Al-Mutanabbi Street is a short street in Iraq that has a history that goes back at least a thousand years. It was named many names until it was settled to name after the biggest name in poetry during Islam's Golden Era, Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn Al-Ḥusayn Al-Mutanabbī Al-Kindī, or Al-Mutanabbi for short.
Due to traffic, I preferred to walk there as it is only a bus ride and a 10-minute walk away from my house. I crossed Bab Al Moatham bridge in such beautiful weather. One thing you're guaranteed during this time of year is the sight of seagulls.
It was actually kinda scary but also awesome how close the seagulls were. They usually circle around whenever there are a large group of people waiting to be thrown some. Sometimes they would actually fly in and grab the food from the ground.
The street is usually visited on Friday, it has become almost a tradition for many people. Artists of all kinds come here on Friday to socialize and hang out with friends.
This is why Friday is when the place is crowded the most.
What do people do here?
Well, many things. The street is foremost a big library filled with all kinds of books, magazines, newspapers, whether they were new or old. People also often come here to buy school stationery equipment.
You can find books here that haven't been printed since the 70s and 80s, sometimes even before that.
The street is also where many protests started as it has a corner for people to hold signs to show their discontent with the government, often with creative signs.
Translation: If you can convince a fly that flowers are better than trash, then you will be able to convince the traitors that the country is better than money.
The street is also a place to visit for antique shopping.
Also, it is a place for artists such as painters. Who often put out their works. As well as paint supplies.
My father says that if visit Al-Mutanabbi Street and go through everything in it, talking to people, picking up a few books, looking at monuments, and reading the pieces of history written all around, you would know the entirety of Iraq's history.
Al-Mutanabbi street also has its own museum which was sadly closed the day I visited. But I will return another idea when it is open to give you all a virtual tour in the future. For now, this is what you see when you reach the end of the street.
This place is called "Qishleh Square", with "Qishleh Clock". The history of the clock goes all the way back to the second half of the 1800s. The clock or "tower", as it was known back when it was created along with the entire square were constructed for military and security purposes by the orders of Mohammed Ameen Namiq Basha, an Ottoman politician, and one of the most important people in the Ottoman Empire.
The place is filled with statues and pieces of history like
Iraqi actor: Saleem Al-Basri, a legendary actor born in 1926, is mostly known for his iconic Hadji Radhi character in the 1960s.
Layla Al-Attar, an Iraqi painter and artist born in 1993. Her story needs its own post as she died, along with her husband and housekeeper by U.S missiles. Layla's story had famous songwriter and singer Kris Kristofferson make a tribute song about her by the name of "The Circle".
The view from Qishleh Square
Qishleh Square looks at the Tigris river. The view from there is beautiful.
As we covered before, there's quite a traffic leading to the street on Friday, this results in people taking boats from the other side of the river.
There's still a lot to cover in terms of stories and history in this over a thousand years old place that will be covered in future posts.
Very nice page bro. Keep up the good work !
Trying to, thanks for the encouragement.
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