About

Hello!

My name is Ahmed and I’m the face behind Around Iraq.

My journey started in 2019 when I was attending an English institute in my hometown Najaf. As students, we wanted to take our American teachers around the places close by, such as Baghdad, Babylon and Karbala, to show them the country they were living in. Seeing their positive reactions to these places made me rethink the fixed idea I had that Iraq was not a country for tourists and that it had nothing to offer.

However, some more time would have to pass. In 2019 it was nearly impossible to get a visa to Iraq. This all changed in 2021, while I was studying Business Administration in Istanbul, with the visit by Pope Francis to Iraq. Shortly after this visit, the Iraqi government announced its decision to grant visa on arrival to over 30 nationalities.

Since then, tourism has steadily grown, and people can finally see the real Iraq for themselves. Because of my earlier experiences, I absolutely wanted to be part of this change and started taking tourists around the country. After 40 years of conflict and instability, Iraq is now not only known for war but is recognized for its history, culture, food, and hospitality.

Working as a tour operator gave me the opportunity I had been wishing for to show my country to people from across the globe. I enjoy nothing more than meeting new people from different walks of life and explaining the history of Iraq to them.