Visiting Baghdad as a tourist is not easy and the security situation should be checked carefully before travel — but for those who make it, the city is a revelation. This is one of the oldest continuously inhabited capitals on earth, the former heart of the Islamic Golden Age, and a place of genuine depth and unexpected hospitality. The Iraq Museum alone is worth the journey, and the old city around Al-Mutanabbi Street and Khan Murjan has been gradually reopening to visitors in recent years.