Places Of Interest In Iraq

A country known worldwide for the rich oil and petroleum resources is also where the war found through the years. A small country in Western Asia, Iraq's history goes back to Mesopotamia.

Most of this land is covered by desert, with the exception of the two main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Since the soil is dry, the weather here is very hot most of the time, though the mountains up north may see cold winters and snow falls, sometimes so severe it leads to flooding.

Babylon is one of the places which are world famous and is located right here in Iraq. An old site that was once prominent, covered with high walls and palaces apart from the magnificent temples. Although the place has been eroded by rain and time, it is still high. To get to this monument, one can either take a boat or water taxi from Baghdad.

One of the most famous ancient sites in Iraq, Ur Chaldees, which is also mentioned in the Bible. It is said to be the birthplace of Abraham and built around 4000 BC. It remained the capital of Sumeria in decades and dig and ziggurat at Ur has been well preserved.

There are remains of the city Ctesiphon is this huge Arch, which was part of a ballroom built in the early centuries of the Persians who ruled the place. It has survived the severe flooding that occurred in the Tigris River and is still open for tourists to feast their eyes on.

Hands Victory was a monument that was built by Saddam Hussain, to celebrate his victory. This is used to dominate Baghdad's skyline since the Iran-Iraq war took place. Basic marks the entrance to the new parade grounds in the central region of Baghdad. It looks like two swords crossing each other at the top, as if to symbolize the war that happened. At the foot of this monument, is located almost 5,000 helmets belonging to the Iranian soldiers who were killed in the war. The hands holding the swords is a copy of Saddam Hussein actually created from a photograph given to sculpture. This was torn down and destroyed during the recent war.

Another tourist attraction in Iraq is Shaheed Monument, which were open to the public in 1983. This is again a place that symbolizes all the Iraqi soldiers who died during the war with Iran. A large dome, which has been split in half with two offset halves have domes are sheltering a flame. Around this area, a playground for children, catwalks, bridges, ample parking, and even a lake can be found.