones Zain Iraq, (formerly MTC Atheer)

077x xxx xxxx Cell phones AsiaCell

075x xxx xxxx Cell phones Korek Telecom

Important Phone Numbers and hotlines:

104 Police

115 Civil Defense

122 Paramedical Stuff

120 Ambulance

130 Ministry of interior hotline

131 National Security

400 National Intelligence

533 Anti-crime department

404 Department of Bombing Prevention

178 Narcotics Control department

139 Family protection act department

153 Military intelligence

5628 Mayoralty Of Baghdad, Citizen Complaint Center

159 electricity hotline

497 community police

Recommended Books, Movies and Documentaries

A. Documentaries

1. Once Upon a time in Iraq by BBC

Once Upon a Time in Iraq chronicles the story of the Iraq War from the perspectives of the people who lived through it. It covers events between 2003, when coalition forces occupied the country, and 2014, when the Islamic State group came into existence. It gives the floor to Iraqi and American participants who, although on opposite sides of the conflict, share their first-hand experiences of the war and the trauma it unleashed.

The documentary is an eye-opening account of the realities of life during war, not from the flawed lens of politicians and political analysts, but through that of the civilians, soldiers and journalists who lived through the invasion and its aftermath. With no stone left unturned, it offers a first-hand narrative of the conflict in a new light, from the fall of Saddam Hussein, to the subsequent civil war and the rise of the Islamic State group.

2. How The US Stole Iraq by Johnny Harris

The story of how a few guys brought the US into war.

3. How to Become a Tyrant by Netflix

How to Become a Tyrant, Saddam Hussein, Episode two, Crush your Rivals.

You've secured your place at the top, but maintaining power means watching your back. Nobody did that better or more ruthlessly than Saddam Hussein.

4. Saddam's Iraq by Feature History

5. Destruction of a Nation (4 episodes)

In the early 1980s, Saddam Hussein launches a full-scale invasion of Iran. The move kicks off decades of war in the Gulf region, a period marked by lies, manipulation and countless deaths. At the time, western nations view Hussein as a modernist and a protective shield against the radical Shia Iranian mullahs. The Iraqi regime is given a free pass in its campaign against Iran’s clerical rulers; when he deploys chemical weapons, the West turns a blind eye. When the first Gulf War ends in 1988, Saddam Hussein believes Washington, Paris and London to be his allies. But he is mistaken. Economic interests in the Gulf are too powerful. For the first time, a documentary series tells the story of the 40-year conflict that will eventually lead Iraq into chaos. Lies, betrayal, manipulation and fabricated information all played a part in the downfall of this nation. Featuring the testimonies of key figures, including civilians and politicians from the US, France, the UN and Iraq, this geopolitical thriller traces the contours of a conflict that left Iraq in tatters.

Iraq - Destruction of a nation (1/4): https://youtu.be/DLRfecGZhts

Iraq - Destruction of a nation (2/4): https://youtu.be/BPh53INZjCc

Iraq - Destruction of a nation (3/4): https://youtu.be/0HlvNDad3HE

Iraq - Destruction of a nation (4/4): https://youtu.be/r352AVvQRHs