Baghdad, Mon Amour is a memoir by Salah Al Hamdani centered on his imprisonment under Saddam Hussein, his subsequent exile in France for more than thirty years, and his emotional return to Baghdad and seeing his family again after all those years with feelings of tremendous joy but also guilt for having “abandoned” them. The beauty of Al Hamdani’s prose and poetry is skillfully captured in Sonia Alland’s translation.
In this often moving, sometimes wry account of life in Baghdad during the first war on Iraq and in exile in the years following, Iraqi-born, British-educated artist Nuha al-Radi shows us the effects of war on ordinary people. She recounts the day-to-day realities of living in a city under siege, where food has to be consumed or thrown out because there is no way to preserve it, where eventually people cannot sleep until the nightly bombing commences, where packs of stray dogs roam the streets (and provide her own dog Salvi with a harem) and rats invade homes. Through it all, al-Radi works at her art and gathers with neighbors and family for meals and other occasions, happy and sad. In the wake of the war, al-Radi lives in semi-exile, shuttling between Beirut and Amman, travelling to New York, London, Mexico and Yemen. As she suffers the indignities of being an Iraqi in exile, al-Radi immerses us in a way of life constricted by the stress and effects of war and embargoes, giving texture to a reality we have only been able to imagine before now. But what emanates most vibrantly from these diaries is the spirit of endurance and the celebration of the smallest of life’s joys.
In recent years, Baghdad has been viewed as a battleground for political conflicts; this interpretation has heavily influenced writings on the city. This book moves away from these perspectives to present an interdisciplinary exploration into the urban history of Baghdad through the lens of literature. It argues that urban literature is an effective complementary source to conventional historiography, using in-depth analysis of texts, poems and historical narratives of non-monumental urban spaces to reveal an underexamined facet of the city’s development. The book focuses on three key themes, spatial, nostalgic and reflective, to offer a new approach to the study of Baghdad’s history, with a view to establishing and informing further strategies for future urban developments. Beginning with the first planned city in the eighth century, it looks at the urban transformations that influenced building trends and architectural styles until the nineteenth century. It will appeal to academics and researchers in interdisciplinary fields such as architecture, urban history, Islamic studies and Arabic literature.
A HEART-RENDING TALE OF TWO GIRLS GROWING UP IN WAR-TORN BAGHDAD Baghdad, 1991. The Gulf War is raging. Two girls, hiding in an air raid shelter, tell stories to keep the fear and the darkness at bay, and a deep friendship is born. But as the bombs continue to fall and friends begin to flee the country, the girls must face the fact that their lives will never be the same again. This poignant debut novel reveals just what it's like to grow up in a city that is slowly disappearing in front of your eyes, and how in the toughest times, children can build up the greatest resilience.
Accounts of remarkable women at the world's most powerful court Consorts of the Caliphs is a seventh/thirteenth-century compilation of anecdotes about thirty-eight women who were consorts to those in power, most of them concubines of the early Abbasid caliphs and wives of latter-day caliphs and sultans. This slim but illuminating volume is one of the few surviving texts by the prolific Baghdadi scholar Ibn al-Sa'i, who chronicled the academic and political elites of his city in the final years of the Abbasid dynasty and the period following the cataclysmic Mongol invasion of 656/1258. In this work, Ibn al-Sa'i is keen to forge a connection between the munificent wives of his time and the storied lovers of the so-called golden age of Baghdad. Thus, from the earlier period, we find Harun al-Rashid pining for his brother’s beautiful slave, Ghadir, and the artistry of such musical and literary celebrities as Arib and Fadl, who bested the male poets and singers of their day. From times closer to Ibn al-Sa?i’s own, we meet women such as Banafsha, who endowed law colleges, had bridges built, and provisioned pilgrims bound for Mecca; slave women whose funeral services were led by caliphs; and noble Saljuq princesses from Afghanistan. Informed by the author’s own sources, his insider knowledge, and well-known literary materials, these singular biographical sketches bring the belletristic culture of the Baghdad court to life, particularly in the personal narratives and poetry of culture heroines otherwise lost to history. An English-only edition.
The history of Baghdad in the 18th and 19th centuries had predominantly been written by two groups. The first group is Baghdadi scholars, and the second group is travellers. These two resources complement each other; while the literature of Baghdadi scholars provides insights from inside, travelogues provide observations from outside. By implementing this interlocking method of investigation, we can reach a comprehensive understanding of the history of Baghdad. Having investigated some sources from inside in my previous book; Baghdad: an urban history through the lens of literature, the focus of this book is on travel literature. The history of travelogues throughout different periods of Baghdad’s history is highlighted, with a particular focus on 18th and 19th century travelogues. This period was a critical epoch of change, not just in Baghdad, but across the world. Nevertheless, this book does not intend to provide a documentary of the travellers who visited Baghdad. It is rather an analytical study of the colonial literature in relation to the historiography of Baghdad.
A Cradle; A Strange Bird on Our Roof; Cartoon Dreams; Ishtar in Baghdad; Me, Torture, and Your Love; Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad; Summer Rain; The Takeover; The Widow
A Cradle; A Strange Bird on Our Roof; Cartoon Dreams; Ishtar in Baghdad; Me, Torture, and Your Love; Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad; Summer Rain; The Takeover; The Widow
Contemporary Plays from Iraq is a ground-breaking collection of Middle Eastern drama translated into English for the very first time. With works from both established and emerging male and female playwrights, written in country and in exile, this volume offers current Iraqi perspectives on a war and occupation that have significantly impacted the Middle East and the rest of the world. Dealing exclusively with contemporary plays originating from Iraq, this anthology gives under-studied Arabic political theatre the attention it deserves and provides a general introduction that sets the plays within their cultural and historical contexts. The plays are preceded by introductions from the playwrights themselves, further enriching each piece for the enjoyment and understanding of the reader. The volume is introduced and translated by James Al-Shamma, Assistant Professor at Belmont University, US, and A. Al-Azraki, an Iraqi playwright.
Beyond the Sand Storm is a story of human destiny, defiance, and history. It is part biography, a narration of an Iraqi doctor who flees her country in the wake of the 2003 war. It is also a unique historical and social perspective on Iraq and its culture. The novel traces the life of Dr. Malka Al Saadi, a gifted physician, humanitarian, scientist, mother, and war victim who rises from humble beginnings to head one of the most prestigious medical departments in Iraq. Through the eyes of this amazing and courageous woman, a detailed and moving description unfolds, recounting daily life experiences, characters, and challenges faced over three historical eras. Her distinctive perspectives intersect and present the reader with a truly remarkable picture of what it was like to live in Iraq during the last half century. The account also offers insight into the cultural, social, and political arenas in Iraq from the 1930s onward. The book describes, in thought-provoking and challenging ways, the obstacles, pain, fear, and hope that accompany this evolution. The saga of Professor Al Saadi begins with her childhood in Iraq, and continues over the course of her advanced medical studies in the United Kingdom, a triumphant return to Iraq, and later the experiences in the 1980, 1991, and 2003 wars. Through a firsthand account, the book takes the reader on a trip through the medical and wider social developments in Iraq, and the challenges and losses of three wars. It is a detailed, emotional, and sometimes daring account, but above all, it is a story of human resilience, humility, humanity, and perseverance summarizing over seventy years of personal and geopolitical events that shaped not only the authors life but todays Middle East. The book concludes with a warm portrait of life in the city of Philadelphia, in the United States, where the author currently resides happily with her family. She shares the positive impact this city has had on her and her familys life. In an East-meets-West biography, the book uses simple language written from the heart to describe an astonishing forty-five-year-career.
This unique anthology of Iraqi noir fiction collects fourteen original stories of crime, conspiracy, regret, and revenge in the capital of Iraq. The centuries-old city of Baghdad has known many rulers, many troubles, and many crimes. But while most Iraqis would agree that their life has always been noir, there has not been a literary tradition to capture this aspect of the culture. By commissioning the fourteen stories collected here—most by Iraqi writers, all by authors familiar with Baghdad—editor Samuel Shimon and Akashic Books have created what may be the first anthology of Iraqi crime fiction ever assembled. Here you will read of life in Baghdad both during and after the Saddam Hussein era, with stories of fear in the shadow of a ruthless dictator; kidnappings in the time of U.S. occupation; detectives who investigate political conspiracies; and tales of revenge, assassination, mental illness, and family struggle in the war-torn City of Peace. Baghdad Noir includes brand-new stories by Sinan Antoon, Ali Bader, Mohammed Alwan Jabr, Nassif Falak, Dheya al-Khalidi, Hussain al-Mozany, Layla Qasrany, Hayet Raies, Muhsin al-Ramli, Ahmed Saadawi, Hadia Said, Salima Salih, Salar Abdoh, and Roy Scranton.
A robust defense of a poetic genius Abū Tammām (d. 231 or 232/845 or 846) is one of the most celebrated poets in the Arabic language. Born in Syria to Greek Christian parents, he converted to Islam and quickly made his name as one of the premier Arabic poets in the caliphal court of Baghdad, promoting a new style of poetry that merged abstract and complex imagery with archaic Bedouin language. Both highly controversial and extremely popular, this sophisticated verse influenced all subsequent poetry in Arabic and epitomized the “modern style” (badīʿ), an avant-garde aesthetic that was very much in step with the intellectual, artistic, and cultural vibrancy of the Abbasid dynasty. In The Life and Times of Abū Tammām, translated into English for the first time, the courtier and scholar Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyāal-Ṣūlī (d. 335 or 336/946 or 947) mounts a robust defense of “modern” poetry and of Abū Tammām’s significance as a poet against his detractors, while painting a lively picture of literary life in Baghdad and Samarra. Born into an illustrious family of Turkish origin, al-Ṣūlī was a courtier, companion, and tutor to the Abbasid caliphs. He wrote extensively on caliphal history and poetry and, as a scholar of “modern” poets, made a lasting contribution to the field of Arabic literary history. Like the poet it promotes, al-Ṣūlī's text is groundbreaking: it represents a major step in the development of Arabic poetics, and inaugurates a long line of treatises on innovation in poetry. An English-only edition.
The author Dr. Abdul Amir Al-Aboud was born in 1937 in the district of Al-Mijar Al-Kabeer, southeastern region of Iraq. He received his BA in law from Baghdad University, 1959. He got his PhD in international economics from Germany, 1966. He taught in the University of Basra, Iraq, 19671987. During this period, he was elected chairman of the Economic Department, 19691971. He was appointed dean of the college of administration and economics, 19711976. He became the first minister of agriculture in Iraq after the Allied Forces toppled Saddam Hussein Regime until April 2004. Dr. Al-Aboud wrote several books and published articles in Iraq, Arab countries, and Germany.
This book is a personal history of Iraq, told from the point of view of a family man living there during Saddam Hussein's reign and its aftermath. It examines all the factors leading to the current situation and challenges the misunderstandings currently fuelling the media: for example, a Sunni belonging to the Ba'ath Party is expected to be an extremist Saddam loyalist. He knew friends among Saddam's government ministers, who suffered under Saddam and regularly plotted to overthrow him. It contain 1.A brief history of the city of Baghdad, which during its golden age was a great centre of culture and learning. It was a setting for the One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, in which Queen Scheherazade called it the City of Peace. 2.A picture of Baghdad in the year 2000. At first glance, it is a new golden age, but there is much suffering here. An overview of my family life and of the racial and religious harmony in which we live, and of the day-to-day effects of the 13th years US trade embargo. In 2003, when war with the U.S. & its allies becomes inevitable, my neighbourhood prepares for evacuation. I flee across the Tigris with my wife and children. We are caught right in the middle of the Shock and Awe campaign. When the attack dies down, I drive home under a rain of missiles 3.A history of the races and religions of Iraq. The Western media suggests that Saddam's Iraq comprised a ruling Sunni minority and a serving Shi'ite majority. This was not the case. Iraq is not solely Muslim, and its Muslims are not all of the Sunni or Shi'ite faiths. The Sunnis were not the majority, and most were ordinary people, as downtrodden as everyone else. The media say that Iraq comprises two opposing races: Arabs and Kurds. This, too, is wrong, as it has many indigenous races and we are used to living in harmony. 4.Details of The Kurdish conflict. 5.Saddam invades Kuwait. Details of its effects. 6.The war which brings down Saddam destroys Iraq's infrastructure and leave tens of thousands without homes or jobs. 7.An overview of the reasons behind the US & its ally's to the war on Iraq, and the reasons why the country has got so out of hand. 8.The Coalition Provision Authority takes its advice from exiled Iraqi groups with personal agendas
Sayyed Ahmad Al-Rifai is among the best of the divinely devoted scholars, and the great masters (sheikhs) in the Muslim nation (ummah), the nation of Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. He is among those pure and believing souls, for which Allah has written the general acceptance and complete approach, and whose reputation exceeded its age and region unto the farthest temporal and spatial and distances. It might be that no other sheikh or educating master after Abdul-Qadir Al-Gilani has acquired this great admiration, and widespread acceptance, which master Al-Rifai has acquired. His path is still alive, and is placed in the Arab countries as the Jashtiya path is placed here in the Indian subcontinent, and its neighboring country". (Sheikh Allamah Abu Al-Hassan Ali Al-Hassani Al-Nadawi)
U.S. Policy Toward Syria - 1949 to 1958 is a historical document of an important phase of the history of Syria, as well as important scientific stages on the history of United States Policy towards Syria. It deals with the historical period bounded by the coup Hosni leader in March 1949 and the unity of Syria and Egypt in February 1958. Confined tracks U.S. policy toward Syria in this period, a two-lane, the first is the role of the U.S. and U.S. interests in the context of conflict and competition between Internationals as the United States was one of the main players in the stage of coups in Syria, as well as its policy that painted according to the interests and international readings. Tried States which confirm and chart the course of events according to their interests, and the book provides read and follow-up to the conflict and rivalry over Syria in the Cold War, and U.S. concerns about the growing tide of Communist and Soviet. Moreover, the Arab-Israeli conflict gave a shadow over the course of United States Policy towards Syria. The second track of U.S. attempts to force Syria to engage in the policy, it has taken U.S. pressure different aspects such as pushing Syria in the policy of alliances and blocs and regional arrangements for the Baghdad Pact and the draft of Eisenhower, as well as the pressure through the conspiracy against the government or the pressure and threat that destabilize the situation in it. This path has taken shape the Syrian position which took the character of rejection and resistance on the one hand and the trend towards Egypt on the other hand. And therefore appears to be in the mind of the U.S. decision-maker reveals the reality of the situation of what is happening in Syria and gives justification to the obsession that the U.S. administration sees and according to what suits their international interests.
Dr. Imadaldin Al-Jubouri was born on Monday morning in 28-12-1953 where the flood just began in Baghdad, which is known as flood of 1954, therefore, the author registration was March 4, 1954. He brought up in Baghdad where finished his education, a British citizen of Iraqi origin. He completed his high degrees in Greenwich compass college in 1990. A father of three daughters from his relative wife Abir, fulltime writer and translator, he published many articles and studies in several Arabic and English newspapers, journals and magazines, such as Al-Arab International, Ad-Dustor, Azzaman, Philosophy Now, ProQuest Information and Learning, in London, New York, Beirut, Amman and Baghdad. Further to his entertained in some Arabic satellite channels, such as ANN, Nile, Alrafidain, Almustakillah and Alhiwar in London and Cairo.
From the Iraqi author of Cell Block Five. This timely, elegant novel's hero is an Iraqi secret police inspector who routinely uses enhanced interrogation techniques, which even he considers torture. Convinced that he is protecting society from anarchy, he is at peace with the world until ordered to interrogate a childhood friend, a journalist with possible links to violent subversives. Then he falls in love with his friend's wife. The plot of this novel, which was written in Iraq in 1976 and published in Arabic in Germany in 1989, is further complicated by street protests in Baghdad following the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War of June 1967. Despite the grim subject matter of this novel, it is at heart a love story, lyrically narrated.
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