Rusafa or Al-Rasafa (Arabic: ٱلرُّصَافَة \ رَّصَافَة, romanized: Ruṣāfah / Ar-Raṣāfah) is one of the nine administrative districts in Baghdad, Iraq, on the eastern side of the River Tigris (on the west side of which is Al-Karkh). It is one of the old quarters of Baghdad, situated in the heart of the city,
The Rasafa side is one of the main parts of the city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Along with Karkh, it forms the essential components of the city, with the Tigris River flowing between them. The Rasafa side is known for its numerous cultural and historical landmarks, including the Old City, the Republic Bridge, and various markets and residential areas.
and is home to a number of public squares housing important monumental artworks.
Description
This district is an older area on the eastern side of Baghdad; its central commercial area, a centre of markets considered one of the four old central business districts of Baghdad (Karkh, Rusafa, Adhamiyah and Kadhimiya). It includes many urban features which have become landmarks including Firdos Square and Liberation Square, the biggest landmark in Baghdad and one of the most visited. It has also been home to a number of monumental artworks including the Monument to the Unknown Soldier (1959–2002) designed by local architect, Rifat Chadirji;[1] a statue of Saddam Hussein (2002–2003) by local sculptor Khalid Ezzat, which was replaced by Freedom by local sculptor Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri, all located in Firdos Square.[2] The Freedom Monument (Nasb al-Hurriyah), a work by architect Rifat Chadirji and sculptor Jawad Saleem is Baghdad's most iconic work, and is situated in Liberation Square.[3] The sculpture of Shahriyar and Scheherazade by sculptor Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, situated on the banks of the Tigris River near Abu Nuwas Street, is another example of Iraqi art featured in the area.[4] Neighbourhoods of Rusafa district include Bab Al-Moatham and Al-Sa'adoon.
Another prominent shrine in this district is that of the Hanbali Sufisaint, Abdul Qadir Gilani, who founded the Qadiriyyaorder.[5][6] The complex consist of a mosque, mausoleum, and the library known as Qadiriyya Library, which contains various books for Islam.
The Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal Shrine[7][8] (Arabic: مَسْجِد ٱلْإِمَام أَحْمَد بِن حَنۢبَل, romanized: Masjid Al-Imām Aḥmad Bin Ḥanbal) is a mosque in Al-Rusafah that contains the qabr (grave) of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a SunniImam of Fiqh (Jurisprudence). It was built during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Sunni Endowment Office of Iraq manages the mosque since 2003.[9][10]
Meir Taweig Synagogue, also known as Meir Taweig Abraham Synagogue is a large compound in Bataween, which consists of a synagogue, a Jewish school and a library. It is the only active synagogue in Baghdad, where remaining Jews manage.
^Bernhardsson, M.T., "Visions of the Past: Modernizing the Past in 1950s Baghdad," in Sandy Isenstadt and Kishwar Rizvi, Modernism and the Middle East: Architecture and Politics in the Twentieth Century," University of Washington Press, 2008, p.92
^"New Statue Replaces Saddam", BBC News, 30 May 2003,Online:
^Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, p. 83
^Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K., The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq, University of California Press, 1991, p. 74
