Baghdad

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Baghdad : Before the war

An April 2001 trip to Baghdad by fredff

In August 2001, we spent two weeks in Iraq, visiting the archeological sites, the bazar, and the crusaders' castle.

  • 6 reviews

Baghdad : Before the warBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Baghdad is huge. The center was in quite bad shape the time of my visit, but there is still plenty to see as far as historic sites go.

Quick Tips:

August is hell as far as temperatures are concerned. 55°C and more. It is very good to wake up very early, like 6'o clock in the morning. A room with aircon is also a must.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city is very big, so it is much better to take taxis. When we were there they were really cheap, about 0.5 US to go anywhere dowtown

Maarsgourf RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Next to the Tigris river, you have plenty of restaurants offering Maarsgourf. This local dish is a fish caught in the river and cocked on a fire. The restaurants are outside, and the location next to the river make them a very pleasant place to eat.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by fredff on June 5, 2003

Maarsgourf Restaurant
By the Tigris River Baghdad, Iraq

The Archeology MuseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

At the time I visited the museum, it was filled with archeological artifacts coming from every corner fo the country. The huge sculptures coming from Ninive and Nimrut, two Assyrian sites, depicted Winged Bull as well as pictures of daily life. Other interesting artifacts included greek alike sculpture coming from the Partan city of Hatra. I am wondering how it looks now but at the time I saw it it was a very interesting museum as it allowed us to see pieces from all the sites we had been to.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by fredff on June 5, 2003

The Archeology Museum
Baghdad Baghdad, Iraq

The main bazarBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

The main bazaar in Baghhad offers a large display of goods coming from all over the country. The spice corner is especially beautiful. At the time we were there, the people were very friendly, showing us around and asking us to take pictures of them. Around the bazaar is a caravanserail, an abandoned medersa(Coranic school), and a few mosque. The only sad part was the fact that most of the historic houses had been abandoned or at least seemed abandoned, and were quite runed down. Baghdad must have been very beautiful before the first Gulf War.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by fredff on June 5, 2003

The main bazar
City center Baghdad, Iraq

The History MuseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This museum is located next to the medersa, in the city center. The place left us a bad feeling, especially because it has many exemples of the damages of war. A sad exhibition shows models of public building before and after the bombing. To talk with the guard was also very informative as he had fought in Kuweit. Overall the museum is very interesting if you want to know more about what has happened in the country for the past 10 years.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by fredff on June 5, 2003

The History Museum
Baghdad Baghdad, Iraq

The ancient city of BabylonBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "The ancien city of Babylon"

The ancient city of Babylon is located at about 100 km of Baghdad. At the time I was there, the only possible way to get there was to rent a taxi for half a day (about 10$) and it is about a one-hour ride. The archaeological site itself is very interesting not because it displays rare artefacts but because most of it was rebuilt by Saddam Hussein 12 years ago. The site is actually new, with a fake gate of Ishtar (The real one is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin), and fake palaces built 1990. The only "real" thing is the lion statue that is a bit outside the palace of Nabuchodonosor.

When the site was discovered, most of the interesting artefacts where taken by the German archaeologists and very little was left behind. Saddam decided to rebuild the place after the Iran-Iraq war as the proof that the Iraqi People was a great people. No more hanged gardens or ancient ruins similar to the ones in Egypt or Greece, but instead a "Disneyland" type of archaeological site.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by fredff on June 13, 2003

The ancient city of Babylon
Babylon Baghdad, Iraq

About the Writer

fredff
fredff
Paris, France

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