Northwestern Iraq Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Northwestern Iraq

• 35.46666744.41 Kirkuk - A city located on the step of the Zagros Mountains in Iraq, its the 2nd oldest continously inhabited city in Iraq After Erbil, It's also home to the Famous Kirkuk Castle which is often considered the oldest part of the city. It's nicknamed "small iraq" due to its ethnic diversity of Kurds,Turkmens,Arabs and Assyrians.
• 36.36666743.1166672 Mosul - The site of Nineveh, the Al-Nuri Mosque, and other sites, nearly all of which were destroyed during the conflict with ISIS.
• 36.27083343.37753 Bakhdida - Largest Assysrian town in northern Iraq
• 36.35166743.3791674 Bartella - A historic Christian town
• 36.32083341.8763895 Sinjar - Majority Kurdish city near the Syrian border.
• 36.37916742.4497226 Tal Afar - a largely Iraqi Turkmen town, home to a large Ottoman-era fortress.
• 34.92916743.4930567 Baiji -
• 34.643.6833338 Tikrit- The birthplace of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq. It's also home to many historical sites.

• 35.45666743.26251 Assur - UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ruins of the former capital of the Assyrian Empire, the city was founded around 2500 BC and inhabited until the 14th century AD
• 35.58805642.7183332 Hatra - archaeological UNESCO World Heritage Site, partially destroyed by ISIS in 2015.
• 36.5095343.229313 Dur-Sharrukin - Ruins of the former capital of the Assyrian Empire, located in present day Khorsabad.

As of 2024, Northwestern Iraq is Moderately safe for travelers. Most of the urban areas have been rebuilt and terrorism is low but avoid rural areas as there is still small isis presence in those regions.

When traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan, you can visit via the Kirkuk-slemani road.

You can realize that you're entering Northwestern Iraq by the flags at the checkpoints. Know the difference between Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan flags.

• 36.80591642.075181 Rabia border crossing. Border crossing with Rojava, which is a de facto separate entity from the central government in Syria. (updated Nov 2020)
• 34.397740.97712 Al-Qaim border crossing. Official border crossing with Syria, open since September 2019. (updated Nov 2020)

You can fly using the Kirkuk international Airport. Fees from Kirkuk to Mosul usually are 46,000 IQD.

Although alot of Sites have been destroyed due to the war with ISIS, tons of Others still remain.

The drinking age of Iraq is 21.

See the warning on the Iraq article for information on the security situation.

Northwestern Iraq is moderately safe for any travel or sightseeing. The threat of terrorism is low, Most cities have been rebuilt, and landmines are non-existent.