6-Day Cultural and Historical Iraq Tour from Baghdad with Marshes

• Arrive in Baghdad and connect with your tour representative. Transfer to your hotel.
• After freshening up at the hotel, drive to the Iraq Baghdad Museum to discover a huge collection that tells the epic story of human civilization, from the earliest settlements to the rise and fall of vast empires.
• Next, visit the Al-Shaheed Martyr's Monument, dedicated to the Iraqi soldiers who died in the Iran-Iraq War.

• Start your day by visiting Taq Kasra - Ctesiphon, the largest vault ever constructed in the world.
• Then, see the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf. According to Mesopotamian beliefs, its purpose was to bring the temple closer to heaven and provide access from the ground via steps.
• Offer your prayers at the holy shrine of Al-Kadhimiya Mosque.

Overnight stay in Baghdad.

• Drive to Babylon, once the largest and most important city in the world. Tour the ancient ruins and see what's left of the hanging gardens.
• Explore Saddam Hussain Palace - perched right on top of Babylon, as the dictator made sure he had the best view of the site. Spend some time exploring the looted remains of one of his many former palaces.
• Visit Karbala's famous Al Abbas mosque and Imam Hussein shrine at dusk. It's also home to some of the best baklava in Iraq.

Dinner and overnight in Karbala.

• Head to Najaf city and see Imam Ali's house, the very spot where Imam Ali was killed, and the Imam Ali Shrine itself.
• Visit Wadi-Us-Salaam - the world's largest graveyard, containing tens of millions of bodies. Many Shiites request to be buried here in one of the numerous catacombs.
• Leave Najaf and drive south to visit the Ziggurat of Ur, a Sumerian construction built in 2000 BC. This used to be the capital of Mesopotamia during Sumerian times, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.
• Drive to Nasariyah city for an overnight stay.

• Wake up early for a sunrise view in the Mesopotamian Marshes. Take a boat trip through the maze of marshes, stopping by local villages for tea.
• Southern Iraq is also home to the Ma'dān population, who have adapted to life on water over the centuries. Stop by a traditional house for lunch and tea.
• Tour the local market of Al-Chibayesh, have lunch in a traditional reed house, and then drive back to Baghdad.

Have dinner in the modern area of Karada and overnight stay in Baghdad.

• Have breakfast and drive north to Samara, passing through multiple checkpoints along the route. Samara is famous for its huge Minaret, also known as the Great Mosque of Samara. Climb the spiral staircase to the top for a 360-degree view. (Not for the faint-hearted.)
• Next, visit the Jawsaq al-Khaqani, also known as the Caliphal Palace. It's one of the largest of its kind in the Islamic world.
• Return to Baghdad and end the tour.