Development in Baghdad

I feel very impressed after I heard about the new things that taking a part in Baghdad these days but couldn't find enough information about all the projects there because the press didn't show any interest in that, even the Iraqi channels.. and now let's start with these projects:

1. Shopping Mall in Al-Mansour

here is a sketch of a proposed shopping mall in the Mansour area of Baghdad that officials hope will be built by investors but I don't know when and of course it depends on the general situation of the city and how much will the ministries and the responsible men in the government steal, but it seems fun! here is the only photo I could find:



2. Burj Al-Mamon

Al-Mamon tower for communication is being developed nowadays.. and here is a photo:

3. The Baghdad Eye

This one looks very interesting and completely new thing, it's Baghdad Eye who has the same idea of London Eye. It is said that whole Baghdad can be seen from over there. I also couldn't find good photos and I don't know if the photo below is a real one or not.. but the good news is; it is real.. can't wait to try it :)


4. Central Bank of Iraq by Zaha Hadid

The Iraqi government have approved the commission of Zaha Hadid Architects to design the central bank of Iraq. This approval was decided in the goverment's offical meeting number 29. Mr Ali Dabbagh have announced this commission in addition to other political statement.This building to be the first of Zaha's in Iraq, and it is hoped to be one of her magnificent designs to start a new era of modern architecture in the area. It is not yet kno w if Zaha would visit Iraq any soon.

Zaha Hadid has won her first deal in the country of her birth with a commission to design a new headquarters building for the Central Bank of Iraq.

She and the team picked to work on the project travelled to Istanbul earlier this month to discuss initial details with the bank’s governor, S inan al-Shabibi.

The Iraqi government appointed Zaha Hadid Architects in late July to come up with a design concept, prepare a feasibility study and develop a brief for the Central Bank’s new headquarters in the capital, Baghdad.

A spokesman for the practice said of the Istanbul meeting: “This preliminary workshop concentrated on the vision of the project’s objectives, success criteria and the operational functions that will be performed by the bank through the coming decades as a national institution that represents the symbol of sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq.”

Details of the bank’s security features are unlikely ever to be made public but a key requirement for the Baghdad-born architect, who came to London in 1972 to study at the Architectural Association, is that the design is able to withstand terrorist attacks.

The existing modernist headquarters – which was designed by Danish practice Dissing & Weitling in 1985 and built from marble-clad reinforced concrete with few exterior openings – was stormed by insurgents in Ju ne in an attack that killed 18 people and injured 50.

The bank’s generator was bombed and four suicide bombers blew themselves up at the main gate, sparking a three-hour stand-off between security forces and armed al-Qaida supporters.

Founded in 1947, the bank was one of the first central banks in the Arab world and has the sole right to issue the dinar, Iraq’s national currency.

The Hadid spokesman said the brief made it clear the new bank would act as a symbol of the new Iraq. “The new headquarters will enable the monetary authority of the CBI [Central Bank of Iraq] to perform its continued role serving stability, development and economic growth in Iraq,” he said.

But she hasn't released the design yet!

After all these great projects, and very hopeful ones, I hope there will be more and more of such things in Baghdad, Mosul and all Iraq.