5 Things to Do in Baghdad, Iraq

Baghdad's historic bookseller street, named for a celebrated 10th-century Arab poet — booksellers line the street daily, and Fridays bring a lively open-air book market and informal cultural gathering, including poetry readings at nearby cafés.

Good to know: Friday mornings are when the street is most alive, with the full book market and café culture in full swing.

Home to one of the world's great collections of Mesopotamian antiquities, spanning Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian civilizations — a direct link to some of the earliest cities and writing systems in human history.

Good to know: Give this at least a couple of hours — the depth of the collection covers thousands of years and is easy to rush through.

A modern landmark built as a memorial, its split turquoise dome visible across much of the city — a striking piece of late-20th-century Iraqi architecture and one of Baghdad's most recognizable silhouettes.

Good to know: It's most photogenic in late afternoon light, when the turquoise tilework catches the sun.

A historic Ottoman-era square and clock tower along the Tigris riverfront, long a gathering place for the city and a starting point for riverside walks.

Good to know: Combine with a walk along the nearby Tigris riverfront, especially toward evening.

A riverside promenade along the Tigris known for masgouf, Iraq's iconic dish of whole grilled river carp, split and cooked open-flame at riverside restaurants — a genuinely distinctive, only-in-Baghdad meal.

Good to know: Order masgouf to share — it's typically prepared for the table, not as an individual portion.