Iraq

 Our next country kept us in the same region; we went from Lebanon to Iraq!  As much as Iraq has been in the news over the past couple of decades, not much is explained about the country outside of the scope of the War on Terror, so I appreciated the chance to get to know the country outside of the political lens.  Often called the Cradle of Civilization, Iraq is the main location of ancient Mesopotamia and the Babylonian Empire (along with Syria).

Culture and History Videos

• Geography Now! Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHQqsx9wsnc&ab_channel=GeographyNow
• Geography Now! Flag/Fan Friday Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFtKaT3GF9I&ab_channel=GeographyNow
• Geography Now! Overview of Arab Countries (informal): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7MiI9pZaxk&t=1s&ab_channel=GeographyNow
• Kurzgesagt - Iraq Explained -- ISIS, Syria and War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQPlREDW-Ro&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell
• National Geographic - Ancient Mesopotamia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVf5kZA0HtQ&ab_channel=NationalGeographic

We had a hard time finding travel videos about Iraq, probably because many areas have not been considered safe to travel to for many years.  But we were able to find some about the Iraqi Kurdistan region.  While a little long, it was nice to get some on-the-ground feel for the country.

Travel & Food Videos

• Top 50 Tourist Places in Iraq: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYN0sWxhlH4&ab_channel=TopTouristPlaces
• First Impressions of Iraqi Food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7u3G23T47U&ab_channel=LexieLimitless - a little bit overly self-promoting at the beginning, but still cool to see 
• Kurdish Hospitality & Street Food in Suly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pMzOHAXyw&ab_channel=EvazuBeck
• Traveling Solo in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRB77YEf0Ic&ab_channel=EvazuBeck
• Jacob Laukaitis - Top 15 Best Places Visited in North Iraq (Kurdistan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etdOeMq-QGU&ab_channel=JacobLaukaitis - long video that didn't really hold the kids attention, so when his explanations about the area got long, we would just skip to the next location and skim the video

Traditional Iraqi Food Lists

• 10 Traditional Iraqi Dishes You Need to Try
  
• 10 Iraqi Foods with Traditional Mesopotamian Flavors: https://flavorverse.com/traditional-iraqi-foods/
• Top 9 Most Popular Iraqi Dishes
  

I couldn't believe our good fortune when I found a local restaurant that carried Iraqi dishes!  Kabachi Grill had several items on their menu that we were excited to try: Iraqi Eggplant Salad, Biryani Rice, Iraqi-style Char-grilled Chicken, Iraqi Masgoof (grilled fish), and Iraqi Coconut Fudge (Halawa Dihiniyya or Daheen).  We also got some flatbread, hummus, red rice (rice cooked with tomato sauce) and salad with the dishes - yum!!

The eggplant salad (two square clear containers near the bottom) was sooo tasty!  The masgoof was fun but salty, and it was a new experience for my kiddos to deal with fish bones.  😂  The chicken and both types of rice were a hit, and the fudge (not pictured) was phenomenal.  And how can you go wrong with flatbread and hummus?  So glad we could try out Iraqi foods!