Iraq contains some of the oldest urban sites in the world — Babylon, Ur, the Assyrian remains near Mosul — along with the shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala and the marshlands of the south. The Kurdistan region in the north operates its own visa arrangements and has been considerably more stable than the rest of the country.
The guides here cover Iraq as a whole. Security conditions vary sharply by province and have changed repeatedly; many governments advise against travel to large parts of the country. Summer heat in the south is among the most extreme anywhere, leaving late autumn to early spring as the only practical window. Current official advisories should govern any decision to travel.