Al Hillah
Hillah, also spelled Hilla, is a city in central Iraq.
On the Hilla branch of the Euphrates River, it is 100 km (62 mi) south of Baghdad. The population was estimated to be about 455,700 in 2018. It is the capital of Babylon Province and is situated in a predominantly agricultural region which is extensively irrigated with water provided by the Hilla canal, producing a wide range of crops, fruit and textiles. Its name may be derived from the word "beauty" in Arabic. The river runs in the middle of the town, and it is surrounded by date palm trees and other forms of arid vegetation, reducing the harmful effects of dust and desert wind.
Getting to Al Hillah
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.
- 01Hillah
- 02Babylon
Worth seeing
- 01Great Mosque of Hillah
Constructed in 1713 AD during the Ottoman era.
- 02Radd Al Shams Mosque
- 03Al-Nukhailah Mosque
- 04Borsippa
An archaeological site with one of the most recognizable surviving ziggurats, built by the Sumero-Akkadian culture to honour local god Nabu.
- 05Ruins of Kish
- 06King Ghazi Landscape Museum
Housed in a former palace belonging to King Ghazi, the second king of Iraq.
Getting around Al Hillah the local way
- Get inThis is where shared taxis to Najaf leave from (approx.
From Wikivoyage: Hillah, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-04.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: James Wagner, U.S. Navy (Public domain), Wikimedia Commons.