Faces Of Iraq

A militiaman takes a lunch break while guarding the Al-Madain, the site of an ancient metropolis spanning the Tigris River south of Baghdad.

Military units guard a historic building at the Al-Madain.

A military vehicle stands at a checkpoint in southern Baghdad after a heavy rain.

This government building in Kirkuk was largely destroyed by a suicide bombing in which more than 30 people died.

A soldier stands guard at a checkpoint in Karbala, one of countless security points in Iraq.

A man who lost a leg in the Iraq War walks through Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, reputed to be the largest cemetery in the world. There are believed to be more than 5 million bodies interred there.

A mosque in the Shi'ite-majority city of Najaf

Najaf is undergoing widespread reconstruction in areas damaged by fighting.

A trader at his shop in central Najaf.

A pilgrim carries her evening shopping after visiting the tomb of Imam Ali in Najaf, one of the holiest sites for Shi'ite Muslims.

A father and daughter with limited mobility receive assistance while visiting holy Shi'ite sites in Karbala.

Millions of Shi'ite pilgrims visit Karbala each year, mainly during the festival of Ashura.

An artist paints a portrait in a city square.

These children are accompanying their parents on a visit to holy shrines in Karbala, but their attention is elsewhere.

A construction worker in Kirkuk enjoys some free time in a tea house.

Paintings for sale in Irbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region

Traders drink tea in a market in Irbil.

A woman walks through a city square in Irbil. Atilay notes that women in the Kurdish region seem to enjoy greater freedom of movement and dress than in many parts of Iraq.

Venders in Kirkuk, a city with a large Kurdish and Turkoman population

A trader takes a smoke break near the Kirkuk Citadel.