Firdos Square ( ar, ساحة الفردوس, Sāḥat al-Firdaus) is a public open space in central
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. It is named after the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
word ''Firdows'', which means "paradise". The site has been the location of several monumental artworks.
Description
The
17 Ramadan Mosque
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* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
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Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
and two of the best-known hotels in Baghdad, the
Palestine Hotel
The Palestine Hotel (Arabic: فندق فلسطين), often referred to simply as ''The Palestine'', is an 18-story hotel in Baghdad, Iraq located on Firdos Square near from Saadon, across from the Ishtar Hotel. It has long been favoured by journ ...
and the
Sheraton Ishtar, are located on the square.
The
roundabout in the center of Firdos Square has been the site of several monuments beginning with the completion of the monumental arch
''The Unknown Soldier'' in 1959. It was subsequently replaced by the statue of
Saddam Hussein that was removed by U.S. coalition forces during the
invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
in 2003. A green, abstract
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
by
Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri
Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri (died 19 September 2007) was an Iraqi sculptor and artist. He helped create a Baghdad artist association, called the " Survivors' Group" following the fall of the Saddam Hussein government in 2003.
Life and career
Al-Dawi ...
was commissioned to replace the Saddam statue. In 2009, the architect of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier
Rifat Chadirji expressed interest in rebuilding the monument on its original site. As of 2013, the al-Dawiri statue and the surrounding columns have been removed from Firdos Square.
Statue destruction
In April 2002, a statue, designed by Iraqi sculptor, Khalid Ezzat, was erected in honour of
Saddam Hussein's 65th birthday.
In 2003, the statue was pulled down by Iraqi citizens, with the help of American forces during the
invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
in front of a crowd of around a hundred Iraqis. The event was widely televised, and some of this footage was criticized for exaggerating the size of the crowd.
Robert Fisk described it as "the most staged photo opportunity since
Iwo Jima".
Replacement statue
The site of statue now houses a green, abstract sculpture intended to symbolize "freedom", designed by sculptor
Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri
Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri (died 19 September 2007) was an Iraqi sculptor and artist. He helped create a Baghdad artist association, called the " Survivors' Group" following the fall of the Saddam Hussein government in 2003.
Life and career
Al-Dawi ...
and built by a group of artists calling themselves, Najin (The Survivors). The replacement sculpture was constructed quickly and completed within months of its predecessor's removal. Of necessity, the statue makes use of basic construction materials and methods. It is made of painted plaster, seven metres (23 feet) in height and includes a symbolic Iraqi family holding aloft a crescent moon, which represents Islam and the sun representing the ancient Sumerian civilization.
["New Statue Replaces Saddam", BBC News, 30 May, 200]
Online:
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2005 protest
On April 9, 2005, the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the square was the center of a large-scale demonstration from tens of thousands of Iraqis protesting the American occupation. The demonstration was organized by Moqtada Sadr, a Shi'ite cleric, and supported by Sheikh Abd al-Zahra al-Suwaid, a follower of the Green Party. Suwaid was quoted as stating to the gathered "The rally must be peaceful. You should demand the withdrawal of the occupation forces and press for quicker trials for Saddam Hussein and his aides before an Iraqi court."
See also
* Media coverage of the Iraq War
* Iraqi art
* Al-Habboubi Square
References
{{reflist
Buildings and structures in Baghdad
Monuments and memorials in Iraq
Iraq War
United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War
Squares in Iraq