Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

It would all have been easy with a car, driver and guide, but as soon as we decided to travel independently, we knew we would face challenges. The biggest one was to get to the ruins of ancient Uruk. We stayed overnight in Najaf, made sure to take an early taxi to the bus station, where we soon found a shared taxi to Samawah. As far as we had read, it would be impossible to enter this city without a permit as a foreigner, so we were preparing ourselves for some discussions at checkpoints. To our surprise, however, we passed all the checkpoints on the way, even those at the entrance of Samawah, and the taxi dropped us off way before the time we had in mind. And we would be in for more good surprises: before we knew it, we were surrounded by a bunch of friendly taxi drivers, some of whom even spoke sufficient English to negotiate with. We make a deal that is almost too good to be true, to take us to Uruk, and then continue and drop us off in Nassiriyah.
Before we know it, we are on our way, and still cannot believe our luck. It is only when we speed past the turnoff for Uruk that we know something is off, especially when we discover that our driver is not one of those with some knowledge of English. We also get the impression that locals call it Warka, although that is not completely clear. We finally manage to make the driver turn around, and take the right turnoff. After less than a hundred metres, we are stopped at a checkpoint. This one is serious: no matter how much we smile an innocent smile, we are not allowed through. Our passports are confiscated, the guards are convinced I am Russian because my travel companion is, and we finally manage to get in touch with one of the guides I had used before. A lot of talking, and we are finally allowed to follow a car with armed policemen. We are taken to a police office, and asked to see the officer. We have just taken our seats when we get our first cup of tea. Behind the officer, we see the Iraqi flag. The guy is very friendly, gives a big thumbs up to Russia, takes out his phone, types in a text, and has it translated to Russian - after which he passes the phone to me. Now I can read the Cyrillic alphabet, but I can't read the text, so I quickly give the phone to my companion. She writes a diplomatic answer which makes the officer radiate, and we get more tea and a photo opportunity before he sends us off. We continue driving, and when we reach the fence at the perimeter of Uruk, we have to hand in our passports and get escorts to accompany us inside.
It is obvious that our driver has never been here and enjoys this unexpected excursion to the max. Our ad hoc guide turns out to be a local archeologist, but unfortunately, his English is quite basic. We see cuneiform inscriptions in stones, which supposedly are the oldest writings in the world. Uruk was the largest city of the planet some 6000 years ago and the fact that it is so old already instills silence and admiration in us. We walk past ruins that still require lots of excavations, we walk around a hill that turns out to have been the ziggurat of Anu. We continue further into the vast expansion of Uruk. An armed soldier accompanies us. Is he here to keep an eye on us? We soon notice that the ground is littered with shards of pottery: thousands upon thousands of pieces that in other places would be on display in a secure glass case, can be picked up for free here. We see the temple of Saluki, or Areykal, which still has several blue-tinted tiles. It is here that we know it for sure: compared to the hastily restored ruins of Babylon, these remains of the ancient city of Sumer are way more impressive. And then to think that all the hills we see in the vicinity all contain temples that yet have to be excavated! We see the remains of baths, train tracks and carriages that once facilitated excavations, before we drive to another part of the complex where we see a reconstructed temple. Back at the gate, we get our passports back, and are immediately invited in for a hearty lunch. We all dig in to a big plate of rice and chicken, and before we leave, have some pictures with the soldiers posing with my recently published book that is touring Iraq. An unforgettable experience on a day that is not even close to ending yet.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

inspiring you to travel

Uruk (Iraq)

Uruk > Iraq > Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Book your hotel in Uruk