Hillah

Most governments advise against all travel to Iraq. For further information, see the warning on the Iraq article.

Hillah is in Southern Iraq. Hillah is the nearest city to the ruins of Babylon, which are 5 km north of the city. It is the capital of Babylon Province and has a population of about 456,000 (2018).

Understand

History

The city was once a major centre of Islamic scholarship and education. The tomb of the Jewish prophet Ezekiel is reputed to be in a nearby village, Al Kifl.

It became a major administrative centre during the rule of the Ottoman and British Empires. In the 19th century, the Hilla branch of the Euphrates started to silt up and much agricultural land was lost to drought, but this process was reversed by the construction of the Hindiya Barrage in 1911–1913, which diverted water from the deeper Hindiya branch of the Euphrates into the Hilla canal. In 1920 during an uprising against the British, there was heavy fighting when 300 men of the Manchester Regiment were apparently defeated in the city.

Get in

Hillah has a station on the railway between Baghdad and Basra. Iraqi Republic Railways runs two overnight trains which both calls here. The railway station is known as Babylon railway station 📍 and is located north of the city centre.

There are several companies offering long-distance bus services from most cities in Southern Iraq, however information on routes and departure times has to be gathered on ground or by a travel agency. Hillah bus station 📍, often referred as the consolidated garage (الكراج الموحد) is located along highway 8, about 4 km southwest of the city centre. This is where shared taxis to Najaf leave from (approx. 7,500 IQD per seat as of March 2022).

Driving distance from Baghdad is about 110 km. Hillah is along national highway 8. There have been instances of robberies and kidnappings along the route.

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Sleep

Asad Babil Hotel (Lion of Babylon) (فندق أسد بابل), 32.45605°, 44.42539°, +964 781 215 0334. This seems to be one of the only hotels in operation in Hillah. 2020-09-02

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Babylon

Hillah - city in Iraq