NEAR+FAR’S My Middle East series brings you personal stories and photographs from leading travel figures and photographers in the region, revealing beloved destinations, favourite spots, insider travel advice and more – told from the heart

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

Words and photography by Ahmad Al-Dabagh, @ahmad.aldabagh

Baghdad, the city of One Thousand and One Nights and my birth city, needs no introduction. It was the largest city in the world by the beginning of the 10th century, the epicentre of the Arab Caliphate during the golden age of Islam and an important stop on the Silk Road.  Despite its tumultuous past, Baghdad remains the hub of culture and art in the Arab world. Old-world charm meets youthful optimism; after many years of war and political unrest, the city that inspired Aladdin’s Agrabah is once again coming to life. 

The first time I visited Baghdad after a 21-year hiatus, I was struck with emotions of loss and uncertainty; the city truly surprised and challenged me. What I found there was more than I expected. The kindness, generosity, and hospitality of the local people, as well as the monuments that still stand after so much conflict and adversity, truly left me speechless. I love the enviable art scene and local cuisine – grilled fish to falafel sandwiches (try Masgouf, freshwater carp butterflied, marinated and grilled on skewers – it’s the national dish of Iraq.

I love strolling along the banks of the River Tigris, drinking black aromatic chai while listening to Iraqi music at one of the many historic tea houses and losing myself in old souks. My favourite part of Baghdad is Al-Rusafa; the city’s historic heart on the Eastern side of the ancient Tigris River. Baghdad’s most romantic street is Al-Rasheed, where traditional houses with “Mashrabiya” and intricate domed Haydar-Khana Mosque with its marble doors. From Al-Rasheed Street, you may pick up a traditional raisin juice and head to Al-Mutanabbi Street, named after the 10th-century classical Iraqi poet Al-Mutanabbi. The street is the heart of the Baghdad intellectual community and is filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls that stay out overnight. As Baghdadis recalls, ‘The reader does not steal, and the thief does not read’.”

It’s hard not to marvel at Badhhada: the split turquoise domes of the Al-Shaheed monument (Martyr Monument), designed by the Iraqi sculptor and artist, Ismail Fatah Al, the nearby Baghdad Gymnasium designed by modernist legend Le Corbusier in 1956. The gymnasium, which was potentially going to be used for the 1960s Summer Olympics, was Le Corbusier’s last built work. 

Wander through the Iraq Museum and marvel at rare Sumerian and Babylonian antiquities or people-watch at the Al-Mutanabbi book market where scholars and intellectuals once hung out. For half a millennium, Baghdad was a rich melting pot of scientists, astronomers, mathematicians and philosophers from all corners of the globe. The old proverb “Cairo writes, Beirut publishes, Baghdad reads.” still holds true today. 

This article originally featured in NEAR+FAR Volume II, @ahmad.aldabagh

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