Southern Iraq & Iraqi Kurdistan Tour Plan

Day 1 – Baghdad

• Bab Al Wastani (the only remaining gate of Baghdad)
• Al-Safafir Market is the first market in the world
• Mutanabi Street is famous for poets and writers
  

  
• Abbasid Place
  

  
• Mustansiriya school
• Shabandar Café is one of the oldest cultural cafes in Baghdad have tea and walk around the bazaar
  

  
• Pass through the Green Zone
• Old cultural house on tigress
• Lunch in a kurdish restaurant of the owner Of the old heritage house
• Martyr's Monument which Saddam built during Iraq and Iranian war
• Square or liberation: Where most of the protests against foreign and domestic accrued
• Dinner

Day 2 – Baghdad

• Ziggurat Dur-Kurigalzu 2200 -2000 BC / 30km outside of Baghdad around 30–40- minute drive
• Lunch brake
• Ctesiphon / Parthian Empire (247 BCE - 224 CE) until Rome's destruction. Later restored, it became the capital of the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE)
  

  
• 40km outside of Baghdad around 30–40- minute drive
• Dinner

Day 3 – Baghdad to Karbala

• Baghdad to Karbala
• Babylon / 40–50-minute drive from Baghdad 1:30 hours tour in the ancient city
  

  
• Saddam's Palace/ in the same location exclusive access for our company to all the areas and rooms in the palace including the roof 1:30 hours tour
  

  
• Lunch
• Karbala (visit the two shrines: Imam Abbas and Imam Hussein) most significant shrines in Shia world
  

  
• Dinner

Day 4 – Karbala to Najaf

• Al-Ukhaidir Fortress /50 km south of Karbala, Iraq. It is a large, rectangular fortress erected in 775AD with a unique defensive style. Constructed by the Abbasid caliph's As-Saffah
• Lunch
• Visit The Prophet Dhu al-Kifl (Ezekiel) Hebrew Bible prophet
• Note the shrine is closed, the mosque next it is open and available to visit
• Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery. The biggest cemetery in the world
  

  
• Imam Ali Shrine/ most important and first Imam in Islam and the son in law of Islam's prophet Mohammed
  

  

Day 5 – Najaf to Samawa and Nassriyah

• 2.5-hour drive to Uruk (5,000 BC). It's where the first written words were created and the first city in the world. Tour the ancient temples for 1.5 hours
• Ziggurat of Ur, the birthplace of prophet Abraham 3800 BC, walk around the ancient city tour 1 hour
• Dinner and overnight in Samawa city

Day 6 – Nassriyah to Basrah

• Boat trip in the Iraqi Marshes unesco world heritage site 1 hour, have fish (Mazgof) 1 45 minutes away from the city
  

  

  
• Stay in the reed house with local people for a few hours
• Go to Basra 2 hours drive and checkin hotel visit Shanasheel Street, (Old Basrah)
• Dinner and overnight in Basra
• Optional: have a walk around during the night by the Shat al Arab river
• And take a boat ride

Day 7 – Basrah to Baghdad

• Basra Cultural Museum
  

  
• Shatt al-Arab, the point where the two Mesopotamian rivers meet each other
• Lunch break
• Drive to Baghdad and overnight there

Day 8 – Baghdad to Samara & Mosul

• Drive to Samara passing by Abu Ghraib, the famous prison which used by US guards tortured Iraqi prisoners. 2 hours drive
• Visit the Malawiya minaret or the grand mosque of Samara and Abo Dalaf Mosque and walk up the tower
  

  
• Time permitting visit Qasr Sl Khalifa or the palace of the Caliphate
• Driving to Mosul 3 hours drive and arrive by the late afternoon around 5 pm
• Dinner and overnight in Mosul

Day 9 – Mosul to Erbil

• Visit the ancient city of Mosul and the houses which were used by ISIS the Islamic state
• Visit the first mosque built in Iraq during the Umayyad period
• Visit the ancient walls of Nineveh that are mentioned in the Bible. Three sites in the city
• Visit Hatra, the ancient city outside of Mosul, a large, fortified city under the influence of the Parthian Empire and capital of the first Arab Kingdom. The temples are Hellenistic and Roman architecture blend with Eastern decorative features, attesting to the greatness of its civilization. 1:30 hours away from the city
  

  
• Come back to Mousl If Time permitting, visit two museums inside Mousl and go to Erbil
• Dinner and overnight in Erbil

Day 10 – Erbil

• Highlight: Tour the Citadel of Erbil, a UNESCO site and world's continuously inhabited city in the world for 7500 - 8000 thousand years
  

  
• Kurdish antique shop, a good place for unique souvenirs
• Walk through the Qaysari Bazaar, here you can buy everything
• Minaret of Choli (also known as the Mudhafaria Minaret). The minaret was built between 1190 and 1232
• Leaving Erbil to Khanzad Castle was constructed during the time of the Kurdish Soran Emirate in the 16th century under the rule of Princess Khanzad and her brother Prince Suleiman Beg. 30 minutes drive
• A visit to Dwin Castle which we delve into the secrets of Saladin Ayoubi's heritage by exploring the wonders of Dwin. 1:30 hour drive
• Driving back to Erbil and overnight there

Day 11 – Erbil & Duhok

• Visit Jerwana, one of the oldest aqueducts in the world. 1:20 hours drive from Erbil
• Guided tour of Lalish, the spiritual center and holy temple of the Yazidis
  

  

  
• Visit to the village of Al Qush with the tomb of the prophet Nahum, one of the minor prophets of Judaism. 40 minutes drive from Lalish
• Go to Duhok 1 hour drive
• Dinner Overnight stay in Duhok

Day 12 – Duhok, Amedi and Rawandiz

• Drive to Amedi and the famous city gate Mosul Gate. 1:30 minutes drive
  

  
• Former Sadam Hussein Palace. Nowadays there are only a few walls left. A short stop on the way
• Visit Minaret of Amedi that is 30m high and has been erected since the 15th century
• Highlight: Drive to Rawandiz, with a regular stop along the way for photos
• Mullah Mustapha Memorial (Father of present-day Kurdistan), a very important person and region for the Kurds. 1 hour drive
• Shanidar Cave, where many skeletons of Neanderthals dating back to 80,000 years old were found and the discoveries changed the understanding about Neanderthals. 50 minutes drive
  

  
• Highlight: Walk along the famous Hamilton Road
• Walk through the canyon of Rawandiz.1:30 hours drive
• Overnight stay in Rawandiz

Day 13 – Rawandiz, Dukan and Sulaymaniyah

• Drive to Sulaymaniyah via Dukan. 2:30 hours drive checkin the hotel
• Visit to the Red Prison, where Kurds were locked up and tortured during the Iraqi Ba'ath regime
• Highlight: Walk over the busy bazaar of Sulaymaniyah
• Sha'ab Teahouse, an icon in the city
• View over the city from the Goizha mountain. 20 minutes drive
• Overnight stay in Sulaymaniyah

Day 14 – Sulaymaniyah, Halabja and Hawraman

• Sulaymaniyah Museum
  

  
• Drive to Halabja 1:30 drive where Ba'ath regime attacked it with chemical weapons and seeing its monument and mass grave
  

  
• Waterfall on the border with Iran in Tawela. 1 hour drive from Halabja
• Driving back to Sulaymaniyah and overnight there. 2:30 hours drive
  

Day 15 – Sulaymaniyah to Erbil

• Drive to Erbil through Koya district. 2:30 hours drive
• Zarzi Cave and Dukan Lake. A place to relax and stretch your legs. (Optional) time permitting, boat ride, to visit to Buk u Zawa valley, in Kurdish means the groom and the bride mountain look alike, know the legend behind it
  

  
• Stop at an old caravanserai. Used for the slick road during many empires Here you'll feel like you're traveling back in time
• Arrive in Erbil
• Farewell dinner end of tour
• Stay over night in Erbil

Day 16 – Departure

• Airport drop-off

Special Event: Newroz in Akre (March 20th)

Experience the spectacular Newroz celebrations in Akre, a highlight of the Kurdish calendar.

• Drive to Akre
• Hike to historic town and ruins of Virgin Mary Cathedral
• Explore ancient Mithraism/Zoroastrianism sites and caves
• Walk down to Akre bazaar (option to buy Kurdish clothes)
• Late lunch/early dinner
• Witness the sunset Newroz ceremony with fire and traditional dancing
• Drive back to Erbil for overnight