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LONDON: Iraq’s recent history of conflict, insurgency, and political upheaval has done little to bolster the country’s image as a must-visit holiday destination.

Yet, in just a few short years, the “cradle of civilization” and birthplace of agriculture, writing, and the world’s first great cities, has emerged as a credible choice for heritage tourism.

It is a role Iraq has not enjoyed since the early 20th century, when Western archaeologists swarmed the sites of Mesopotamia and well-to-do Europeans rode the Orient Express on their way to Baghdad, Babylon, and the ancient cities of Ur, Nimrud, and Nineveh.

Iraq’s economy has long been highly dependent on fossil fuels, thanks to its vast reserves of oil and gas. In 2023, it was second only to �������� in the production of crude oil.

But, like ��������, which under the Vision 2030 reform program is building a heritage-based tourism industry to help diversify its economy, Iraq knows it must also develop its cultural assets as an alternative source of income.

There are other benefits, as well.

“Tourism is more than just an economic sector,” said Abdul Latif Rashid, Iraq’s president, at a ceremony in February to celebrate the naming of Baghdad as Arab Tourism Capital for 2025 by the Arab Tourism Organization.

“It fosters understanding and cooperation between peoples and cultures.” 

Something is definitely happening. Figures released earlier this month by University of Basra economist Nabil Al-Marsoumi showed that Iraq’s tourism revenue jumped 25 percent to $5.7 billion in 2024, up from $4.6 billion in 2023.

Although much of this was driven by religious tourism, many visitors were drawn to sites connected to Iraq’s cultural heritage.

This comes as no surprise to Benedicte de Montlaur, CEO of the international World Monuments Fund, which has been working with the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage on the restoration of several key sites in the country.

“Iraq’s cultural heritage is among the richest in the world,” she said. “This is where some of humanity’s earliest cities, writing systems, and laws were born.”

Building a wide-reaching cultural tourism industry will take time, she added, “but the potential is enormous.”

Over the past several years, the WMF has been working with local and international partners, “laying the groundwork for responsible, community-based tourism that protects heritage while creating opportunity.” 

The inscription of Babylon on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019, she said, “was an important milestone, signaling Iraq’s reemergence as a cultural destination and a renewed global interest in its extraordinary history.”

The internal cultural tourism industry in Iraq is already thriving, said Roger Matthews. As a professor of near eastern archaeology at the University of Reading, he regularly visits the north of Iraq.

“It’s definitely not too early to be talking about Iraq as a destination for cultural tourism,” he said.

“At the moment, most tourism in Iraq is by Iraqis, in particular Iraqis from the south spending time in the north, in the Kurdistan region, especially in the hot summer months.

“They stay in hotels, they go to archaeological heritage sites and sites of natural beauty, and there are some very good Iraqi cultural tour companies.

“But there are increasing numbers of foreigners visiting and of course they want to see the key sites, Babylon and so on, as well as the museums.”

Matthews, who has directed major archaeological digs and surveys in the Middle East over the past 40 years, is also president of RASHID International — an acronym for Research, Assessment and Safeguarding the Heritage of Iraq in Danger. Or, rather, he was until very recently.

A multinational group of academics, professionals and others with an interest in cultural heritage, the organization was set up over a decade ago to help protect, preserve, and raise awareness of Iraq’s cultural heritage.

It is, he said, now closing down — and that is a good thing, as it reflected a huge international swell of interest in preserving Iraq’s heritage and developing its potential.

“We actually recently decided to dissolve RASHID because we’ve come to a natural stopping point, because there are now so many multinational archaeological teams and projects working in Iraq,” he said.

Developing the infrastructure to welcome cultural visitors “will take steady progress, but important steps are being made,” said de Montlaur.

“Iraqi authorities, UNESCO, and many international organizations are working together to improve conservation facilities, training programs, and site management practices.

“As part of our work in Iraq, the World Monuments Fund’s role is to assist local communities and authorities in creating the conditions that make tourism possible.

“That means stabilizing historic structures, supporting local craftspeople, and ensuring that communities have the skills to care for their heritage. Preservation comes first.

“Only once a site is safe and well cared for can it truly be shared with the public in a sustainable way.”

Years of war and neglect have taken their toll on Iraq’s heritage treasures.

In 2003, a US military base was set up in the very heart of Babylon, the capital city of two of history’s most famous ancient kings, Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar.

As a report by the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq later concluded: “The use of Babylon as a military base was a grave encroachment on this internationally known archaeological site.

“During their presence in Babylon, the multinational force and contractors employed by them caused major damage to the city by digging, cutting, scraping, and leveling.

“Key structures that were damaged include the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way.”

Between 2014 and 2017, Daesh wrought major damage in and around Mosul, bulldozing sections of the walls of Nineveh, smashing Assyrian artifacts and statues in the city museum and blowing up the 12th-century Al-Nouri Mosque, which has since been restored.

Nevertheless, many sites in Iraq still have the power to inspire awe. The partially restored Bronze Age Ziggurat of Ur, located near the modern city of Al-Nasiriyyah in Dhi Qar Province, southern Iraq, is one of the most evocative surviving structures from ancient history.

“Iraq’s heritage may not resemble the pyramids or Petra, but its sites hold equal importance in the story of human civilization,” said de Montlaur.

“Babylon, Hatra, Ur, and the great Assyrian capitals of Nineveh and Nimrud offer insight into the origins of cities, writing, and art.

“The Mosul Cultural Museum, which we are helping to restore alongside Iraqi and international partners such as ALIPH, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Louvre, will soon reopen in 2026 as a place of pride and learning for the people of Mosul and for visitors from around the world.”

She added: “As stability continues to return, these sites can form the heart of a cultural tourism network that celebrates both Iraq’s ancient history and its ongoing recovery.”