IRAQ

DAY 1: departure from Italy with connecting flights to Basra, overnight flight or hotel night in Basra

DAY 2: visit to the museum and the city center of Basra with its souqs and a walk along the corniche by the Shatt al-Arab, formed by the confluence of the Tigris and the Euphrates a few kilometers north of Basra, one of the main waterways of the Middle East and a point of contention between Iraq and Iran during the 1988 war. The visit continues to the Garden of Adam’s Trees and transfer towards the Mesopotamian Marshes. Later, dinner and evening in the Marshes in local houses known as Mudhif

*Due to low temperatures on some winter departures, the night in the Mudhif may be replaced with a hotel night in Nasiriyah or nearby, with a boat excursion in the Marshes at sunset on Day 2

Morning: breakfast and sunrise excursion aboard local boats to explore the Mesopotamian Marshes, in contact with the local population who still today, as 4,000 years ago, make their livelihood from the rivers

Afternoon: visit to the Ziggurat of Ur: a major monument dating back to the Sumerian era, built in the 21st century BC and restored several times over the millennia. Transfer to Uruk: the cradle of cuneiform writing and the birthplace of the armed hero Gilgamesh. Arrival in Najaf, hotel check-in and, depending on arrival time, visit of the city, one of the holiest centers of Shia Islam.

Evening: dinner and evening in Najaf

Morning: breakfast and visit to the immense Wadi al-Salam cemetery (Valley of Peace), the largest Islamic cemetery in the world, dating back to the 6th century and containing the tombs of some of the greatest prophets and imams in the history of Islam. Visit to the Imam Ali Mosque, built in 1632, which with its minarets and lavish golden dome represents the most famous shrine in Najaf. Walk through the souqs of the city center and visit the Great Mosque of Kufa

Afternoon: transfer to Babylon, the mythical capital of Mesopotamia, considered one of the first megacities in history and famous for its Hanging Gardens. Visit of the city ruins and the replica of the legendary Ishtar Gate. Visit to Saddam Hussein’s palace (to be confirmed on site), the lavish summer residence of the Rais, where marble floors and frescoes now coexist with decay and graffiti. Transfer to Karbala, hotel check-in and relaxation

Evening: dinner and evening in Karbala

DAY 5: visit to the Imam Hussain Shrine and the Abbas Shrine in Karbala. Transfer north towards Baghdad and stop at Taq Kasra, a Persian monument in the city of Mada’in, the only remaining visible structure of the ancient city of Ctesiphon.

Day 6: after breakfast, city tour of Baghdad, visit to the Al Shaheed Monument, also known as the Martyrs’ Memorial, built in 1983 and dedicated to Iraqi soldiers who fell in the Iran–Iraq War fought between 1980 and 1988; and to the old cafés in the city center around Al-Mutanabbi Street. Dinner and evening in Baghdad.

Morning: early wake-up and transfer towards Samarra. One of the most splendid metropolises of the entire northern hemisphere, it once hosted the largest mosque the Islamic world had ever known. Covered in glazed tiles and flanked by 44 towers, it was surrounded by walls measuring 260 by 160 meters. Today, only the outer walls remain, about 3 meters thick, along with the gigantic minaret, the Malwiya Tower. Visit and climb of the Abu Dalaf minaret for a panoramic view over the valley.

Afternoon: transfer to Hatra, visit to the archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded between the 1st and 2nd century AD, it was once a powerful caravan city and capital of the Parthian Kingdom, famous for having resisted Roman sieges. Walk among monumental temples, circular walls, and imposing columns rising from the desert, bearing witness to a remarkable architectural syncretism between Greco-Roman, Persian, and Mesopotamian worlds. The visit also offers a direct insight into the damage caused by recent destructions and the ongoing efforts to protect and restore Iraq’s cultural heritage.

Evening: dinner and evening in Mosul.

Morning and afternoon: visit to the second largest city in Iraq and the main center of the north, close to the border with Kurdistan. Visit to the city of Nineveh and the eastern side of Mosul, with its lively souq, one of the busiest and most chaotic in all of Iraq. External visit to the ruins of the Mosque of the Prophet Yunus, destroyed by ISIS.

Evening: transfer to Duhok and hotel check-in

Morning: departure in the morning for a visit to the Duhok Museum, a key introduction to the recent history of Iraqi Kurdistan, its ethnic and religious minorities, and the political and social transformations of the region. Continue to the archaeological site of Faida, where extraordinary Assyrian rock reliefs depicting deities and ritual scenes can be found. The journey continues to Alqosh, a Christian village, for a visit to the Rabban Hormizd Monastery. A short distance away, visit the tomb of the Prophet Nahum, a sacred site for the Jewish community, a symbol of the region’s religious stratification.

Afternoon: lunch and transfer to Lalish, the holiest place for the Yazidi community. Visit of the temple complex, set in an isolated valley, with its distinctive stone cones and sacred springs. Continue to Erbil, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Walk through the bazaar at the foot of the Erbil Citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the historic heart of the city. Among shops, spices, and everyday life.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in Erbil

All day: overnight flight, arrival in Italy during the day… and until the next adventure!