Iraq

It might not be on the top of your list of places to go, and huge swathes of it are indeed not safe enough to visit at the moment, yet travellers do make it out here. And once the dust settles you can join them and more. For now the intrepid stick to Iraqi Kurdistan, a safe slice of Iraq, while they dream of the day they can wander on down into the rest of the country. Iraqi Kurdistan is mountainous beauty, thriving and surprisingly modern cities, and an educated and self-confident population.

When peace returns, head down the Euphrates and Tigris rivers towards Baghdad, fabled city, setting of most of the stories in 1001 nights. Head into the land of Babylon, of Ur, and of Nineveh. Head into the cradle of civilization.

It was here between the two rivers that the first cities arose, and the first Kings fought each other for supremacy over the fertile and green land of Mesopotamia. It’s less green than it used to be, and the cities have all crumbled, some by the sheer force of years that have passed and some by the constant wars. Hopefully a few of the excavated ruins and archeological sites will survive the current phase of devastation. If not, even the rubble of a Babylon or Ur will evoke an emotion, the weight of the past suffers no destruction.

When the fighting stops and the guns finally fall silent, visit this ancient land, but until that time restrict yourself to the north.