Iraq - Kuwait - Saudi Arabia

I never thought of visiting Iraq until two months ago when I was at a library browsing for travel books for potential next destinations and saw the Bradt Iraq book. Since Bradt is a mainstream publisher, it means Iraq is definitely doable despite that most western countries still advise against traveling to Iraq. A nearby country, Saudi Arabia, has also opened its doors to independent travel recently, and I don't want to miss that opportunity either. The tiny country between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, adds a bonus to the trip.

Jan 6, 2024
Baghdad

My flight from Istanbul arrived at Baghdad around 1 am. Visa on Arrival (now 80 USD) was smooth but it took some time. A taxi to central Baghdad cost 40,000 IQD (asking for 50,000 IQD, paid at the exit gate at the airport and received an official receipt). By the time I arrived at the hotel, it was 3 am.

After a couple of hours of sleep, I started to explore the city. Hotel stuff helped me change some money at market price and get a sim card. However, I found the local rideshare apps not particularly easy to use (long wait and language barriers). At crowded places, I found it's easier to just stop a passing by taxi and negotiate a price. I asked a taxi to take me to Abbasid Palace. Unfortunately it was closed (perhaps due to Army's Day holiday). I then walked to the busy Rashid Street. With the help of a local guy, I located the 100-year old juice shop Zibala (the correct location on Google Maps is marked as شارع الرشيد for some reason) and had my delious grape juice for 1,000 IQD.

Continuing into Al Mutanabi Street, I stopped at another 100-year shop Shabandar café, this time for a cup of local tea. I have to say that this place is astonishing. Two young boys invited me to sit with them and we had some friendly chat. Eventually they insisted on paying for my tea - Iraqi hospitality in action.

After the Shabandar café experience, I checked out Statue of Abu Al-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi on Tigris River briefly then walked down to Mustansiriyah Madrasah.They charged me 25,000 IQD without a receipt - perhaps a rip-off. The building is magnificent but all the rooms are empty. It's possible to climb to the second floor to have a different view.

After Mustansiriyah Madrasah, I stopped another taxi to take me to Martyrs (Al-Shaheed) Monument. It was also closed but I was able to take some photos from outside. I then walked to the nearby 5 Flowers restaurant to have an afternoon salad. The setting on the lake with views of the Martyrs Monument is great, but the food was so-so (if not terrible).

Before calling it a day, I deided to go to Taq Kasra to see the Arch of Ctesiphon. I tried two taxis without success (drivers didn't seem to know the place). I then used the Obr app to give me the ride (it still took some efforts for us to find each other). With terrible traffic in and around Baghdad, I finally arrived at Taq Kasra shortly after sunset (still not dark yet). To my biggest disappointment, the site was closed and it's impossible at all to see the arch from the outside.

Back to Baghdad, I treated myself with the national dish of Iraq, Masgouf, at Baghdadi Restaurant (said to have the best Masgouf in town). They charge by weight. Even if the staff tried to pick a smaller one, it was still over 2 kg, more than enough for one person. The taste was good though.

Mustansiriyah Madrasah

Jan 7, 2024
Samarra

After finishing breakfast at my hotel, I took a shard taxi from Allawi South (not North) Garage to Samarra. There were numerous checkpoints on the way to Samarra but overall it was smooth. The Malwiya Mosque (minaret) is quite impressive, though still not possible to climb.

I met a British guy in the shared taxi and we decided to visit a smaller minaret called Adu Dalaf Mosque which you can climb. On the way we stopped at Qasr al-Khalifa (ruins of an old palace) and the associated prison nearby. The Adu Dalaf minaret and the surrounding settings are quite attractive (if not more attractive than the Malwiya minaret). And the climb is interesting too, though caution is definitely needed - the higher you go, the narrower the steps.

With some negotiation, the taxi driver agreed to take me directly to Hillah (eliminating the need to change shared taxis in Baghdad). The British guy continued to Karbala.

Adu Dalaf Mosque

Jan 8, 2024
Babylon - Najaf - Ur

A taxi ride from Hillah to the Ancient Ruins of Babylon now asks for 10,000 IQD. About 1 km from Ishtar Gate, you pay the 25,000 IQD entrance fee and store your bag at a room nearby. The site is comfortably walkable within an hour. The most important place of interest is no doubt the Babel Lion. There are Remains of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the restored Southern Palace to admire. Uphill is the Presidential Palace of Sadam Hussein and I didn't bother to climb to have a closer look.

Somebody at the gate offered me a taxi ride to the garage in Hillah where I took a shard taxi to the holy city of Najaf. I was able to get inside the Imam Ali Holy Shrine area with numerous body checks and bag scans. I admired the structure from outside but didn't get inside (it's supposed to be for prayers I believe). To the northwest of the shine is Wadi as Sallam, world's largest cemetery with more than 5 million graves.

I couldn't find any yellow taxis around the Imam Ali Holy Shrine area but there appears to be white cars available as taxis. I grabbed one to the southern garage for a shard taxi to Nasiriyah. After about 3 hours, the shared taxi driver dropped me off at the intersection to Ur where I took a private taxi to Ur. When I arrived it there, it was almost sunset. The ziggurat looks impressive, though It's not possible to climb it anymore.

After returning to Nasiriyah, I went to the garage directly to try some luck for Chibayish (since there are no hotels in Chibayish, I only wanted to go there if accommodation could be secured). Several taxi drivers approached me. One of them happened to know someone who hosts guests in Chibayish and had me speak to the host directly. Once I was sure about the accomodation, I decided to go with the taxi driver to Chibayish for the night.

It turned out to be his father's family house. I slept in the living room. That reminded me of my homestay in Mongolia in 2010. The most interesting part was that they kept asking questions about my work, life, family, etc.

Wadi as Sallam

Jan 9, 2024
The Marshes - Al Qurnah - Basrah

I had an early breakfast at the homestay. The host helped arrange a boat tour to the Marshes. It was probably not the best Marshes tour but we did visit a reed house in the Marshes. The house is old but big, with half of it for living and the rest half for cows. The tour lasted for less than one hour, though I asked for two hours (I didn't complain, particularly because it was very cold on the boat ride in the early morning).

Back to Chibayish, a friendly young guy offered me to go with him to Al Madina (he needed to go there to work) with a shard taxi. At Al Madina, he helped me talk to a taxi driver to take me to Al Qurnah (to see Adam's Tree and the nearby Tigris And Euphrates River Confluence) then Basrah. The Adam's Tree Garden (also called the Tree of Knowledge) was still under renovation but I could get in from the side (they were building a gate with walls, not sure if in the future there will be a charge or not). The point where Tigris River and Euphrates River merge to Shatt al-Arab is also interesting, though good photo taking can be difficult to tell it's a confluence.

When we arrived in Basrah, I asked the taxi driver to drop me off at Basrah Great Mosque, mainly to look at the Shanaheel houses nearby. The building Iraqi Plastic Artists Society (marked as جمعية الفنانين التشكيليين on Google Maps) is a good example of the Shanaheel house. Opposite it, the restaurant named مطعم ومتحف الحسون is also interesting (it serves as a restaurant and a museum).

A minivan from Basrah Central Garage took me to the border with Kuwait in less than an hour.

Adam's Tree

Jan 10, 2024
Kuwait

For my short visit to Kuwait, I started with a tour in the fabulous Mirror House (by appointment only). I was the only visitor for that time slot so I bought the VIP package for 10 KD with a free ride from Mirror House to anywhere in Kuwait City after the tour (for two people or more, the price is 4 KD per person). The tour was truely amazing. Not only the house itself is so unique, Lidia also talked about the history of her work and and philosophy behind it. I particularly liked the galaxy experiment.

After the tour, Lidia's daughter drove me to Kuwait Towers (part of my VIP package). It's possible to buy a ticket to the observatory tower or eat at the restaurant. Due to limited time, I didn't get inside and just admired this landmark of Kuwait from outside. A taxi passed by and took me to Grand Mosque of Kuwait for 1 KD.

I was able to enter the mosque from one gate and saw some prayers inside. However, I was met by a not so friendly security guard at another gate. Not sure about their policies to non-muslims/tourists though.

I then walked to Souq Mubarakiya, one of the oldest souqs in Kuwait. The Souq is neat but not as attractive as souqs in developing countries in the Middle East (like the one near Al Mutanabi Street in Baghdad I just "passed through").

Another 20 minute walk took me to Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya (a small museum free of charge). I also took the opportunity to cross the street to have a look at the seashore of Kuwait.

It's possible to go to Riyadh from Kuwait overland but it's likely to cost more than the flight (taxi from Kuwait City to the border is expensive). I decided to fly to Riyadh. Buses in Kuwait City are frequent. There are two bus companies in Kuwait: the government run K-Bus and the private CityBus - they share the same routes. Unfortunately, the information provided by Google Maps is out of date. I was waiting for the X2 bus to the airport for nearly an hour only to find out it didn't exist anymore. Eventually, I managed to take bus 66 then changed to bus 13 to get to the airport.

Grand Mosque of Kuwait

Jan 11, 2024
Riyadh

I had a full day in Riyadh and around. In the morning, I checked out Masmak Fortress, the National Museum and Murabba Historical Palace in Al Barsha area (all free), then admired the "Bottle Opener" (Kingdom Centre) from outside (didn't go up to the Sky Bridge) and leaned some history and culture at At-Turaif World Heritage Site (also free, advance reservation required). I spent the whole afternoon and evening joining a tour to the Edge of the World with Riyadh Tours (formally Riyadh Hiking, they now have this tour daily). The tour started at 1:30 pm from Carrefour Irqah and it took two hours to arrive at the Edge. We spent a couple of hours walking around different "edges" until sunset. Dinner was provided at the site followed by music and stargazing. We came back to Carrefour around 9 pm.

At-Turaif World Heritage Site

Jan 12, 2024
Abha and Rijal Almaa

I took a night flight from Riyadh and arrived at Abha in the early morning. After breakfast at the McDonald's at the airport, I hired a meter taxi to take me to Rijal Almaa. Maybe because it was a Friday, the gates were closed. I was still able to have a good look at the unique Arab houses. The taxi driver waited for about half an hour then took me back to Abha. I asked him to drop me at Shamsan Ottoman Castle. It turned out the total taxi cost was 315 SAL.

Shamsan Ottoman Castle was under some decoration work for a festival a week later. A nice security guy allowed me to get inside to have a look at the castle. I then walked around the Al Basra District and saw some very interesting culture heritage houses near the Ottoman Bridge (marked as الجسر العثماني on Google Maps). Finally I checked out the "city center" - Al Bahar Historical Square and Shada Archaeological Palace - before heading to the airport for Madinah.

A Culture Heritage House in Abha

Jan 13, 2024
Madinah - Al Ula

I booked a Northwest bus to Al Ula from Madinah departing at 10 am. Hotel helped arrange a "taxi" to take me to Quba Mosque (the first mosque in the world), Al Haram (non-Muslims are not allowed to get into Masjid al Nabawi but can take photos from outside) and the old Al Hejaz Railway Station site, before heading to the bus station.

The bus arrived at Al Ula shortly after 3 pm. Although Al Ula is the No. 1 tourist destination in Saudi Arabia, budget accommodations for single travelers are very limited (most of them are in Al Ula town). I bought the Hegra tour for the next morning which starts from Winter Park, so I booked a place within walking distance to Winter Park (it was the most expensive accommodation at 500 SAR during my entire Saudi trip). It's a private house and when my taxi arrived at the house nobody was there. The taxi driver was kind enough to contact the owner so he could come to the house where I was waiting there.

After everything was settled, I hired another taxi to Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) - just before sunset so I could take perfect photos of the beautiful "elephant".

Masjid al Nabawi

Jan 14, 2024
Hegra - Jeddah

A return bus ride from Winter Park to Hegra (Mada’in Salih) is included in the Hegra ticket, though it seems most people just drive to Hegra by themselves. Another bus took tourists inside the site, visiting 4 places - Jabal Ithlib (Diwan, or religious meeting place), Jabal Al Banat (29 tombs owned by women), Jabal Al Ahmar (more tombs, skeletal remains of a 2,000-year-old Nabataean businesswoman were found by archaeologists in 2014 at tomb 17 here) and Qasr  Al Farid (tomb of Lihyan son of Kuza, an army officer, the only tomb in this mountain and it's grand).

A short flight took me to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's second city. Jeddah is warm (or "hot" to some), even in the winter months and the temperature differences between daytime and nighttime are not very significant. After checking into a hotel near the airport, I headed for Al Rahmah (Floating) Mosque, arriving just before sunset (due to bad rush hour traffic in Jeddah). The mosque looks beautiful outside and inside (I was allowed inside to take photos). I then grabbed another taxi to see King Fahad's Fountain, world’s tallest fountain reaching over 200 meters high (best viewed from Middle Corniche Park or nearby) - the view was actually good shortly after sunset. I ended my day in Al Balad (Old Jeddah) and admired the old northern gate, the remains of a piece of historical wall nearby and several unnamed classical buildings in the old town. I also went inside two famous buildings - Matbouli House Museum (10 SAR) and Nassif House Museum (free) but didn't find the inside of any of them too interesting. Both buildings look grand from outside though. As a public transportation fan, I decided to go back to my hotel by bus No. 9 (handed over 20 SAR to the bus driver to get a bus card that includes a 10 SAR value - more than enough for a single ride and definitely cheaper than taxi). Before taking the bus, I found a small local restaurant near the bus depot. With the help of Google Translate, I ordered an item under "Popular Dishes" for 9 SAR which turned out to be shakshouka and quite delicious.

King Fahad's Fountain

Summary

Both Iraq and Saudi Arabia are great countries to visit. As a tourist, I found Iraq extremely safe and most people ultra friendly. The Iraqi people were definitely a highlight of the trip. With relatively reasonable domestic air flights and rideshare apps serving as taxis, it's easy to travel around Saudi Arabia. Out of the 3 rideshare apps, Careem is the most expensive and Kaiian is usually the cheapest (though sometimes wait time is long). Bolt is somewhere in between and I found Bolt to be the best app to use at the airport. Most Saudi people I met were very nice. They welcomed visitors to their country and tried to offer help whenever possible. There were several occasions when taxi drivers refused to give changes - a small inconvenience. My short visit to Kuwait was smooth if not over-exciting. Mirror House is definitely a must-see in Kuwait City.