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IRAQI JOURNEYSWITH ALI
𒀭𒀀𒂍𒆳𒈗𒌷𒂠𒂗𒃲𒋗𒌓𒊕𒍜𒄠𒁹𒂷𒄍𒆎𒉽𒇀𒀭𒀀𒂍𒆳𒈗𒌷𒂠𒂗𒃲𒋗
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The Journal

The blog of Iraqi Journeys with Ali

Stories from the road - the marshes at dawn, the citadels of the north, the deserts that keep their secrets. Written by Ali and the travelers who walk beside him.

Hatra: The City That Rome Never Took
Featured StoryHatra

Hatra: The City That Rome Never Took

Twice the legions besieged it, twice they marched away with nothing. Walking the great iwans of the sun temple city - and the story of the goddess Shahiro.

Ali JasimJuly 26, 20264 min read
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Samarra: The Spiral That Points to the Sky
Samarra
Ali JasimAugust 2, 2026 3 min

Samarra: The Spiral That Points to the Sky

Nine coils of brick rising fifty-two metres over the Tigris - climbing the Malwiya, and what the Abbasid age still has to say to a traveller today.

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A Dawn in the Mesopotamian Marshes
Marshes
Ali JasimJuly 12, 2026 4 min

A Dawn in the Mesopotamian Marshes

Gliding through the reed channels of Chibayish as the first light of morning turns the water to gold - a glimpse of the Iraq that guidebooks cannot prepare you for.

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