Iraq’s ancient Hatra reopens to tourists after years under ISIS control

Shafaq News/ Nearly a decade after being repurposed as a training camp during ISIS’s occupation of Mosul, Iraq’s Hatra ruins have once again become a destination for foreign tourists.

The Kingdom of Hatra stands as one of Iraq’s most prominent archaeological cities and one of the earliest Arab kingdoms. Ruled by just four kings, Hatra became Iraq’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Also known as the "Kingdom of Arabaya" or the Kingdom of the Arabs, Hatra emerged from layers of settlements dating back to the Neo-Assyrian period (911-612 BC). By the second century BCE, it had grown into an independent kingdom. The rule of Hatra continued until 241 CE, when it fell to the Sassanid King Shapur I.

Located in the heart of the northern Jazira desert in Nineveh province, Hatra is under the protection of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), specifically Brigade 44, Ansar al-Marjaʿiyya.

“ISIS occasionally launches attacks in the area, which are repelled by the PMF,” a security source told Shafaq News, adding that “the PMF is securing the site and facilitating access for foreign tourists to visit one of the oldest Arab kingdoms.”

The source explained, “When ISIS took over Mosul in 2014, the group converted Hatra into training camps for its fighters.”