Is Iraq Safe for Female Travellers

Ben Johnson

May 25, 2023

It’s true that the Middle East has a reputation that puts off many female travellers. While there definitely are conservative elements in many areas, we truly believe the Middle East as a whole is safe for females to travel.

Now before we say Iraq is safe for women, this is meant to reflect travel to major cities in Iraq such as Baghdad, Najaf, Babylon and Karbala etc. If you travel to parts of Iraq that are known to be dangerous such as the western border with Syria then that is a different story and is not considered safe for anyone, female or not.

So is it safe for females? We say yes! However, there are things to make note of before deciding to travel to this beautiful and ancient place.

One thing to note for females is the dress code. Now the whole of Iraq is conservative, which means this is not the place for crop tops and booty shorts (that goes for the men too). Baghdad however, like most big cities in many countries, is more liberal, which means you can be pretty relaxed here. You don’t need a headscarf at all here and as long as you’re wearing conservative clothing (long pants and shoulders covered) you will be fine.

Now the story is a little different if you plan to visit any mosques or the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. These two cities are the two most holy places for Shia Muslims in the world, and with that territory comes a conservative dress code. This means that when visiting these cities you should definitely wear a headscarf. Even better is to wear the black chador which covers the head and body. Wearing the chador will also let you blend in with the crowd.

As a woman in Iraq, you will definitely be able to interact with both men and women. Iraq doesn’t have the same mentality as parts of Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan where men and women can’t have any contact.

Of course it is possible to travel alone as a solo traveller, however obviously if you don’t speak Arabic, you might get a lot more out of it if you do have a local guide, which is something that we can help you out with at Saiga Tours.

Our opinion here is based on our own personal experience and with talking to female travellers in Iraq, and obviously people may have different experiences, but we hope that you love the country as much as we do!

Check out our Iraq tours if you'd like to join us.