Iraq

Travellers to what was once was the spiritual centre of the world can learn about the region's long and storied history – as well as see the biggest annual pilgrimage on Earth.

Lalish is a tiny mountain village in Kurdistan with a population of just 25. It is to the Yazidis what Mecca is to Muslims.

This once-mighty river is where humans first developed agriculture, writing and the wheel. But now the lifeblood of the ancient world is under threat.

Along a single road cutting across the heart of Iraq, you can see where people first learned to write, use maths and invent the wheel.

Integral to any Newroz feast, stuffed vine leaves celebrate the vegetables of spring. In her recipe, chef Pary Baban uses shallots, courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes and chard.