By Daniel Nardini
The city of Najaf in Iraq is a major religious tourist destination for Shiite Muslims from Iran, Lebanon and around the world. The Shiite branch of Islam accounts for ten percent of all Muslims, and the countries with the largest number of Shiite Muslims are Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. Najaf is the place of the Mosque and tomb dedicated to Ali; the cousin of the prophet Muhammed. It is believed by Shiite Muslims that Muhammed chose Ali to be his successor, and it is from this concept that the Shiite branch of Islam started. Because his tomb is in Najaf, this city is a major pilgrimage site for any and all Shiite Muslims. Every year, tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims visited Najaf, and this tourist industry provided a huge amount of revenue for Iraqis living there.
However, the Iran War has had a major negative affect on Najaf. Because of the war, Iranians and Lebanese, who made up the majority of the tourists, are no longer going to Najaf or for that matter anywhere in Iraq either. This means that the Iraqis who live in Najaf cannot earn the money they and their families and relatives need to live. It means that with the almost complete lack of tourism, the city remains empty. The shops cannot sell to tourists, the hotels remain shuttered, the taxis are unable to take tourists from one part of the city to the next, and the money changers are unable to provide Iraqi dinars to those tourists who need the local currency while they are in Najaf. In short, tourism is at a complete stand-still in that part of Iraq. Not even during the Covid pandemic was tourism this dead in the region.
While Iraq is rich in oil revenue, tourism from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East and around the world had helped that part of Iraq. While Iraq itself has not been physically touched by the war, the fact that tourists from other parts of the Middle East cannot easily by-pass Iran has proven tough for Iraq. With the Israeli bombing campaign against the Lebanese people, Lebanese tourists cannot possibly get to Iraq. The Iran War has been destabilizing a lot of the world, and the Middle East in particular. It was over two decades ago that the United States unleashed the invasion of Iraq. It seems that the United States has put its foot into it again. When will the United States stay out of that region of the world? Whether Americans know it or not, America affects people we do not even know are being touched by the current war.
Hard Times in Najaf
By Daniel Nardini
However, the Iran War has had a major negative affect on Najaf. Because of the war, Iranians and Lebanese, who made up the majority of the tourists, are no longer going to Najaf or for that matter anywhere in Iraq either. This means that the Iraqis who live in Najaf cannot earn the money they and their families and relatives need to live. It means that with the almost complete lack of tourism, the city remains empty. The shops cannot sell to tourists, the hotels remain shuttered, the taxis are unable to take tourists from one part of the city to the next, and the money changers are unable to provide Iraqi dinars to those tourists who need the local currency while they are in Najaf. In short, tourism is at a complete stand-still in that part of Iraq. Not even during the Covid pandemic was tourism this dead in the region.
While Iraq is rich in oil revenue, tourism from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East and around the world had helped that part of Iraq. While Iraq itself has not been physically touched by the war, the fact that tourists from other parts of the Middle East cannot easily by-pass Iran has proven tough for Iraq. With the Israeli bombing campaign against the Lebanese people, Lebanese tourists cannot possibly get to Iraq. The Iran War has been destabilizing a lot of the world, and the Middle East in particular. It was over two decades ago that the United States unleashed the invasion of Iraq. It seems that the United States has put its foot into it again. When will the United States stay out of that region of the world? Whether Americans know it or not, America affects people we do not even know are being touched by the current war.