Al-Firdos Square ساحة الفردوس | |
|---|---|
| City square | |
 Section of Firdos Square in foreground, withRamadan Mosque behind in 2003 | |
| Location | Al-Sadoon Street and Abu-Nuw'as Street,Al-Rusafa quarter Baghdad, Iraq |
 Interactive map of Al-Firdos Square | |
| Coordinates:33°18′52.68″N44°25′14.43″E / 33.3146333°N 44.4206750°E /33.3146333; 44.4206750 | |
Al-Firdos Square (Arabic:ساحة الفردوس,romanized: Sāḥat al-Firdaus) is a public open space in centralBaghdad,Iraq. It is named after the Persian wordFerdows, meaning 'paradise'. The site has been the location of several monumental artworks.
Al-Firdos Square is located in the middle ofal-Sa'doun Street and betweenTahrir and Kahramana squares and in front of the17th of Ramadan Mosque. The square is also located opposite the Abu Nawas Street which overlooks the Tigris River. Two of the best-known hotels in Baghdad, thePalestine Hotel and theSheraton Ishtar, are located on the square.[1]
The square is infamous for thetoppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein during theUS-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The image of the toppling was shown across the world and became a symbol of victory in Iraq. At the same time, became a symbol ofAmerican propaganda. The square is also the site of the killing of two journalists in the Palestine Hotel on the 8th of April.[2]
Theroundabout in the center of al-Firdos Square has been the site of several monuments beginning with the completion of the monumental archThe Unknown Soldier in 1959. It was subsequently replaced by the statue ofSaddam Husseinthat was removed by U.S. coalition forces during theinvasion of Iraq in 2003. A green, abstractsculpture byBassem Hamad al-Dawiri was commissioned to replace the Saddam statue. In 2009, the architect of the Monument to the Unknown SoldierRifat Chadirji expressed interest in rebuilding the monument on its original site.[3] As of 2013, the al-Dawiri statue and the surrounding columns have been removed from al-Firdos Square.[4]
In April 2002, a 12-metre (39 ft) statue, designed by Iraqi sculptor, Khalid Ezzat, was erected in honor ofSaddam Hussein's 65th birthday.[5]
In 2003, the statue was pulled down by Iraqi citizens, with the help of American forces during theinvasion of Iraq in front of a crowd of around a hundred Iraqis. The event was widely televised, and some of this footage was criticized for exaggerating the size of the crowd.[6]Robert Fisk described it as "the most staged photo opportunity sinceIwo Jima".[7]
The site of statue now houses a green, abstract sculpture intended to symbolize freedom, designed by sculptorBassem Hamad al-Dawiri[8] and built by a group of artists calling themselves Najin (The Survivors).[9] The replacement sculpture was constructed quickly and completed within months of its predecessor's removal.
Of necessity, the statue makes use of basic construction materials and methods. It is made of painted plaster, seven meters (23 feet) in height, and includes a symbolic Iraqi family holding aloft a crescent moon, which representsIslam, and the sun represents theancient Sumerian civilization.[9]
On April 9, 2005, the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the square was the center of a large-scale demonstration from tens of thousands of Iraqis protesting theAmerican occupation. The demonstration was organized byMuqtada al-Sadr, aShi'a cleric, and supported by Sheikh Abd al-Zahra al-Suwaid, a follower of the Green Party. Suwaid was quoted as stating to the gathered "The rally must be peaceful. You should demand the withdrawal of the occupation forces and press for quicker trials for Saddam Hussein and his aides before an Iraqi court."
The square remained an empty desert for years despite the large sums of money that entered the country. There was many attempts by the Municipality to rehabilitate the square until recently in 2020, the Iraqi private sector, through the Association of Iraqi Private Banks and in cooperation with the Central Bank, completely reconstructed the square and opened it to the public in hopes to leave behind its past and transform it into a cultural hub.[1]
