Iraq – Beyond Your Imagination: Interview with Tour Guide Husain Rasheed

Home to Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, and the famed ‘land between two rivers’, Iraq is a country with a rich and complex history, one that has often cast a shadow over its modern tourism potential.

Husain Rasheed, originally from Babylon, has been working as a tour guide with The Iraqi Way Tours for nearly five years. Since reopening to international tourism in 2021, Iraq has witnessed a steady growth in visitor numbers.

Iraq is no stranger to religious tourism. The country is home to some of the most significant Shia burial sites, including Najaf, Karbala and Samarra, and annually welcomes between six and ten million pilgrims. 

A pivotal moment for Iraq’s wider tourism sector came in 2024, during meetings of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism, when Baghdad was named ‘Arab Capital of Tourism for 2025’. This selection was intended to showcase the city’s “rich history and cultural legacy”, according to the President.
At the time, Iraq’s Minister of Tourism announced that more than 400,000 international visitors had travelled to the country for non-religious reasons, making Iraq the seventh most visited Arab destination. This marked a significant jump from just 120,000 visitors in 2022.

As Iraq continues to strengthen its global tourism presence, guides like Husain at The Iraqi Way are helping to reshape international perceptions of the country, and give visitors the chance to discover Iraq for the first time, and delight in a country unlike anywhere they have visited before. 

Can you tell us a little about your personal background and what led you to be a tour guide in Iraq?

“I’ve always been interested in history and politics, and for me it was a perfect job really. Before working in tourism, I worked with local NGOs. One of them was in Najaf, and our main work was in youth engagement… I made some videos to promote Iraqi sites that have national identity for Iraqis …”

As the videos continued to gain online attention and with the world reopening to tourism in 2021, Hussein began using his growing online presence to build networks and explore opportunities within the tourism sector.

“I never thought that I would be a tour operator, I fell in love with the job really.”

As Iraq continued to open its doors, a historic moment came to define a clear shift for Iraq’s tourism industry; the visit of Pope Francis, which marked the first-ever papal visit to the country.

“Iraq has always been interesting, like forever really”, notes Husain, “but it’s only now where it has become accessible. The main turning point was after the Pope visited Southern Iraq, the Ziggurat of Ur. After that announcement, some people started to test the ground, and on the first group tour, I was the guide of the first-ever group tour in 2021. A lot of them, I think, all of them were well-travelled tourists. It makes sense because it is only the adventurous ones who would go there first. I notice this now, since my first group until now, the kind of tourists that come now aren’t the ‘adventurous’ ones anymore, even those who have only been to 5, 7, 10 countries, they also visit Iraq these days.”

Where in Iraq are tourists most likely to fall in love with upon visiting?

“Babylon is always there on the itinerary, they (the tourists) always request it, and of course I mean it’s a legendary city..Growing up there, I always feel very lucky to say I’m from there, it feels unreal.” 

Once home to ancient civilisations and wonders such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Ishtar Gate, Husain’s hometown of Babylon is steeped in history and cultural significance.
In recent decades, foreign investment alongside government efforts by Iraqi tourism authorities have focused on improving the restoration and management of the ancient city. The ‘Future of Babylon’ project, introduced in the mid-2000s by the World Monuments Fund, played a key role in these efforts and ultimately contributed to Babylon being granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2019.

How do visitors typically react to seeing Iraq for the first time?

Despite Iraq’s tested history, tourists continue to arrive, eager to experience the country first-hand and form their own impressions. A friend of Husain, from the United States, jokes that “the most surprising thing about Baghdad is how normal it is”.

“Usually I take them to this café in the old town called ‘Umm Kalthoum Cafe”, says Husain. “I do that because the people who go there are retired, from around the old town, they go there to play dominoes. They have a lot of time, they have tea, or they smoke shisha and play with each other, it’s really nice. When we go there, everybody is very friendly. I have never seen, at least from that cafe, anybody reacting negatively. These people are very curious, especially the old people, they like to talk to (the tourists)…they end up paying for things for them, like tea sometimes. I mean, not because they’re tourists, it’s a common thing to pay for somebody’s shisha or tea or even lunch. These moments end up being the tourists’ favourite part, just a local paying for your tea.”

Iraqi culture is deeply rooted in generosity, and many visitors are surprised, at first, by the warmth and openness they encounter.

“I also remember a lot of people posting on their stories that Iraqis are probably among the top two or three most friendly and hospitable people in the world, and they’ve travelled to a lot of countries. It’s something that they always say, even after they’re gone, they always post about how hospitable Iraqi people are.”

Every journey is about more than landmarks and historic sites; it is shaped by human connection. Through shared moments between visitors and locals, common ground emerges, and  with guides like Husain, at The Iraqi Way Tours, facilitating these deeply personal encounters. Social media is a powerful tool in helping to extend this reach, giving a platform to content creators who are helping to rewrite Iraq’s story. 

From Mosul, a living symbol of resilience and renewal, to the award-winning natural landscapes of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the ecological richness and wildlife of the marshes in the south, Iraq offers an extraordinary range of experiences for those willing to seek them out.