Baghdad Off the Beaten Path Tips by hunterV

Lake Sawa located 33 km to the west of Samawa is one of the amazing freshwater lakes in Iraq suitable both for yachting and for bathing.
We not only bathed, but also angled there. We even used to hold a contest: who can catch more fish and measured the catch by the scales.
The lake has also a holiday home and a nice beach. I even saw some yachts there.
The water was superb when we, a group of Soviet engineers, bathed there every week!
Superb relaxation! Thanks, dear hosts!

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This map of Iraq shows its central part with the capital and Samawa, the city where I stayed and worked for a year.
It was a long time ago.
It's a pity Iraq is not a tourist country now...

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That is the name of the province of which Samawa is the capital.
I used to work in Samawa for about a year as an interpreter then.
By the way, the locals explained to us that the city name should be understood as "The Land of the Skies".
On this map you can see the city of Samawa, Lake Sawa located 33 km to the west of it and Ziggurat of Ur below Samawa.
Our group used to frequent Lake Sawa on our days off and we also had the chance of visiting Ur, an ancient site not far from Samawa.

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This tomb is located on the west side of Baghdad, in Sheikh Ma'aruf district.
The tomb has a high octagonal "dome" in Seljuk style, one of the most remarkable in the city. Erroneously ascribed to Sitt Zubeida, wife of Haroun Al-Rashid, who was actually buried in the Qureish Cemeteries in Kadhimiya, it is in fact the tomb of Zumurrud Khatoun, the wife of the Caliph Al-Mustadhi Bi-Amrillah who had it constructed as a mausoleum for herself sometime before A.D. 1202, during the reign of her son, the Caliph Al-Nasir Li Dinillah.

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The monument is located on the way to Baghdad International Airport.
It was made by Iraqi sculptor Badri Al-Samarra'i.
Philosopher, poet and inventor, Abbas bin Firnas lived in Andalusia, Spain, in the 9th century, in the reign of the Umayad Caliph Abdul Rahman II.
He formulated his own theories about the possibility of human flight, in which he conducted experiments which earned him the name of the First Arab Flier.

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The monument is located in Mansour Square near Baghdad International Fair.
It was made by Miran Al-Saadi in 1972.
The Arabs have always loved horsemanship and associated it with gallantry, courage and generosity - all the qualities that go into the making of a hero.

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This shrine is located in Sheikh Omar Street, near the Middle Gate (Al-Bab Al--Wastani).
Sheikh Omar Al-Sahrawardi was a famous mystic and theologian. He died in 1225. The mosque over his shrine, one of the oldest extant in Baghdad, has a conical dome in Seljuk style.

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This church is also known as the Church of the Virgin Mary. It is located in Midan square, Rashid Street.
This is one of the oldest churches in Baghdad.
It originally belonged to the Nestorians before its ownership was transferred to the Armenian Orthodox community.
Especially interesting is its annual service in celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin.

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There are not only ancient mosques, but also many mosques built recently.
They are distinguished for their madnificent arabesques, glazed tile wals and superb Arab calligraphy that is characteristic of the Islamic architecture in general.
The minaret seen on the picture belongs to Ibn Bunnieh Mosque located near the International Railway Station.
You can't help admiring its exterior and I imagine the interior is no less striking and amazing.

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Located in New Baghdad about 9 kilometers to the east of the capital, this is one of the sites of ancient Mesopotamian civilization dating back to Akkadian times and the Third Dynasty of Ur.
This site takes us back in time to around 1850 BC when the city became an administrative centre of the Ashnunna Kingdom.
Large numbers of clay tablets were unearthed here. They cover a variety of subjects including the Ashnunna Laws that preceded Hammurabi's Code by some two hundred years.
There was a Science Academy here that is considered to be the first in the world. It was mainly concerned with mathematics.
Several tablets were discovered at this site. They bear complex mathematical tables and theorems including the so-called Euclid's Theorem with its geometrical solution anticipating Euclid by about seventeen centuries.

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