On assignment in Iraq

Later this week I'm flying to Baghdad. That's right, Iraq. I'll be spending a little less than three weeks traveling around the country writing a series for Gadling. My itinerary will take me to many of the country's famous monuments, like the Swords of Qadisiyah and the Ziggurat of Ur shown here. I'll also be visiting schools, markets, cafes, and meeting lots of regular people to learn about their lives.

Visiting Iraq has always been a dream of mine. Back when I was studying archaeology in university I seriously considered going into Mesopotamian studies. Then Iraq invaded Kuwait and the country was closed off. I went into European archaeology instead before ending up as a writer. I never lost my interest in Mesopotamia, though.

My series, Destination: Iraq, will start in early November. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll have very spotty access to email. I can't promise any posts here until the first week of November, but check back because I just might surprise you! If you want some adventure travel reading in the meantime, check out my series about traveling to Somaliland.

Photos courtesy Wikipedia. My own coming soon!