Baghdad neglected Historical Buildings cry for help

The Department of Heritage in the General Authority for Iraqi Antiquities conducted a heritage survey for several areas in Baghdad since the beginning of the year until now, including 6 shops in Al-Jaafer and Sheikh Bashar areas, and documenting Mosque of Hanan and Ayyub public Bath.

Director of Department of Heritage Investigations, Saad Hamza said surveying these areas and houses to stop the violations against them and take legal actions against the owners. He added that documentation also from the department duties, and surveying heritage buildings has been finally updated in the National Register, with 13 heritage buildings in Baghdad, 33 in Basra, 7 in Kirkuk, and 15 in Salah El Din governorate.

These old houses have simple and suitable for environment styles, as they were built with local materials such as, marine stones, clay, plaster, palm trunks, and canadal wood. These houses are distinguished with their plaster decoration, along with the one found on doors, windows, celling and pillars. The decoration of straight and flat structures is an Iraqi – European mix called Rococo or Art Novo. These decorations came to Baghdad though European influences by some architects and magazines, as Baghdad is considered one the most heritage cities with uncountable and priceless historical places.

These places and houses cover wide spaces of old Baghdad, and they go back to the beginning of Abbasid era, Ottoman era, and the modern one. They are considered a historical heritage since early Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations and through the era of Islam and the Abbasid and Ottoman era, which were the beginning of the current urban diversity. Baghdadi Shanashils kept their originality in their heritage project, through which the Iraqi Art began. A lot of these Shanashils still exist in Baghdad, Mosul, Basra and other providences and they require maintenance.
Iraqi researcher, Salem Alousi mentioned in a recent paper that there is huge inherited heritage in the 1250 years old Baghdad , along with some pre-Islam historical centers did not receive proper attention, adding that the Royal era was one in keeping and preserving this heritage.

Iraqi architect, Hisham al-Madfai said that architectural heritage in cities’ centers require important steps to be maintained, but this call did not receive any response from the authorities and concerned bodies. He also demanded that the processes of preserving heritage should be included in the concerned institutions’ investments to repair and maintain buildings, after conducting studies about their locations in Iraq. He also called upon international organizations, which supports the preservation of the world heritage and UNESCO to be involved to save our national heritage.