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WARNING: The political situation in much of Iraq remains extremely unstable even though the war was officially declared as over in December 2011. Except for Kurdistan, travel here remains extremely dangerous and strongly discouraged. All foreigners are still in danger of kidnapping, murder, and general armed violence. Except for Kurdistan, tourism visas for Iraq are not granted at the moment. Sporadic violence can occur anywhere in Iraq although Iraqi Kurdistan is relatively safe.

Also note that as of 2014 the militant group known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has taken control of several major Iraqi cities and is continuing to wage a military campaign against the Iraqi government and its security forces. This has made the security state in Iraq even more unstable. Some of this fighting has spilled over to Iraqi Kurdistan. The fighting is currently in Kirkuk and several Kurdish border towns in Iraqi Kurdistan where ISIS and the Kurdish Pershmerga (Kurdish security forces) are vying for control. For this reason travel to Kirkuk and the Iraq-facing border of Iraqi Kurdistan is currently not advised.

Although the north east provinces which comprise Iraqi Kurdistan can be considered safe for foreigners, the margins for error are small. While no foreign deaths have occurred in this province since the 2003 Iraq invasion, many foreign deaths have occurred elsewhere in Iraq.

If it is necessary to visit, then remain cautious at all times, and consult your embassy before you leave. For further information, see war zone safety.

The bottom line: do your research and be careful.

Iraq (Arabic: Al-Irq) is a country in the Middle East. It lies at the north end of the Persian Gulf and has a small (58km) coastline in the south east of the country. It is surrounded by Iran to the east, Kuwait to the south, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, Jordan to the west, Syria to the north west, and Turkey to the north.

Iraq is the birthplace of many of the Earth's oldest civilizations, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. A part of the Ottoman Empire from 1534, the Treaty of Svres brought the area under British control in 1918. Iraq gained independence in 1932. On 14 July 1958, the long-time Hashemite monarchy was overthrown in a coup led by Abd al-Karim Qasim that paved way to radical political reforms, including the legalisation of political parties such as the Ba'ath and the Communist Party, both key players in the coup (also called the 14 July Revolution). Following this Revolution, the Soviet Union gradually became its main arms and commercial supplier.

In February 1963, Qasim was overthrown and killed in a second coup that brought the Ba'ath Party into power. Internal divisions would follow for the next five years, until another coup on 17 July 1968 led by Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr (with Communist support) stabilised the party. Relations between the Communists and the Ba'athists ranged from mutual cooperation to violent mistrust, culminating in the purge of Communists from the army and the government by 1978, causing a temporary rift with the Soviet Union. On 16 July 1979, Bakr resigned and was succeeded by right-hand man Saddam Hussein, who carefully killed his enemies and became a dictator almost overnight.

The next twenty-five years took a grinding toll on the country. A long war with neighbouring Iran in the 1980s cost hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars. The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and subsequent Gulf War caused further casualties, followed by civil war inside the country and a decade of international sanctions.

Iraq was invaded in 2003 by a mainly US/UK-led coalition of forces, who removed Saddam Hussein from power. As of 2012, no foreign troops remain in Iraq.

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Iraq travel guide - Wikitravel - Wikitravel - The Free ...