Asia

[Visited: December 2021]

Want it or not, when you on your way to Baghdad for the first time it gives you a special feeling. Getting my boarding pass for the flight to the Iraqi capital excites me. Certainly, the city has become associated with war after the two Gulf Wars and the internal violence of the last decades. At the same time, it is the capital of a historic country, and conjures up images of a culture that goes back many, many centuries, and predates most others. My first impression, the taxi drive to my hotel, is one of traffic jams that can nowadays be found in most capital cities. That evening, my guide first takes me to a statue of Sheherazade and king Shahryar where we find several youngsters and have a first meetup. I walk a busy street with shops, restaurants and bars, and have tea with my guide in a busy cafe.
We spend another day cruising through the city after a visit to Samarra. We walk Rashid Street, which is a busy street full of shops, of market stalls, of people - plenty to see here. Moreover, every house is different, and there are several houses built by jews some hundred years ago. I see an old stone mosque with finely carved decorations, but it is closed and I can only marvel at it from a distance. Some street vendors point out a good spot to do so. There are tuk-tuks, horse-drawn carriages, people walking. I see a statue of one of the famous Iraqi writers: there is a strong literary tradition in Iraq. We walk to Shabandar Cafe, a famous and historic hangout place with walls covered in framed pictures from the floor up to the ceiling. It is striking that in a city where you sometimes feel it is modern and progressive, I did not see one woman in this cafe.
On the shore of the Tigris river, we see a statue of Al Mutanabbi, the famous Abbasid poet which, seeing the crowd of people around his pedestal, is still revered in Baghdad. In fact, a street named after him starts right here, and has a wide array of book stalls and book shops. Later on, we made a long walk on the other side of the Tigris river, through ordinary neighbourhoods with dilapidated houses, kids playing on the street, to arrive at the tomb of Sheikh Karkhi with an extensive cemetery surrounding it. Unfortunately, there is a power cut and we cannot see the interior properly. We also see the Save Iraq monument, other markets, the Mustansiriya Madrassa which unfortunately imposes strict visitor and photography regulations, the Armenian church, and the Freedom Monument on Tahrir Square - among other sights. After exploring the city for a couple of days, I realise how diverse it is, how much there is to explore, and grow fond of its chaotic appearance which in fact is one of its charms.

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[Visited: December 2021]

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