Baghdad, Past and Present
HEMMED between the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Baghdad has a history which goes back almost 13 centuries. It is also the capital city of Iraq, the country famous for the One Thousand and One Nights fable. TEMPOs Rommy Fibri has been to this city three times: before the war, a week before the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003, and before the handover of sovereignty from the US interim government to the new Iraqi government at the end of last June. War and armed conflict have already reduced most of Baghdads historic icons to dust. It has also transformed Baghdads friendly face into one which is melancholy, full of anger, and suspicious of foreigners. Here is his report.
August 10, 2004
THE crowd which had gathered in front of the kerosene shop grew livelier as late afternoon approached. Youths dressed in flowing traditional dress were doing some serious bargaining with a perfume and carpet salesman. While some were serious shoppers, others browsed over the goods despite not having enough money. To one side, a pirated VCD vendor offered his wares in a loud voice, which rose above the din of the other vendors in the Saadoon shopp
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