Travel Diaries 8 - IRAQ Edition

When 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' released in 2011, I experienced a moment of epiphany that no other piece of art could invoke in me. A mere thought of rediscovering ourselves through traveling escapades triggered some inexplicable euphoria. My wife and I realized traveling could be our true calling. By then we were married for 5 years and I was in early 30's but I don't remember us doing anything exciting as we were more into the grind of family, careers and eventually kids. Bunty arrived in May 2012. 

It was a night I remember where we both sat together to decide that we need to stop existing and begin living in it's full sense and since we shared common passions (traveling being one of them), we decided to turn the next chapter of our life when my boy was few months old. We started traveling and the rest is history.

We have been to quite a few countries, immersed ourselves into the nature, beaches, historic old towns, monuments, world wonders, interacted and immersed ourselves in many cultures across continents and we thought we had seen the world...until we were on to the recent expedition to Middle East. This is when something magical happened.

We traditionally try to visit some new place on my wife's birthday which coincides with new year's day and this time we wanted to go to some place which we did not even dream we could go sometime. The place that had been in the news for all the wrong reasons since my younger days - IRAQ. 

IRAQ

War-torn, under-developed, sectarian violence, fundamentalism, terrorism are few of the choicest epithets we hear about Iraq. Canadian government had issues a strict travel advisory against visiting Iraq. So did I commit any irresponsible misadventure taking my wife and young kids there ?

Iraq was on my radar for the last few years and I had been in touch with various travel agents, locals , news outlets and was waiting for the right time and opportunity. The biggest step I have taken was to think beyond what western propaganda news outlets and government agencies wanted me to believe. For those of you who follow geopolitics, these exact governments invaded Iraq on the pretext of saving the humanity from their weapons of mass destruction but when they did not find any, ended up looting their oil and resources, remember ?

But Iraq was on my mind for various other reasons. For those who do not know, Iraq (earlier called Mesopotamia) was the cradle of civilization where the concept of writing, mathematics, astrology etc took birth. That was exactly where humans started living in societies that gave way to cultures, religions, languages to explode. Such was the rich history, heritage of the place which was ransacked for religious and political megalomania. And no media outlet with vested interest could convince me otherwise.

Hence we traveled to I.R.A.Q.

Baghdad:

The moment we entered Iraqi airspace (from Jordan - another article, another time about Jordan), I pinched myself to check if it was real but I was also prepared for some culture shocks or jolts as Iraq is not known to be an overly traveler friendly country. And the first jolt was ready to occur in Baghdad airport where we had to search for an elusive 'on-arrival visa' counter which happened to be an unattended broken desk outside washrooms. We could see border control counter, baggage belts, exit, vehicles on the street and stores beyond the street all from the place we stood waiting for the visa-on-arrival officer. A gentleman finally arrived, took our passports and money and vanished somewhere. And he did not appear for a while. Nobody else to enquire too except a janitor cleaning the floor manually who only spoke Arabic.

That was a moment of doubt if I was being over-ambitious in visiting an hostile country known for xenophobia. What if somebody stole our passports ? Whoa. But thankfully the man returned with Iraqi visa stamps that we now cherish dearly as badges of honor. Once we passed the border control, my man whom I interacted with earlier arranged a driver who drove us to the hotel. Understandably he did not speak much of English and we indulged in a short dumb charades game. We wanted to see if there was some 'Welcome to Baghdad' kind of insignia or a board to take a picture but alas..I reminded myself that we were in a hostile and not so traveler friendly place. But I started observing something amusing.

The driver who dropped us, the concierge at the hotel, reception were all pleasantly surprised and low-key shocked to see a family of brown people (with small kids) as it was evident they haven't seen such sight as long as they could remember. Yes, we ruffled a few feathers here and there.

The hotel staff was very accommodating but the room was inhospitable in terms of odor and amenities. When we asked for a change, they obliged our request but again we realized that if we yearned comfort or luxury, we should have gone to a luxury all inclusive resort in the Caribbean. We clearly went to another world and kept the unprepared staff on their toes. May be we behaved a but like those conceited tourists from the western world who live in their bubble. But again, we reminded ourselves we wanted to be travelers and not tourists (big difference).

Next morning, my guy in Iraq arranged a 'guide' who met us with a warm smile and the first question he asked was 'what do you want to see ?'. I was taken a little aback as wasn't he supposed to tell us what he's gonna show ? But again he sheepishly said there was no such concept of tourist guides there and his priority was to keep us safe and secure than taking places. A touché moment, indeed.  I had an inkling about Baghdad and vicinity, thanks to my earlier research; so I listed him the places we wanted to see. He retorted there was nothing more in Baghdad than that list. I felt vindicated.

We try to augment our travel experiences by talking to locals about their land. They always feel proud and offer genuine information that we are otherwise privy to. The 'guide' revealed he actually was an interpreter to US army when they invaded Iraq and hence gave us a picture from both sides. First of our discussions was how much locals hate Americans (or Canadians) or anybody white. He said we should be glad being Indians with brown skin otherwise Canadian passports were always looked upon with suspicion.

While we drove through, I noticed that entire city was filled by billboards and posters (not of movie-stars or rockstars. Any form of entertainment is banned in Iraq). The posters belonged to martyrs of Shia militia, the extra judicial armies, the government too can't talk against. Detractors call them terrorists, but for Shia majority they were heroes. Do you know who are the parties that fight against those Shia militia ? Al-Qaeda and ISIS (drumroll). We drove and later walked through many places and streets that were destroyed by the conflict between ISIS, Shia militia and US army. The guide did not want to talk too much about Shia militia because the driver was a Shia (so was the guide himself..or over 60% of the Iraqi population too)

The first place he took us to was a memorial of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980's built by a certain Saddam Hussein (heard his name in news?). I had an iota of knowledge about that war but the discourse with the guide was rich. He was kind enough to discuss the prevalent Sunni Shia conflicts that escalated to political upmanship and eventually war between the countries. Then we had been to an abandoned Abbasid Palace which would have been celebrated by UNESCO and tourists had it been in any other country. When we went the whole palace was for ourselves. 

After the monuments and memorials, we wanted to feel true Iraqi streets. He took us across the river Tigris to Mutanabbi street, a famous pedestrian shopping. And something amazing happened there. Random people began stopping us to enquire if we liked Iraq and if we felt safe ? There were almost 15-20 such instances within a 2 kilometer radius. Seniors took selfies with us, asked us what we liked about Iraq and requested us to spread positive words about Iraq. That was heart-warming and gut wrenching at the same time.

We had been to many countries where we were treated as money making machines. Nobody volunteered to strike a conversation with us. It was always we trying to talk or understand their worlds. But Iraq was the first place where locals tried to interact, wanted to listen from us, some even invited to their place. Sweetness overloaded. At some other place, somebody asked our guide if my wife was a bollywood actor and when he said yes in jest, that was spread like a wildfire and throngs of people surrounded us but yet we felt absolutely safe and secure. The love just shows, huh. We clarified to them we were no celebs but they still could not get enough of us and I must admit, we loved the unexpected attention and love that came our way. 

Then we visited some shrines, mosques, streets and our day in Baghdad was memorable for a lifetime. But it was only a beginning of Iraq. My target destination i.e., the cradle of civilization was not Baghdad, it was Babylon.

Babylon:

Heard about 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' ? For beginners, it's one of the ancient (original) seven wonders of the world. No other ancient wonder except the great pyramids exists anymore. But archeologists identified the exact location where the said gardens once existed. That was, of course, in Babylon, a 1.5 hour drive from Baghdad. So it's time for us to foray into the hinterland of Iraq beyond the urban sprawls of Baghdad.

The drive was quite an experience for us. Once past Baghdad suburbs, there was perceptible change in the people's clothing and behavior. There were check posts and army tanks every few meters and it was indistinguishable if the gunmen were army, private militia or common men. Our guide advised not to be conspicuous and hence we tried to blend it as much as we could but our glaringly western wear and physiognomy gave us away. Nothing dangerous though.

Finally we reached Babylon and I was jubilant to step on the erstwhile place of Sumerian and Babylon civilizations but our guide had a surprise addition to our itinerary: Saddam Hussein's palace overlooking Euphrates river on one side and Babylon ruins of the BC period on the other. The palace now is abandoned with graffiti all over but there is certain eerie discomfort and sad truth about that place.

Saddam Hussein wanted his name to be remembered in the annals of the history and hence did the unthinkable. He 'reconstructed' and renovated archeological ruins of Babylon by getting modern structures built on the original ruins including his ostentatious palace. How insane ! He had the delusion of grandiosity and wanted to be taken his name in the same breath of Hammurabi. Nevertheless, we walked the path that's now garnished with maze of walls. All we got to do was to place our hand on a wall where the hanging gardens once existed. 

But another surprise for us that was the exact place where Alexander the Great died after his renown expeditions. Yes, we stood on the exact spot where he died. That was a goosebumps moment.

Beyond Saddam's artificial structures, there were some actual ruins we got to see up-close but the sad part was that those treasured ruins which should have been cordoned off from vandals and trespassers was left open (except a restricted old thoroughfare). 

However for me, it was a surreal feeling to stand on a land where Hammurabi, Alexander and yeah Saddam Hussein stood once and at the place where civilizations started and thrived. I felt the history spoke up-close and personal with me. And I'm gonna cherish that feeling.

Karbala:

The third and final segment of Iraq had to be a place of significance to millions of people across the world, more specifically Shia Muslims. Look up 'Battle of Karbala' and you would be transported to a world of Islamic renaissance. To keep things simple, that was the place where Imam Husayn, grandson of Mohammed, was massacred by Yazid, the then ruler of mainstream Sunni Muslims. While Sunni-Shia rift began soon after Prophet Mohammed's death, the battle of Karbala amplified the schism which is felt even today. Muhurram is being observed even today to commemorate Imam Husayn's death. And there is no way we could miss visiting His shrine while in Iraq.

Karbala is more interior and orthodox in Islamic values and has an indistinguishable Iranian influence. Billboards were seen in both Arabic and Persian. Clothing wise too, there is a stronger Iranian version making it mandatory for women to wear abaya (full burqa). After my wife wore one, the senior ladies around took her under their wings and made sure not a strand of her hair was visible and some other lady wiped her make-up off. We had been to many mosques in different places (including Arab world) but the credos at Karbala appeared stringent. But when Rome, do as the Romans do and when in Karbala, do as the Shia Muslims do and say. Respecting their culture while at their place was non-negotiable for us.

The moment we entered the shrine complex, there were scores of dead bodies (Janazah) brought to the holy shrine for the funeral prayers. I underwent a kind of stupor seeing so many devout shia muslims in the state of absolute trance. There were tens of thousands in the complex and almost everyone were wailing out of grief or emotional outburst. I had been to many significant places of worship including Vatican, Jerusalem, Tirupati but what I saw in Karbala doesn't leave my eyes.

I checked with my guide if I being a non-Muslim was allowed to enter the shrine interiors and he responded that as long as I respected the culture and people around, I was allowed. And of-course why wouldn't I ? Since women enter through another gate, apparently wifey was enquired by a group of curious women if she was 'Hind' (meaning Indian) when they saw her toe-ring. But eventually they welcomed her in. Through the men's entrance, I finally stepped into the fourth most important shrine for Shias after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem and the place where grandson of Prophet was buried. Never in my life did I imagine that could ever happen.

The interiors of Imam Husayn's shrine were dazzling with crystals with places to offer Namaaz for many thousands. There were times when millions gathered at the shrine. The ornate Islamic architecture and grandeur were at their full glory for me to daze in when I saw a place similar to Sanctum Santorum, the holiest of the holies - the room where the actual grave of Imam Husayn lied, thronged by people all around so they could touch the wall of the grave. I had my son with me and I asked if he wanted to touch it too with so many people around. The last thing I wanted was him to get injured in some stampede. But he was as enthusiastic as I was; we waited our turn patiently and could finally touch that holy ornate wall of the grave that millions of Muslims across the world only crave to do.

And that marked the end of our trip to Karbala, and Iraq. After years of online research, interacting with tens of travelers in various forums, talking to locals, putting the foot forward deciding to visit Iraq to eventually visiting the country, experiencing the culture, religion, history, ruins, people, their love, their food (including mandi) - everything still feels like a dream. 

Iraq is not just any country in my repertoire of travel stories, but a place that deeply affected me, taught me, pampered me and enriched me in more ways than I could imagine. I am glad that I took my kids to that country and more glad that I chose this to celebrate my wife's birthday-week.. Actually she has more stories about Iraq which she would open up at her leisure.

The middle east trip was the best trip we had been to in our lives and Iraq is an important cog in the wheel. But there was another country in our itinerary that I wanted to visit since my childhood for a stronger reason. We visited and left that country with more stories, experiences than I dreamt of. That was Israel (and Palestine), an active warzone. A follow-up article about Israel-Palestine coming shortly as part-2 of the middle east trilogy. Stay tuned.