Baghdad, once the largest city in the world.
Baghdad was founded as a capital in 762 AD and, within a short time, evolved into a cultural and intellectual centre of the Muslim world. It housed the House of Wisdom and several key academic institutions, garnered a worldwide reputation as the “Centre of Learning.” Because of wars, invasions, and civil wars, Baghdad has had a hard fight defending that reputation. It may be a shadow of its great past today, but they are still fighting for a better future. Baghdad was the first stop on our trip through Iraq and Kurdistan.
The old city
In the old city and around the market, city life continues as it has done for centuries. Many shops and stalls are closed, and you can see houses more than ready to be demolished. Still, you find the charm in the narrow streets in the souks. It is always lovely to visit, especially the herb and spice stalls. They are so colourful and inviting for shopping. As usual, when I am in these countries, one of the things I am buying is Saffran.
Symbols of Saddam’s regime
The Hands of Victory are a pair of hands holding swords crossed triumphantly. The two arches mark the entrances to Great Celebrations Square and the parade ground. Saddam Hussein built these arches to celebrate the self-proclaimed victory over Iran. The entire monument is made out of the melted guns of dead Iraqi soldiers. At the base of the arms, many helmets from the Iranian soldiers captured from the battlefield. There was a controversy in 2007 when the Prime Minister of Iraq wanted to demolish them. However, the US Ambassador was against it so that the Shia and Sunni divisions would not explode once again.
Another monument
The Martyrs Monument was dedicated initially to the Iraqi soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq War and has since grown to become generally considered a commemoration of all Iraqi martyrs. This monument was closed to the public, but our guide had connections and got us there for fifteen minutes. You can see the size in the picture compared to the small people.
Iraq Museum
The Iraq Museum is the national museum of Iraq, located in Baghdad. It contains precious Mesopotamian, Abbasi, and Persian relics. The museum was looted during and after the 2003 Invasion. Despite international efforts, only some of the stolen artefacts have been returned. The museum was officially reopened in February 2015. I must say that even if they have lost a big part of their collection, it is still a large exhibition, almost too much to take in in one day.
One Mosque in Baghdad
We visited Al-Kazzimiyya Mosque in Baghdad, which is both a Mosque and a Shrine. It is a Shia Islamic mosque and contains the tombs of essential Imams of their religion. It is a vast complex, and it is evident that it is essential to the Shias. The Shia mosques are the most decorated, with shining ceilings, walls, and a lot of gold. It is imposing.
Looking ahead
The Central Bank of Iraq Tower, also known as Zaha Hadid Tower, is a 37-story tower located on the banks of the Tigris River. Upon completion, it will be the second-largest building in the country after the E1 tower in Erbil and the tallest building in the capital city, with a height of 170 meters. It has an Arabic design and will probably become one of Baghdad’s signal buildings. Building works and constructions can be seen all over the city.
Fun-facts
On my first afternoon in Baghdad, I took a walk in the neighbourhood of my hotel. After just 100 metres, I saw posters on the door of Norwegian football player Erling Braut Haaland. I am not much into football, but I knew about this one and thought it was fun. There were also some large posters along the roads. My guide thought they probably stole his picture, and Haaland knows nothing about it.
