Iraq - The Cradle of Civilization...

"Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories..." - Sun Tzu

(The City of Regent, Karbala)

We were overly excited and a little nervous when we decided to embark on this trip. Regardless of what people say about Iraq and its wars, it is actually a beautiful country with long-standing history, friendly locals and cultural diversity. It was a fascinating and enriching experience for us. And another tick-off from our bucket list. Alhamdulillah...

Iraq was home to ancient Mesopotamian peoples who developed the world's first writing, agriculture and cities. Powerful civilizations from the Sumerians to the Neo-Assyrians ruled the region. This wealthy region, comprising much of what is called the Fertile Crescent, later became a valuable part of larger imperial polities, including Persian, Greek, and Roman dynasties, and after the 7th century it became a central and integral part of the Islamic world. Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century. The modern nation-state of Iraq was created following World War I (1914–18) from the Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Basrah, and Mosul. Iraq derives its name from the Arabic term used in the premodern period to describe a region that roughly corresponded to Mesopotamia, “Arabian Iraq” and modern northwestern Iran, “Persian Iraq”.

(Baghdad, Iraq - a mural on the wall)

The capital city Baghdad is the second largest city in the Arab world and the 4th largest in the Middle East. Iraq has several World Heritage Sites, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, most notably is the Ancient City of Babylon. Religious tourism is the most popular type of tourism in Iraq, with tens of millions of tourists from several countries visiting Holy cities and places in Iraq every year. These include: Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, with remains of Adam and Noah, according to Shi'ah belief and Imam Hussein Mosque in Karbala, with the tombs of Sayyidina Hussein, Sayyidina Abbas and the many syuhada’.

Iraq Itinerary:

(13 - 22 December 2023)

Day 01: KL - Muscat - Baghdad

Day 02: Baghdad - Basrah

Day 03: Basrah Day Tour

Day 04: Marshes Al-Chibayish

Day 05: Karbala - Kufa - Najaf

Day 06: Ancient City of babylon

Day 07: Karbala - Baghdad

Day 08: Baghdad Tour

Day 09: Baghdad - Muscat - KL

(Isytar Gate of Babylon)

(Makam Nabi Zulkifli in Kifli)

(Masjid Sayyidina Hussein, Karbala)

Iraq Day 01: KL - Muscat - Baghdad👉👉

Iraq Day 01: KL - Muscat - Baghdad

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination...” - Roy M. Goodman

(The start of our journey)

Day 01: 13 December 2023 (Wednesday)

Route: KL - Muscat - Baghdad

Drove from Bidara house after Maghrib prayers. Traffic jam was massive towards Rawang so we drove direct to our Putramas Apartment and parked our Merc there. Booked a grab car to KL Sentral. We had dinner at Burger King KL Sentral before we boarded the 9.20 pm ERL to KLIA. Performed Isya prayers at KLIA surau.

(Boarding the ERL from KL Sentral) 

(Group check-in at KLIA)

(Waiting for our 4.30 am flight)

The group of 42 gathered at counter G at 12:30 pm for luggage check-ins, boarding pass issuance and briefing. The group comprised of ALCC Travels, Intifada Travels, Zahafiz Travel and Nikmat Travels. We were the only two from Nikmat Travels and will be travelling with the big group throughout our tour in Iraq. We were informed that visa of three people in the group were not approved and they had to submit their applications again to the Embassy. Once approved they will join the group later in Iraq. Completed the group check-in process by 2.30 pm.

A. Route: Kuala Lumpur – Muscat, Oman
Flight: OV446 ETD0430 KUL ETA0725 MCT

(7-hour flight to Oman)

(Oman's no frills, low cost Airline, Salam Air)

For this trip, we were flying with Salam Air, the first low-cost airline in Oman. The 4.30 pm flight to Muscat was full. There were some Umrah groups and a large group of students from Iran. We slept throughout the first part of the journey as there was no entertainment on board. Throughout the journey, we were provided with only one meal of cold chicken sandwich. Performed our Subuh prayers about 3 hours before we landed in Muscat.

B. Route: Muscat, Oman - Baghdad, Iraq
Flight: OV335 ETD0900 ETA1100 BGW

(A brief transit in Muscat International Airport)

Arrived in Muscat International Airport, Oman at 7:25 am for a brief transit. Transit process was swift. We had less than one and a half hours to board our next flight to Baghdad departed at 9:00 am. The journey took less than three hours and a light refreshment was served. Throughout the journey we experienced some light turbulences and arrived in Baghdad International Airport around 11.00 am.

 

(First glimpse of Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq)

Before the Immigration checks, we had to wait for almost two hours for security and visa clearances before we could get our passports stamped. After baggage collection, we met our Indonesian local guide Mr Gus Mohd and an Iraqi guide, Mr Karak. Boarded the 44-seater bus which would be our transport throughout our stay in Iraq.

(Welcome to Iraq, Land Between the Rivers)

Iraq Day 02: Baghdad - Basra👉

👈Iraq - The Cradle of Civilization

Iraq Day 02: Baghdad - Basrah

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met...” – John Green

(Hummus varieties, Iraqi-style)

Day 02: 14 December 2023 (Thursday)

Route: Baghdad - Basrah

Distance: 534 km
Hotel: Hotel Manawi Bashar, Basrah

There were some changes to the original itinerary but we were not informed and caused some confusion. Instead of staying in Baghdad for two nights, we headed to Basrah which is about 534 km from Baghdad. We learned later that the change was to accommodate a few who will fly in later, and join us in Baghdad.

(Leaving Baghdad International Airport)

(Patriotic monuments lined the main road)

(Posters of Martyrs along the highway to Basrah)

(Traffic congestion at one of the many Military check-points)

The journey to Basrah took more than 7 hours, inclusive lunch and comfort breaks. First stop was for refuelling and a late lunch at Anwar Babel Tourist Restaurant located at one of the R&R in Babylon. Lunch was a large plate of pilaf rice and grilled half chicken served for two. After having our hot chai, we performed jamak takhir Asar/Zohor prayers at a musolla next to the restaurant.

(Anwar Babel Tourist Restaurant,  a popular resting place for travellers)

(A big portion served for two)

(A tasty chicken biryani mandy for lunch)

(Hookah smoking remains popular in Iraqi)

We continued our journey and made another comfort stop at a R&R in Nasiriyah and had a cup of steaming chai. The weather was cool and there were busloads of crowd from all over the world. They were on a religious pilgrimage trip to the holy cities of Karbala, Najah and Kufa to celebrate the Martyrdom anniversary of Fatimah Zahra and to visit Makam Sayyidina Hussein and Sayyidina Ali.

 

(A beautiful sunset over Nasiriyah)

(Having hot steaming chai with the local girls)

(A traditional reed hut converted into a musolla)

From Nasiriyah, we continued our journey for another 250 km to Basrah. We managed to get some much needed sleep in the bus. We reached Basrah around 10.00 pm. As it was already quite late at night, we had packed beef sandwich for dinner.

Tonight we stayed in Hotel Manawi Bashar, Basrah.

(Hotel Manawi Bashar, Basrah)

(Spacious and clean room)

(Large lamb kebab for dinner)

Iraq Day 03: Basrah Day Tour👉

👈Iraq Day 01: Baghdad - KL

Iraq Day 03: Basrah Day Tour

“The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going...” - Ralph Waldo Emerso

(Makam Anas ibn Malik, Basrah)

Day 03: 15 Dec 2023 (Friday)
Town: Basrah Full Day Tour
Hotel: Hotel Manawi Bashar, Basrah

(A wide spread of dishes for breakfast)

Buffet breakfast was served at 6.15 am. Today we had a full day tour of attractions in Basrah, mostly visiting the makam of sahabat and syuhada'. At 7.00 am the bus took us to Mausoleum of Imam al-Hasan AI-Basri located about 15 minutes’ drive from our hotel. The mausoleum is located in the Zubayr district where many cemeteries are situated.

Makam Abu Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Abi-l-Hasan Yasar al-Basri

Hasan al-Basri, was an ancient Muslim preacher, ascetic, theologian, exegete, scholar, judge, and mystic. Born in Medina in 642, Hasan belonged to the second generation of Muslims, all of whom would subsequently be referred to as the tābiʿūn in Islamic Sunni. He became one of the most celebrated of the tābiʿūn, enjoying an acclaimed scholarly career and an even more remarkable posthumous legacy in Islamic scholarship. Hassan al-Basri earned the affection of people of Basrah. When he passed away at the age of 89, the entire population of Basrah attended his funeral.

  

(Makam Imam Hasan Al-Basri)

(Visiting three famous tombs)

(The tomb of Imam Hasan Al-Basri)

(The tomb up close)

Makam Muhammad Ibn Sirin

He was born in Basrah and was a Muslim tabi' who lived in the 8th century CE. He was a contemporary of Anas ibn Malik. He is claimed by some to have been an interpreter of dreams, though others regard the books to have been falsely attributed to him.

(A simple tomb of Muhammad Ibn Sirin)

Makam Rabi’a Al-Adawiyah Basri

Rabi’a al-ʼAdawiya al-Qaysiya was an Arab Muslim saint and Sufi mystic and was an influential religious figure. She is known in some parts of the world as Hazrat Rabia Basri, Rabia Al Basri or simply Rabia Basri. She is known as a Sufi woman who is ascetic, that is, not interested in worldly life, so she devotes her life only to worshiping God. Her tomb is simple without any permanent structure. Some seem to have confused the grave of Rabi’a Al-Adawiyah of Palentine with that of Hazrat Rabia al-‘Adawiya of Basrah. In 2011, we had visited Rabi’a Al-Adawiyah’s grave located at the top of the Mount of Olives near the Chapel of Ascension in Jerusalem. This Rabi’a was a different pious lady.

(A grave with no tomb stones)

(Located at the back of Imam Hasan's Mausoleum)

(The view from the back)

(Old graveyards at the huge Az-Zubayr Cemetery)

From the Mausoleum of Imam al-Hassan AI-Basri, the bus took us to the Mosque of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam located at Az-Zubayr District in Basrah. The mosque is also a mausoleum where the tombs of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and Utbah ibn Ghazwan are located.

 

(A depiction of Sayyidina Hussein seen in most places)

(The Mosque and Tomb of Az Zubayr ibn Al Awwam)

Makam Zubayr ibn Al Awwam

Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām was an Arab Muslim commander in the service of prophet Muhammad and the caliphs Abu Bakar and Umar. Zubayr is said to have entered Islam at the age of 16. He was one of the first men to accept Islam under the influence of Abu Bakar and is said to have been the fourth or fifth adult male convert. Zubayr played a leading role in the Ridda Wars against rebel tribes in Arabia and later participated in early Muslim conquests of Sasanid Persia, Byzantine Syria, and the Exarchate of Africa.

(The tomb of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam)

(Reciting the salam and prayers)

Makam Utbah bin Ghazuan

Utbah ibn Ghazwan al-Mazini was a well-known companion of the prophet Muhammad. He was the seventh person to convert to Islam and participated in the hijra to Abyssinia, but returned to stay with prophet Muhammad in Mecca before making the second hijrah to Medina. He fought at the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud, the Battle of the Trench and many others, including the battles of Yamamah. During the caliphate of Umar, Utbah commanded a force of 2,000 men in a campaign against Ubullah. After his force occupied Ubullah, then later the district of Furat, Meisan and Abarqubaz, he was appointed as the governor of Basrah by the caliph. Next to Makam Utbah is Makam Abd Rahman, the loyal khadam of Utbah.

(The tomb of Utbah ibn Ghazwan lies beneath the dome)

(The tomb of Utbah ibn Ghazwan)

(Makam Abd Rahman, the loyal khadam of Utbah)

Our next visit was to Makam Talha ibn Ubaidillah, about 13 km away. We passed through some slums area and were swarmed by a group of small kids from the village. We were advised to distribute biscuits and sweets instead of money to the poor. Cash contributions from the Jemaah were handed over direct to the care-taker of the mausoleum.

 

(The 44-seater bus for the whole trip in Iraq)

(A long walk through small busy lanes)

(A vege vendor at a convenient store)

(Packed Iraq dates sold by the roadside)

(A three-wheeler supplying clean water)

Makam Talha Ibn Ubaidillah

Ṭalḥa ibn ʿUbayd Allāh al-Taymī was a companion of prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, he is mostly known for being among al-ʿashara al-mubashshara, the ten to whom Paradise was promised. He played an important role in the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Camel, in which he died. According to Sunnis, he was given the title "The Generous" by Muhammad.

 

(Makam Talha ibn Ubaidillah, construction funded by the public)

After visiting makam Talha Ibn Ubaidillah the bus took us for a 45 minutes’ drive through a desert road passing through salt lakes and many oil refineries to visit Makam Anas ibn Malik.

 

(Taking the intersection into the desert road)

(Flock of sheeps with oil refineries in the background)

(Mausoleum of Anas ibn Malik in the middle of the desert)

Makam Anas ibn Malik ibn Nadar al-Khazraji Al-Ansari

He was a well-known companion of prophet Muhammad. Anas ibn Malik was born 10 years before the Hijrah of Rasulullah to the Bani Khazraj tribe of Madinah. He was present in Madinah during Rasulullah’s time there and afterwards. He was the longest living among the companions of Rasulullah, having died 93 years after the Hijrah. Anas ibn Malik, was the last of the sahabat to die in Basrah at the age of 103. 

Ibn Jauzi mentioned that Anas bin Malik narrated 2286 hadiths from the Prophet and 2178 hadiths from him in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. Anas bin Malik was blessed with many children and grandchildren, large and fertile land. 

On February 25, 2006, his tomb in the west of Basrah was attacked and vandalized. The tomb was a pathetic site with burnt marks on the roof and walls. Anas bin Malik is not to be confused with Imam Malik ibn Anas.

(Makam Anas Ibn Malik in Basra)

(Reciting the prayers at Anas' tomb, a pathetic sight)

(The hall was badly burnt and the tomb vandalised)

For this trip, at every visit, the Ustaz will take turn to narrate the sirah2 of ambiaya’ and syuhada’, and led the recitation of the du’a. 

After the visits to the mausoleums, we had Nasi Mandi Kambing for lunch at Restaurant Al-Azaim in Basrah. After lunch we went back to the hotel to perform solat jamak Zohor/Asar and had time for a short rest.

(A popular restaurant in Basrah)

(A full plate of Lamb Biryani for hungry tourists)

(A choice of grilled fish is also available)

By 5.30 pm we boarded the bus to Basrah Time Square Mall via the Italian Bridge with a view of Shatt Al Arab with the busy Corniche along the river. At the mall we bought some souvenirs. Time Square Mall is just like any other mall, busy with locals and foreigners shopping for Christmas.

(The corniche by Shatt Al Arab at night)

(Basrah Time Square Mall, busier than usual)

(Festive mood - dazzling Christmas decorations in the mall)

(One of the many modern shopping mall in Basrah)

(Hunting for Iraqi souvenirs)

Dinner was take-away jumbo beef burger in the room. Tonight, we stayed another night at Manawi Basha Hotel, Basrah. In 2013, the deadliest bomb assault took place here where two car bombs killed eight people.

(Jumbo Beef Burger for dinner)

Iraq Day 04: Basrah - Marshes of Chibayish - Karbala👉

👈Iraq Day 02: Baghdad - Basra