Al Qurnah

Introduction

Al-Qurnah is a small town in southern Iraq, set within the conglomeration of Nahairat roughly 74 km northwest of Basra. Its defining feature is the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which meet here to form the Shatt al-Arab waterway.

Local folklore holds that Qurnah was the original site of the biblical paradise, the Garden of Eden, and the location of the Tree of Knowledge — a tradition that gives this riverside town its particular draw for visitors.

Three days in Al Qurnah

Day one: Start in Al Qurnah itself, the town where the Tigris and Euphrates meet to form the Shatt al-Arab. Walk the waterfront and watch the confluence, then visit the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge, the local sites tied to the town's best-known story. Keep the pace slow and let the heat of the day set your rhythm.

Day two: Take the short trip to Basra, the nearest city of size, and spend your time along the Shatt al-Arab, where the combined river runs down toward the Gulf. Use the day to see how the waterway shapes daily life in the region, then return to Al Qurnah for the evening.

Day three: Head out to Nahairat and the surrounding countryside, where local life is bound up with the rivers and the land between them. End back in Al Qurnah with a last look at the confluence before you leave.