'''Baghdad''' is the capital of Iraq.

Understand

Once one of the greatest centres of learning and culture in the Islamic world, Baghdad has a long and illustrious history. Once a favored destination on the 'hippie trail' and packed full of sights; since the rise of Saddam Hussein, and then the war in 2003, Baghdad has since become one of the most dangerous cities on Earth. Hopefully peace will return to the city, and Baghdad will regain its rightful place amongst the best cities, but for now, it will come as no shock to anyone who has watched the news in the past decade, that Baghdad is strictly '''NO GO'''.

Travel to Baghdad is '''emphatically''' not recommended at the present time (2009), owing to wartime instability and security concerns. Westerners are particular targets of kidnapping and assassination by militant and extremist groups.

Get in

There are scheduled commercial flights from Amman on Royal Jordanian Airlines [http://www.rj.com]. This is probably the best way into Baghdad if you are not traveling on official business. You arrive in the commercial portion of the Airport.

The easiest way into the military portion of the Baghdad airport is using Gryphon Air. They fly from Kuwait. Of course, for military personnel and others traveling on official business sanctioned by the United States, the US Air Force offers flights from neighboring countries.

All flights are subject to suspension for reasons ranging from insurgent attacks on the airport to sandstorms. Realistically assume 3 or 4 days to fly in from the United States unless you have commercial tickets the whole way.

One can also enter Iraq overland from Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, Turkey or Iran.

An alternate way to get to Baghdad is to fly to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan on Austrian Airlines [http://www.aua.com] and then travel across country. Of course, the travel between Erbil and Baghdad will be quite dangerous.

Get around

The preferred method of transportation is helicopter. If helicopter transport is not available, use of a fully armoured car or Rhino (armoured bus) is recommended.

Within the International Zone (formerly known as the Green Zone) there is a free shuttle bus service by KBR. You can also walk to many destinations in the International Zone or use a bicycle.

Do

Do whatever job your organization has assigned you to do. You'll probably be doing it 12 hours a day.

Buy

Rugs and DVDs are available to buy. Inspect the quality of rugs carefully, some are cheap Chinese made rugs, and many are extremely overpriced.

Eat

There are some Iraqi run restaurants in the International Zone. There's also Burger King, McDonalds and Subway. Lastly there is the cafeteria run by KBR.

Drink

Yes, there is drinking during down times. The International Zone is truly international. Many organizations have their own bars, some open to all.

Sleep

Sleeping quarters will depend upon your organization and your rank. For many, a half-trailer is sleeping quarters. Others have a shared half trailer. A few have villas or apartments.

Stay Safe

The easiest way to stay safe in Baghdad is not to go there in the first place, except for official reasons. Read the travel warning on the U.S. Department of State website for more details.

See also War zone safety.

Work

There are several ways to work in Iraq. Most obvious is the United States Military [http://www.goarmy.com]. Next are the government contractors, such as KBR [http://kbrcareers.webrecruiter.com/pls/kbr/app.welcome]. Many contractors hire personnel with prior military experience to return to Iraq. Persons with military experience or fluent in Arabic are especially sought after. Lastly, there are civillian government agencies in Iraq. USAID [http://www.usaid.gov] and the United States Department of State [http://www.careers.state.gov] send their own personnel as well as contractors to Iraq.

The agencies above are all relevant for US citizens; citizens of other countries with a presence in Iraq can apply for work through the respective agencies in their home country.