15-Day Iraq Heritage Tour with Ur, Babylon, Hatra and Holy Shrines

• Arrive in Basra, where you will be greeted by the local team.

• Transfer to Ward Hotel for check-in and overnight stay.

Note: Standard check-in time is at 3:00 PM. If you arrive early, an extra night may be required.

• After breakfast, visit the new Basrah Museum, once one of Saddam's opulent palaces.

• Enjoy sightseeing in the old city along the canal, lined with Ottoman Shanasheel Houses, many of which have been recently restored under a UNESCO initiative.

• After lunch, visit Ali's Steps, a mosque with an original minaret dating to 635.

• Female visitors will wear the abaya or chador provided by the local company for Islamic sites.

• In the late afternoon, enjoy a boat ride on the Shatt Al-Arab, where the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers merge.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• In the morning, visit Al-Qurnah, the ancient Mesopotamian town claimed to be the site of the Garden of Eden and Adam's Tree.

• This is also where the Tigris and Euphrates meet.

• Continue to the Marshes for a canoe ride across this vast ecosystem and visit a Marsh Arab village.

• Travel to Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi-Qar province and gateway to the ancient city of Ur.

• In the afternoon, explore Nasiriyah Souk and check in at Sumerion Hotel or similar.

• Depart early for a visit to the ancient Sumerian sites, starting with Ur, including the Ziggurat of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of Prophet Abraham.

• Continue to Girsu (Tell Tello) and potentially the excavations at Al Hiba (Lagash), two of the most important cities of the Early Dynastic period.

• Return to the hotel in Nasiriyah.

• Depart by road to Uruk, the site of the first written script dating back to 4000 BC.

• Continue to Najaf, one of Iraq's holiest cities, and home to the shrine of Imam Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

• Visit the shrine and the historic bazaar.

Overnight stay in Granada Hotel, Najaf.

• Begin with a visit to Kufa, home to one of the world's oldest surviving mosques, The Great Mosque of Kufa, dating back to 670 AD.

• Visit the tombs of several significant Islamic figures, including Imam Ali, Muslim ibn 'Aqil, Hani ibn 'Urwa, and al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi.

• Explore Imara Fort and Palace, and Imam Ali's House.

• Continue to Kifl to see the ancient shrine of the prophet Ezekiel, once a Jewish pilgrimage site.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Visit Ukhaider Palace, an Abbasid desert fortress built in 775 by Isa ibn Musa.

• Explore its courtyards, mosque, and architectural innovations.

• After lunch, travel to Karbala, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, to visit the shrine of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

• Check in at the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• After breakfast, drive to the ancient city of Babylon, a major Mesopotamian capital.

• Visit reconstructed ruins, including the Ishtar Gate and the Palace of Saddam, and explore the site of Alexander the Great's death.

• In the afternoon, drive to Baghdad and check in at Noorland Hotel or similar.

Dinner and overnight stay.

• In the morning, visit the Iraqi Museum to view a rich collection of Mesopotamian antiquities.

• Visit Ctesiphon, the former Parthian and Sasanian capital, to see the grand Taq Kasra arch, one of the world's largest single-span brick vaults.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Begin the day with a visit to Dur Kurigalzu, a Kassite city dating to the 15th century BC.

• Return to Baghdad to visit the Grave of Gertrude Bell, then visit the Martyr's Monument, a symbolic landmark of modern Iraq.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Visit Al-Mustansariyya School, one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in 1227 AD.

• Continue to Al-Mutanabi Street, famous for its book market, and explore the nearby Souk al-Safareen, the traditional coppersmiths' market.

• Visit the Ethnographic Museum and the Shrine of Abdel Kader Al-Gilani, an important religious and historic site in Baghdad.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Depart very early for a full-day journey.

• First stop in Samarra, a former Abbasid capital, to see the remains of the Great Mosque and its spiral Malwiya Minaret.

• Continue to the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage site of Hatra, a well-preserved Parthian city with massive walls and temples blending Hellenistic and Eastern architectural styles.

• Arrive in Mosul, transfer to Legend Hotel or similar for dinner and overnight.

• Explore the historic city of Mosul.

• Visit the reconstructed Al-Nouri Mosque, known for its leaning minaret, and explore areas affected by recent conflicts and under restoration.

• If permission is granted, visit the remains of Ancient Nineveh, one of the great capitals of the Assyrian Empire.

• Also visit Mosul Museum, which houses important archaeological artifacts.

• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• In the morning, visit the archaeological site of Nimrud, a major Assyrian city that once featured colossal statues and detailed reliefs.

• Then visit the Monastery of Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah, an important Christian site dating back to the 4th century, recently restored after being damaged by ISIS.

• Continue to Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, for dinner and overnight.

• Enjoy breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight back.