Best sights in Baghdad
A planning-minded collection of Baghdad's strongest architecture, culture, historic places, parks, markets, and waterfront anchors — selected from the city's existing Sortie inventory.
Start with the headline architecture, then add one museum, historic area, or outdoor block to give each day a different rhythm.
23 places worth building into a Baghdad itinerary · Architecture · Museums · Parks · Historic sights
As-Salam Palace
As-Salam Palace is a landmarks. It is best understood through the local role it plays in the surrounding area.
Abbasid Palace
The Abbasid Palace is an ancient complex associated with the Abbasid era in Baghdad, Iraq. Recognized as a city landmark, it gives visitors a direct setting in which to encounter Baghdad’s historic Abbasid heritage.
Abd Al-Karim Qasim Museum
The Abd Al-Karim Qasim Museum is a Baghdad museum devoted to former Iraqi prime minister Abd Al-Karim Qasim. Its presentation of his personal belongings gives visitors a tangible, biographical perspective on this figure in Iraq’s political history.
Al Zawra’a Gardens
Al Zawra’a Gardens is a public garden in Baghdad and a green-space destination within the Iraqi capital. Visitors encounter a landscaped setting whose principal appeal is the opportunity to spend time outdoors away from the city’s built-up surroundings.
Al-Kadhimiya Mosque
Al-Kadhimiya Mosque is an Islamic place of worship in Baghdad and one of the city’s identifiable religious landmarks. Visitors encounter a functioning sacred site, so its significance rests in religious life as well as its presence in the urban landscape.
Al-Shaheed Monument
Al-Shaheed Monument is a Baghdad memorial commemorating Iraq’s martyrs. Established in 1983, it offers visitors a monumental expression of national remembrance and a place for reflecting on the human cost preserved in Iraq’s public memory.
Ashaar Baghdad
Ashaar Baghdad is a public monument in Baghdad dating from 2010. Visitors encounter a comparatively recent addition to the capital’s monumental landscape, representing the continued use of public art and memorial forms in the modern city.
Baghdad Clock
Baghdad Clock is a public building and clock landmark in the Iraqi capital, established in 1994. Visitors encounter a modern civic feature whose recognizable timekeeping function gives it a distinct identity within Baghdad’s built environment.
Baghdad Tourist Island
Baghdad Tourist Island is a theme-park destination in Baghdad, combining an island setting with recreational use. For visitors, its defining character is leisure rather than historical interpretation, offering a recreation-focused contrast to the capital’s monuments and museums.
Baghdadi Museum
The Baghdadi Museum is a history museum in Baghdad that was established in 1970. It gives visitors a dedicated setting for engaging with the capital’s past, making it relevant to anyone seeking historical context for Baghdad and its identity.
Dur-Kurigalzu
Dur-Kurigalzu is an archaeological site in Iraq, situated in the Baghdad area. Visitors encounter a place valued for its surviving connection to the ancient world, providing an archaeological counterpoint to the modern capital’s civic and cultural landmarks.
Freedom Monument
Freedom Monument is a public monument in Baghdad dating to 1961. It stands as a mid-20th-century feature of the capital’s civic landscape, giving visitors a focal point through which to consider freedom as a theme in Baghdad’s public art.
Go beyond Baghdad's headline sights
Find museums, food, parks, neighbourhood places, and more across the city.
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