- Iraq’s nickname is the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’.
- Iraq’s population is 97% Muslim.
- The largest supply of oil in the world can be found in Iraq, that’s why everyone wants to control it.
4. The Capital of Iraq is Baghdad. It was the largest multicultural city in the middle ages.
5. There are two main ethic groups in Iraq, Arabs and Kurds. Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages of Iraq. Although Turkoman (a Turkish dialect) and are also spoken.
6. They invented writing, Cuneiform. The most widely used and historically significant writing system of the ancient Middle East.
7. Christians in Iraq are not Arab, they are Assyrians, dependents from ancient empires.
8. Ancient Iraq was the birth place of the world’s most important inventions, such as the 60min hour, the wheel, calendars and maps.
9. Iraqis speak Arabic. There are two kinds, the one you write, called modern standard Arabic. The spoken Arabic is called a regional dialect. It’s like speaking normally but everything written is in Shakespeare, like books and street signs.
10. Dust storms are common in Iraq. They make the sky appear a dark copper colour even in day time.
11. Iraqis are very generous, if you’re eating out with them, then be prepared to argue over the bill. They will insist on paying.
12. Klecha is a national pastry filled with dates, walnuts and coconut. Its made throughout the year but especially at Eid.
13. Daheen is an Iraqi street food and sold on every street corner. It has a fudge-like texture and consists of flour, milk, sugar, clarified butter, and date syrup.
14. The most popular breakfast in Iraq is Geymar, a thickened cream typically made from the milk of water buffalos that roam southern Iraq’s marshes. It is served with either honey or date molasses and fresh bread.
15. Dolma is a national dish. It consists of vine leaves and other vegetables stuffed with delicious spicy rice.
16. Simatch Masgouf is one of Iraq’s national dishes. The fish is hung on skewers and slow-grilled. The way of grilling different as the fish is hung sideways, cooked in the flames and smoke from the side.
17. There are more than 22 million Date Palms in Iraq and it is one of the top 3 date producers in the world.
18. Cerastes, commonly known as the Saharan horned viper snake or the horned desert venomous snake, is species native to the deserts of Iraq.
19. Iraq has the biggest cemetery in the world. It is in the Holy city of Najaf and called Wadi Al Salaam. It contains tens of thousands of bodies.
20. Traditionally in Iraq, more then half of all brides and grooms marry their first cousins.
21. Iraqi families are usually big and have close relationships. Most live in one house, which is expanded as the family grows.
22. The national drink is tea, which is called Chia.
23. Bagilla Bil Dihin is the Iraqi equivalent to the full English Breakfast. It consists of layers of broth-soaked bread which is topped with fried eggs, onions, and beans.
24. Imam Hussain (AS) Shrine is in the city of Karbala. Imam Ali (AS) Shrine is the city of Najaf.
25. The Great Mosque in Samarra is famous for its Minaret, which is shaped like a spiralling cone 52 metres high and 33 metres wide with a spiral ramp. Imam Ali al-Hadi and his son Imam Hassan the al-Askari are also buried in this city. The Great Mosque of Kufa is the earliest mosque in Iraq. The mosque contains the remains of Muslim ibn Aqeel.
Whether you have visited Iraq or simply wonder what it is like over there. I can confirm that it is weird and wonderful all at the same time. What was the most surprising fact? Where is your home country and is their something random that you can share about the country? Let me know in the comments!
