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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Iraq

26 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Iraq

Updated November 21, 2024

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Abu Haider, a famed Marsh Arab guide, and his wife, Um Haider, in the Central Marshes of Iraq.

In Iraq, the Marsh Arabs of Hawizeh Persevere in a Changing Landscape

Linked to the biblical Garden of Eden, the Mesopotamian marshes—and their people—have endured decades of environmental destruction.
by Leon McCarron
A 1902 illustration of battling dryptosaurs.

Wonder Is Everywhere: Lost Dinosaurs, 5,000-Year-Old Leftovers, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
by April White
Archaeologists believe this head belonged to a figurine representing a high priestess of Ur.

History’s First Named Author Was a Mesopotamian Priestess

Her name was Enheduanna.
by Sarah Durn
The Syrian Cassette Archives website currently hosts 91 fully digitized cassettes, including interviews with artists and distributors.

The Quest to Preserve Syria's Cassette Tape Era

Keeping sounds, stories, and cultural memory alive through years of conflict.
by Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing
Climbing date trees can be a perilous task.

How Baghdad’s Backyards Are Bringing Back Iraqi Dates

A company is using garden trees to revive an ancient industry.
by Charlie Metcalfe
Cloves and apples make a simple but meaningful memento.

Reviving the Romance of the Kurdish Clove Apple

These fragrant fruits are deeply symbolic.
by Ramsha Zubairi
Courtesy of the Penn Museum, image no. 251051

The Most Lavish Mesopotamian Tomb Ever Found Belongs to a Woman

And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright.
by Sarah Durn
Customers return to Maktaba al-Sham in Mosul’s Old City. Shopping for books on Najafi Street is a tradition that dates back more than a century.

The Only Bookstore on Najafi Street

Four years after the Iraqi city of Mosul was liberated from ISIS, Daud Salim is the first—and the only—bookseller to return to the storied street.
by Pesha Magid

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