Baghdad, Iraq. 29th January 2025.

Baghdad, Iraq’s capital city, was next on my list. Danish Michael had told me about a mechanic who lived there, who’d serviced his bike. I’d already been in touch with him but I messaged him to let him know I was coming to the city.
At breakfast I chatted to a couple of American guys who where travelling in a group, using the big overlander truck I’d seen parked in the yard. They were on a tour of the Middle East. I was surprised because they were in their 50s/60s and it’s usually youngsters who do trips in that kind of truck.
A straightforward journey, once I was out of the maw of the city. Only one passport check, which made a change.

Along the road I spotted a pink American car outside a building. I stopped and went back. There were seven or eight different cars, including a Cadillac, all in pretty good condition. There were some guys there but none spoke English so I didn’t find out what it was all about. I just took some photos then left.
I stopped for fuel near the city and had to join a couple of others over on the side of the forecourt. A bike and a 3 wheeler, all of us having to use cans. So it’s not just foreigners, as I’d wondered. One of the guys loaned me his can and a funnel.

There was mega traffic on the way through the city. It always is in big Iraqi connurbations.
I’d chosen the Kasr Al Barakat hotel to stay at. It had the best recommendations and gave a discount to travellers. But they didn’t have a room for that night. Very likely to have one after that, he said. He sent me to Diwan Hotel, just down the road, telling me to come back next day to hopefully get a room.
It wasn’t all that good. The room was 45K as against 35K for Al Barakat. The TV remote didn’t work and the boy who came up couldn’t get it to either. I had to ask them to switch on the AC so that I had some warmth. Other than that, not bad for Iraq.
I messaged Achmed and he said he’d come to pick me up. I’d planned to go to a nearby shop to buy the oil. When we met, at about 6.45, he said we’d go to a different place as the one I was heading to was due to close at 19.00. It’s very odd because Google had said it was due to open at 19.00. But I suppose that was obviously wrong.
We got the oil (£19 for two litres of fully synthetic) and then went to another place for an oil filter. Then he took me into the old part of the city. We went to Al-Mutanabbi Street, an old area frequented by artists. And we looked at Shabandar Café coffee house. Renowned for the ambiance but not the coffee.
He bought me some sweet corn and then later we had a dumpling sitting in some soup, a local dish. Both were very tasty.
He’d parked his car in a car park where he’d had to leave the keys in case they needed to move it. When we got back to it the guys there took at least twenty minutes to move enough cars around for us to get out. Madness and chaos, reminding me of India.
Then we went across the river to the new part of the city and just drove around a bit, admiring all the new malls and high end shops. Then back to base.
Achmed was a very nice young guy and very interesting. He wasn’t religious – he didn’t even know when this year’s Ramadan was taking place place – but he’s nominally Shia, as is most of Iraq.
His business was to reprogramme ECUs for bikes (cars? I’m not sure). He’d been doing it for about 12 years and worked from home. He rides abroad a lot and had been all round Saudi, Oman etc. He was giving me advice about routes and other useful info.
My plan for the next day was to go to the other hotel if possible, then go to his place and get the work done on my bike. Fingers crossed for it all working out.

He explained to me about bikes being unable to fill up at filling stations. Some years ago, when bikes tended to be ratty old things, one caught fire on a forecourt and blew the place up. This happened twice. So bikes were banned from forecourts.
The other thing about bikes is that they’re theoretically banned from being imported. They can’t be registered. Why? Because of Tuk Tuks being imported from India. Why? The Government doesn’t want Iraq to become like India, with streets filled with the chaos of Tuk Tuks. But within their system both Tuk Tuks and three wheel bikes count as motorbikes because they all have handlebars. So to prevent Tuk Tuks there are no bikes or three wheelers either. But there were still lots of Tuk Tuks on the streets.
There’s loads of bikes running around with no registration numbers because of this rule. Achmed said that if they get caught by the police they’ll lose the bike. Absolute madness!
He also said that cars can only be imported from auctions and they have to be within one year old. Which accounts for why so many are so new.
I mentioned about all the traffic police I saw. He said they used to have guns but they were withdrawn because they were shooting too many people! “Am I in the USA”, I thought?
In the morning I changed hotels then went to Achmed’s. Everything there went very well. He changed the oil and was surprised by how clean it was. He too was amazed that Honda recommend a 12K Kms oil change interval and expect the filter to last for 24K Kms.
The air filter came out and he cleaned the snorkel and the filter cover. He washed them, then dried them with a hair dryer. A bit of engine oil finished on the foam the job. There was about half a litre of oil left over, which I left with him. I have nowhere to carry it.
He used bathroom cleaner to degrease the chain then rinsed that off. Before I left he lubed the chain. Then we washed the bike. We got the wheels really clean.
Last job was the spotlight. He managed to loosen three of the screws OK. The last one he used a mini grinder to cut a slot across it and managed to get it out. He trimmed the wires and soldered them back on. A bit of sealer and some tape finished the job.
We tried them it the bike and it seemed to be OK. But when I got back to the hotel it wasn’t quite right. It was showing as much white as it was yellow. I wasn’t sure whether to leave it or ask him to try again. In the end I left it.
Michael had said that Achmed refused any payment and he treated me the same. I asked him to meet me that evening so I could treat him to a meal. He agreed to that but wasn’t able to come in the end and I didn’t see him again. Such a shame.

On the way back to the hotel I went to look at the Sydat Al Nejat Catholic church. A modern building with a nice design, but that’s about all.
Back in the room, and after coffee and cake, I walked down to Tahir Square and the Freedom Monument. The monument is a bas releif sculpture of various scenes in an arty kind of style. Representative of different events, although it was hard for me to know what. The square itself is a pleasant open space and includes a Motherhood Monument. When I came back I went down to the bike and considered adjusting the lights. But I decided the situation wasn’t right so I just locked and covered it.

My left hip/thigh has been hurting over the last few days. I tend to walk it off but it does slow me down. I was also getting pains on the side of my right knee, but that’s gone away for now. Am I finally wearing out???
In the morning I decided the Iraq Museum was to be my first visit.

It’s a good place. It majors on Iraq’s Mesopotamian and Assyrian history, which is no surprise really. A bit of the Hellenistic period too. It’s a period rich with art, statues, carvings and building decorations.
The pottery was excellent, with a couple of really beautiful pieces. Loads of boring coins. They don’t interest me because they’re too specific to a period. There wasn’t any clothing either, which made a pleasant change. There was a bit of more recent Islamic history too. The building is big and some work is being done on new display rooms. Just for once, I had to pay by card – no cash taken. The good news was that it worked OK.

My next target was the Martyrs’ Memorial. No access to it tho. I was only able to get a photo from a distance. And then things got interesting.
There was a family there too and the teenage daughter was detailed to ask me the usual questions – where from etc. Then I was asked if I’d like to go with them to a restaurant for lunch. I often refuse these offers but this time I accepted. The girls’ English was very good so I anticipated being able to have a good conversation.
I followed their car for about half an hour as we fought through the traffic. The restaurant was on the banks of the river and was a really upmarket place. Tables outside, in view of the river, but under a shelter. A big play park for the kids. A very good venue.

The family consists of Ali, his wife, two older teenage daughters, a boy of about 11 and a little girl. Asinet, my girl, was 15. We had a great conversation.
She was explaining to me about how girls as young as 12 are allowed to be married. That was the same as Iran and I just find it totally wrong. Her father doesn’t approve of that either and is keen for her to go to university, most likely to study pharmacy. She might go to Russia.
She said her father used to be bad (!) but her mother changed him and now he’s a successful business man. He’s strict with his daughters in a traditional Arab way. Not allowed to talk, or even look, at boys. She reckons she’ll find a husband when she gets to Uni.
I didn’t speak to Ali really. I could have got Google translate out and tried it, but he didn’t seem bothered. Her mother spoke some English. She’s now at Uni. I can’t remember what she was studying.
The food was very tasty. A mixed salad of shrimps, avocado, mushroom and greenery. And another one with some other stuff in it. This was followed by a mixed platter of meat, tomatoes, greenery etc. Plus thin Iraqi bread. Ali did the dishing out and I got plenty. His treat, which was very generous of him. Mixing with a family in that way was a really great experience.

Then I made the mistake of carrying on to visit a shrine I’d marked on the map. I’d forgotten it was Friday and the area around it was very busy. Lots of traffic and people. I didn’t get there in the end. The location on Google seemed to be wrong.
But I did spot a shelter, for police on point duty, which had a policeman’s hat for a roof. That was very pleasing.

Next morning I headed out to Abbasid Palace but couldn’t find a way in. I found two entrances but they were blocked by soldiers. So in the end I didn’t bother.
I decided to go to Al-Mutanabbi Street instead, where Achmed had taken me the first night, to explore it in daylight. It was just nearby.
I tucked the bike away in a corner. I was in a street that I don’t think I was meant to be in as it seemed to be pedestrianised. It was a short walk to Al-Mutanabbi Street.

On the way I passed by some good looking buildings, in Sari Square. An archaeological museum according to Google. Also the Govenorate building. I’m not sure how old they are but they look very clean. The whole area was undergoing a spruce up.

It was very busy. Loads of people enjoying themselves. All the shops were open, most of them bookshops or stationers. I spotted a tea stall and had a cup. When I offered money he refused it. Free tea! How wonderful. Iraq was beginning to impress me.

Once I got to the top end of the street I turned left and walked down to the antique market. What a fascinating place.
Lots of alleys and little squares, filled with junk shops. I’m sure there were some antiques among the dross but they would have been hard to find. They reminded me of the junk shops that we used to have, around where I lived, fifty years ago.

One of them had stacks of LPs and I couldn’t help but wonder if they contained any hidden gems. Lots of old radios, with all the old European stations on the dial. I was keeping an eye out for a fuel bottle but no luck. But I did find a guy selling funnels so I got a handy sized one for filling up duties.
I bought some fruit and took lots of photos. Some of the buildings were really dilapidated, especially the top floors. In fact one had nearly collapsed completely. Definitely an old part of town. I suspect that when redevelopment comes along all those shops will be gone.

Very few of them looked like they did any serious business but there was usually a couple of old boys sitting in the back, smoking and drinking tea. I suspect a lot of them were more of a hobby than a living. Keeping out from under their wive’s feet. Fascinating!
I walked back down the road, to the river bank. There was a statue there of a poet named Abu Al-Mutanabbi, clearly giving the street its name.

I walked down a narrow alleyway and found the café Achmed took me to. So I had another dumpling. That was my cheap, main meal for the day. I stepped into the famous Shabandar Café but it just seemed to be people smoking and drinking tea, nothing else. The upstairs wasn’t open. I wanted coffee and cake but no joy on that. So I left.

That was the end of exploring for the day. I sat in the bad traffic to return to the hotel. A couple of the hotel guys tried to get me to park the bike by the front door, up some steps. I gave it a try but it simply wasn’t going to work. There was a handy space at the end of the row of parked cars so that’s where it went.
I was on the road out of the city by 10am. First target was Samarra to see the Great Mosque. It was closed, according to comments on Google Maps, and so it proved. As I approached it a soldier told me to park up, take some photos then come back round again.

Initially I went into a car park but changed my mind and rode down the road and past the site. Then I followed the wall round until I got a decent photo of the whole site.
It’s very big, with tall walls. More like a fortress than a mosque. I rode back round and stopped to take photos of the tower, which is what this mosque is famous for.

It was built in 851 and was destroyed by Mongol invaders in 1258. It was reckoned to be the largest in the world.
Then I headed away and on out into the open desert. 15kms later I came to the Abu Dulaf Minaret.
This was a very similar building to the mosque I’d just left, except that it was out in the sand, hadn’t been looked after and nobody seemed to care about it. I had to ride across the dirt to get to it.

It too was completed in 850 and was also destroyed by the Mongols.

The walls were a bit tumbledown but were mostly intact. It was another big site, with a tower outside the walls, just like the Great Mosque. I was able to climb up the outside of the tower, on unguarded steps. I got about two thirds of the way up then got a bit nervy about the lack of safety and came back down again. Some other people went up too and one couple got right to the top.
People had brought their cars in among the ruins of the walls and had set up picnics, with kids running round having fun. I decided that it was just how ruins ought to be. One family had their pet lamb with them!

The downside of an unregulated site was the amount of rubbish strewn around. Huge amounts of plastic bottles, to the extent that I wondered if it was an unofficial rubbish tip.
I ate some lunch and while doing so a young woman from a nearby car came over to chat. She was holding a little girl and had an older one with her. She looked very modern. No head covering, short hair, loose jeans and a jumper. A bit like a 1960s Tomboy.

We chatted a bit, using Google translate. After a while she offered me to come at stay at her house. Shock! But I declined. There were two older adults in the party, whom I presumed to be her parents. There was another young girl and I’m guessing they were her sisters, although they may have been her two kids as well. 

I rode around the site, taking a few more photos. Then I stopped to decide where to go next. I decided to go to Tikrit. There seemed to be only three hotels to choose from and I possibly chose the worse one. It’s an absolute dump! 25K Dinar, a price he wouldn’t dare have charged a local. I should have walked out. There was no breakfast either.

I had to insist that he got me a towel and some soap. Another guy in the lobby was using Google and interpreting for me. Initially the answer to my request for a towel and soap was to go down to the market where I could buy some. When I pointed out that I’d paid 25K for the room they magically became available. I also had to ask for a pillow case. I managed without a sheet though.
I had a nice Google chat with another guy there, about where I’d been/was going etc. A friendly little interlude.
After getting sorted out I walked up the road to a bakery to get some breakfast food. I often rely on bakeries when breakfast isn’t supplied. I got chatting to the guy who worked there who said he’s at Uni studying English. He wanted to be able to talk to me so we swapped WhatsApp details. I was sure I’d hear from him soon enough.
Then I found the Chicken Restaurant, which was actually one of those streetside BBQ places that I’d seen in Basra. I got some chicken on a skewer, which turned out to be wings, laid on some rice. It came with either baked bean soup or just baked beans. I’m not actually sure which. But it was nice enough. And cheap.
My target for the next day was Ashur, an ancient city on the banks of the Tigris River. It was an easy ride, apart from the usual checkpoints. But that was normal by now.

This city was much older than the mosques. It dates from the days of the Assyrian empire and was their capital city and an important trading centre. It dates back to the third millenium BCE.

Ashur was a big place, with quite a few different buildings, well spread out on sloping land. Most were in a pretty poor state. The ground is all torn up although there were lots of foundations around, with the layout of buildings easy to see.
The most intact building was one that used to be a museum. Until ISIS got their hands on it and blew it up. It was a UNESCO World heritage site, now little more than a ruin of a ruin. I’m guessing that the state of the land was due to shelling, but I can’t remember whether ISIS had artillery. It may have been the forces fighting them.

There were about four temples there, now just piles of rubble. But the West Gate was still intact, with its triple arches. It looked good, standing at the top of a steep ramp.
I walked back to the main entrance and started on my lunch. The ‘soldier’ on the gate invited me in for tea and we chatted. It was him that told me about ISIS. Bloody sacrilege really.

I carried on north and headed out to Hatra, another ancient city, from the Parthian era. En route I stopped for fuel and was able to fill up at the pump. Very handy.
The checkpoint at the turning to Hatra asked me about a ticket and when I said I didn’t have one they let me through anyway. As did the next checkpoint. I should really have bought one in Mosul. Except that I had yet to go there.
When I got to the main gate the guy there most definitely did want a ticket. I tried to tell him that that soldiers said I didn’t need one but that didn’t wash. He rang up the manager and he came over and would be able to sell me a ticket.
But in the meantime I’d decided to leave the visit until the next day. I’d read on Goggle that the place needed up to two hours to visit. And it was also quite a long ride to Mosul. The manager told me he’d be on site from 8 – 2pm. So I told him I’d come back next day, then left.
It was now 4pm and it got very cold. I headed to the Traveller Café, thinking to get advice on where to stay. iOverlander has some places but I didn’t want to get caught out again.
The café was on the first floor. A big open area with a bar in one corner. Two pool tables there as well. I ordered coffee and sat down to wait. The guy there told me that Saif was on the way, assuming that I was one of his customers. I’d heard of Saif though, via the WhatsApp group.
He arrived, with a Spanish guy named Roger, a backpacker. Generally speaking, the Traveller Café was pretty much empty of travellers. But Saif is a very nice guy, with pretty good English. He offered take me on a tour around Mosul and show me where ISIS operated.
He explained that he’s only just opened the café and he hopes to build it up as a big traveller base, with food and accommodation. It will be great for travellers when that’s been done.
I asked him which hotel would be best and he recommended one to me. It also had a good review on iOverlander. He rang them up to check they had room and to make sure I got the discount he’d negotiated with them. With that done I headed over there.

It’s quite a good place. No towel and no breakfast, but there were lots of food places around the hotel. The room isn’t big but the TV and the heater work. So I’m happy.
The bike was able to go into a shed under the hotel. I wasn’t so happy with that because I had to take my panniers off to get it through the door.
There’s an eatery next to the hotel and I went there for a chicken kebab wrap to finish off the day.
It was pretty cold out next morning so I didn’t rush to leave. When I did go I put the panniers back on the bike and told the hotel guy I’d leave the bike outside tonight. Putting it in there was a PITA.
Saif had showed me where the office for a Hatra ticket was located but it was the wrong direction so I relied on the manager being there, as he’d promised.
On the way down I refueled. The service station didn’t have a can and I didn’t reveal that I did. So the guy told me to come up to the pump. Very handy.
At the check point at the Hatra turning I had to wait around for ages to get permission to proceed. They recognised me from the day before and were puzzled as to why I was going there again, which was fair enough. I was a bit puzzled myself, to be fair. I got through in the end, having told them that the manager had said he’d sell me a ticket. When I got there I bought the ticket then had to show my passport at the police office onsite.

Hatra was an ancient Arab city, built in the 2nd or 3rd century BCE. It was abandoned in 240 CE.

The condition of Hatra Temple was quite amazing. Most of the walls and columns were still standing. A lot of the decorative finishes around doors etc were still intact. The larger roofs were missing but the smaller ones were mostly intact. There were quite a lot of buildings to look at.
I noticed that many of the stones had a symbol on them, and it looked original. The wall around the large temple area was mostly intact too, although it’s clear that some repairs have been carried out.
The downside was that there was no info at all, just some signs saying what the building was. It’s a great shame because it must have been a very interesting place. But Iraq has done well to have made it available to visitors. I’m assuming that ISIS didn’t try to destroy it.

I sat down to eat some lunch and make faces at some schoolkids that had just arrived. Then I used the bike to have a ride around the outside of the walls. On the way out the guy from yesterday was on the gate and it sounded as if he was asking me for money for being able to take the bike inside the compound. Yeah, right!
There were a few ruins around the outside but nothing of note. Some people had taken their cars there and were picnicking. Time for me to go.
Back at the hotel I locked and covered the bike. Then I changed and walked over to the café. They’d called Saif when I arrived and he turned up after a while.
We had an interesting chat. He told me some of his story and how he wants to focus on building up tourism into Mosul. I arranged to meet him next day for a tour round the city. The money I gave him would go into a fund to promote tourism.
I passed a restaurant that sold food on skewers so I had chicken and tomato with lovely bread. I really do like the bread they make in Iraq. Back at base I made some tea and ate a couple of the biscuits I’d bought. I really do know how to live, don’t I!
I don’t know the reason for it but when I left the hotel to walk to the café my left thigh muscle was quite painful. It was actually not very easy to walk. It was better when I left there but it still wasn’t quite right. I took a couple of ibuprofen and hoped it would be OK in the morning.
So was it? Find out soon.