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Visits to Iraq in 1982 on behalf of F.A.O., the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. At this time, Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, was pursuing its six-year war against Iran.

 

Baghdad in 1982

 

 

 

 

 

One of the heavily subsidised new hotels, the Meridien

 

 

New construction everywhere: Iraq had lost no time in spending its oil revenues

 

 

Two of the older streets

 

 

 

 

 

The magnificent mosque in the middle of the town

 

 

 

 

 

A minaret

 

 

A newer mosque farther from the city centre

 

 

Traditional architectural splendour in Rashid Street

 

 

 

 

 

Still in Rashid Street, the electric wiring was quite amazing

 

 

More wiring

 

 

 

 

 

There were very few fully veiled women in Iraq. Here the younger women and girls wore western dress and the older women a dark gown which left their faces revealed

 

 

In Rashid Street, a coppersmith’s stall

 

 

Political slogan strung across the street. Pictures of Saddam were everywhere.

 

 

My diplomatic pass

 

 

Duty-free shop where many otherwise unavailable products could be bought at a good price.

 

 

Bilingual Pepsi bottle. In Muslim Baghdad, beer and local (very poor) wine could be freely bought and was available in bars.

 

 

Not a Wimpy bar, but an imitation.

 

 

Colleague, Tony Houghton, bargaining for an Arab headress.

 

 

 

 

 

When the wind was blowing in from the desert there would be a dense haze.

 

 

Schoolchildren, students and all kinds of government employees were taken into Baghdad to cheer for Hussein in big gatherings which were televised. Who could not appear enthusiastic when the penalties for any kind of opposition were so dire?

 

 

Produce on the stalls

 

 

Freshwater fish from the Tigris

 

 

One of many of Hussein’s monuments

 

 

Another Hussein monument

 

 

Refreshment in a date garden. Sydney Ellerton, F.A.O. boss Rajan (a Tamil from S.E. India) and young guide.

 

 

Fifth-century Christian monastery near Nimrud

 

 

Ancient Mesopotamia: The Fort of Bait-al-Khalifo looking towards Samarra

 

 

The Spiral Minaret, Friday Mosque, Samarra

 

 

Statue guarding the entrance to Nineveh

 

 

Similar winged man-headed ox at the entrance to Nimrud

 

 

The Gateway to Nineveh

 

 

Royal insignia (and cuneiform inscriptions) in Nimrud. The insignia have been irreverently called wristwatch and handbag!

 

 

The walls of Nineveh

 

 

The restored Ishtar Gate, entrance to Babylon

 

 

Entrance to Nimrud

 

 

Street of the Processions, Babylon

 

 

Animals, mythical and otherwise in bass relief in the brickwork of the walls in Babylon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the surface of the Street of the Processions

 

 

The walls of Babylon

 

 

Excavations at Babylon

 

 

The Lion of Babylon

 

 

Dome and entrance to the principal mosque, Samarra

 

 

Dome and minaret, Hussein ibn Ali Mosque, Kerbala

 

 

Aqra. We were advised that, even in a clearly marked U.N. vehicle, it would be unwise to stop.

 

 

Minaret, Samarra

 

 

Hill village near Aqra in the Kurdish north

 

 

In the north Kurd country, Hussein tries to persuade the locals of his good intentions. Subsequent history of this relationship has been far from good.

 

 

Sunset over Mosul

 

 

The River Tigris at Mosul and a view of the city on the other side.

 

 

 

 

Mixed cultures. Adobe village houses with a modern combined harvester outside. In the searing heat of summer, most villagers preferred adobe to modern concrete structures.

 

 

Collecting bitumen at the Hammam al Alil hot springs

 

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