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Photo: D. Kenemore, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Also known as the Water Palace for its site beside the Tigris River. Used as a military base for US troops
Al-Faw Palace is a palace in Baghdad, Iraq, located approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) from Baghdad International Airport. It was commissioned in the 1990s by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to commemorate the Iraqi military’s recapture of the Al-Faw Peninsula during the Iran–Iraq War. The palace, which features opulent architecture and a surrounding artificial lake, was reportedly used by Saddam for duck hunting.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
جامع أم القرى
A mosque built to commemorate the "victory" in the 1991 Gulf War, the minarets are shaped like barrels of guns and SCUD missiles.
حديقة حيوانات بغداد
The largest zoo in the country, opened in 1971. It was destroyed in the 2003 war but has quickly recovered. There are, however, few larger mammals to see.
One of several tombs claiming to be the tomb of Joshua, the first High Priest at the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity around 500 BCE.
قوس النصر
A huge pair of triumphal arches celebrating the alleged victory over Iran. Also known as the Hands of Victory. It marks the entrances to a former parade ground. In Ba'athist times, lavish victory parades and commemorations were a common event, showcasing military power and Saddam Hussein's cult of personality. Two arches feature thousands of captured Iranian helmets, symbolizing victory over Iran in the 1980s.
Historic mosque and shrine, dating back to the Abbasid era.
صرح الجندي المجهول
Inspired by the glorification of a martyr from the Iran–Iraq War. The monument represents a traditional shield (dira¹a) dropping from the dying grasp of an Iraqi warrior. The monument used to house a museum which is now mostly empty. Ask the Iraqi soldiers who guard the monument for permission.