On an organized trip or alone with a backpack, retirees or famous YouTubers explore, despite almost non-existent tourist infrastructure, sites that bear witness to a multi-millennium history rivaling that of Egypt, Syria or Jordan.

In Baghdad or Mosul, a former jihadist stronghold in the north, they stroll through streets that bear the scars of conflicts that have long isolated the country.

"Iraq was part of my + top three + destinations," says Ms. Ovalle, in her fifties from California.

“I am super enthusiastic about the idea of ​​seeing everything here, the cradle of civilizations”, adds the one who has visited around forty countries.

Behind this tourist mini-boom: foreign visitors have been able to obtain their visa on arrival in Iraq for a year.

Thus, with fourteen other tourists, Ms. Ovalle took part in the trip organized by the Iraqi agency "Bil week-end".

"What struck me was the warmth and generosity of the Iraqis. They welcome you with a smile, they are proud of their country," adds the American tourist.

Tourists visit the archaeological site of Babylon on March 7, 2022 in Iraq Ahmad AL-RUBAYE AFP

The Ishtar Gate guards one of eight entrances to the ancient capital of Babylon erected by the Mesopotamians over 4,000 years ago.

In this city located a hundred kilometers south of Baghdad, weeds grow among the old bricks and garbage is strewn on the ground.

Lack of infrastructure

After the invasion of Iraq led by the United States in 2003, a military base welcoming American and Polish soldiers had taken up residence almost on the site of Babylon.

"My government's travel guide says + Do not go to Iraq, it's dangerous, you risk being kidnapped, there is often violence +", recognizes Justin Gonzales, a 35-year-old New Yorker.

"But I didn't see any of that."

Tourists visit the archaeological site of Babylon on March 7, 2022 in Iraq Ahmad AL-RUBAYE AFP

Between the invasion, the bloody sectarian conflict that followed, then the rise of the jihadist group Islamic State, Iraq made the headlines above all for violent news.

Today, several Western countries still formally advise against traveling to Iraq.

In addition to the United States, France, which evokes "risks of kidnapping".

However, Baghdad wants to take off its tourism sector, taking up many challenges.

If in the holy Shiite cities of Kerbala and Najaf, south of Baghdad, hotels welcome Iranian pilgrims by the thousands each year, in the rest of the country "we need infrastructure, private investment, to have hotels, coaches “, told AFP the owner of the agency “Bil week-end”, Ali Al-Makhzoumi.

A tourist photographs a building destroyed by violence in Mosul on March 12, 2022 in northern Iraq Zaid AL-OBEIDI AFP

For less than a year, it has been welcoming between thirty and forty tourists every month.

But he calls on his government to invest in "facilitating and organizing" the work.

"It's dangerous?"

In 2021, more than 107,000 tourists went to Iraq, from France, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States or Norway, against 30,000 in 2020, according to figures from the Tourism Authority.

The government aims to develop its infrastructures such as rest areas on the sites or new museums.

The Baghdad National Museum has just reopened after three years of closure.

The mythical street of booksellers in Baghdad, al-Mutanabi, was offered a facelift in December.

Aerial view of the Zigguurat temple in the city of Ur, on February 13, 2022 in Iraq Asaad NIAZI AFP

Ur, the birthplace of the patriarch Abraham, father of monotheisms, now attracts Westerners, emboldened by the historic visit of Pope Francis in 2021.

The government "has authorized the obtaining of a visa on arrival. But for the rest, everything is still complicated", deplores Aya Saleh, who founded the travel agency Safraty.

"Half the trip is lost at roadblocks (police forces) on the roads, even if we have the necessary permits."

Despite the headache, the enthusiasm is real, especially among bloggers who flood YouTube: "Exploring Baghdad by night with an Iraqi, is it safe?"

"Exploring Baghdad, is it so dangerous?", "Two Germans alone in Iraq".

The Scottish Emma Witters, 54 years old and more than 70,000 subscribers on YouTube, is on her second trip to Iraq.

"I like going to places that aren't touristy yet."

Scottish blogger Emma Witters visits the National Museum in Baghdad on March 8, 2022 in Iraq Ahmad AL-RUBAYE AFP

"After everything they've been through, you would think Iraqis are sad people," she said.

But they're so happy to see strangers and they're so generous that they invite you into their home."

© 2022 AFP