Baghdad

Short description of Baghdad

Baghdad (بغداد) is the capital of Iraq and was the seat of the Abbasid caliphate, once the largest city in the world. The Tigris splits it in two, lined with fish restaurants grilling masgouf over open fires. The golden domes of the Kadhimiya shrine draw pilgrims in their millions, while the National Museum holds the finds of Sumer, Assyria and Babylon. Al-Mutanabbi Street fills with book stalls and readers on Fridays, and the Abbasid palace and Mustansiriya school survive from the medieval city. Modern monuments such as the Martyr’s Memorial and the Victory Arch mark the later decades.

AI edited

Recommended length of stay

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: March – April or October

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

All highlights and sights

1. Al-Kadhimiya Shrine
2. Al-Mutanabbi Street book market
3. National Museum of Iraq
4. Masgouf fish restaurants on the Tigris
5. Abu Hanifa Mosque in Adhamiyah
6. Shorja market and Al-Rasheed Street
7. Mustansiriya Madrasah
8. Martyr’s Memorial (Al-Shaheed)
9. Abbasid Palace
10. Zawra Park
11. Victory Arch (Swords of Qadisiyah)
12. Baghdadi Museum
13. Monument to the Unknown Soldier
14. Al-Zawraa riverside promenade
15. Saray souq and copper lane
16. Al-Shaab teahouses and Iraqi chai
17. Ctesiphon arch at Salman Pak(Day trip)
18. Qishla clock tower and riverside quarter

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:

• BGW Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (Baghdad) · 14 km southwest(recommended)
• NJF Al Najaf International Airport (Najaf) · 147 km south
• KIK Kirkuk International Airport (Kirkuk) · 240 km north

Train stations:

Baghdad Central

Map view

Distances

More travel destinations in Iraq

• Karbala
• Najaf
• Babylon
• Sulaymaniyah
• Erbil
• Mosul
• Samarra
• Ur
• Mesopotamian Marshes
• Amadiya
• Lalish
• Duhok