IRAQ
A Tangle of Wires that runs through a Market in Baghdad
The Great Mosque of Samarra was built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil around 850 CE and largely destroyed by the Mongols. The minaret survived and is built in the shape of a cone, wrapped in a spiraling ramp that leads to the top.
The Great Mosque of Samarra was built by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil around 850 CE and largely destroyed by the Mongols. The minaret survived and is built in the shape of a cone, wrapped in a spiraling ramp that leads to the top.
The multi-storeyed Ziggurat located in the ancient Mesopotamian City of Ur dates back to 2100 BCE.
The Valley of Peace, the Wadi Al-Salaam in Najaf is the largest Shi'i Cemetery in Iraq and one of the largest cemeteries in the world.
Ceiling decoration in the Jalil Khayat Mosque in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Imām 'Alī Shrine, where 'Alī ibn Abī Tālib who the Shī'as consider their first Imām is entombed. The present structure dates back to the 7th Century CE, but the original tomb was built in 786 CE.
The arcade surrounding the Al-Ra's Mosque leading to the Imām 'Alī Shrine, Najaf.
The arcade surrounding the Al-Ra's Mosque leading to the Imām 'Alī Shrine, Najaf.
One of the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque from the courtyard in Najaf.
One of the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque from the courtyard in Najaf.
One of the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque from the courtyard in Najaf.
One of the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque from the courtyard in Najaf.
The Women's Section of the Al-Ra's Mosque, Najaf
A child plays with her hijab in the Women's Section of the Al-Ra's Mosque, Najaf
The arches above the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque, Najaf.
The arches above the Portals to the Al-Ra's Mosque, Najaf.
The Ruined Palace of Saddam Hussein in Mosul.
One of the great rooms in Salaam Hussein's ruined Palace in Babylon. One he never even visited having destroyed an entire village to make way for the Palace.
A Coffee Van in front of a ruined 5* Hotel from the Sadaam era.
A bombed out Apartment Block, Mosul.
A tea stop on the way to Erbil in Kurdistan Iraq.
Marsh Arabs herd their Water Buffalo through the Western Marshes of Mesopotamia. The Marsh Arabs were all but wiped out by Salaam Hussein's policy of draining the Marshes as punishment for their dissidence.
The means of transport for the Marsh Arabs through the Western Marshes of Mesopotamia. The Marsh Arabs were all but wiped out by Salaam Hussein's policy of draining the Marshes as punishment for their dissidence.
Heider, a Marsh Arab and son of Abu Heider lives in both the Marshes and the local Village now.
A Traditional Reed House on a Marsh Island.
Images of the Martyrs from the last 40 years of wars in Iraq line all the Roads. This board was photographed through the insect spattered and cracked windscreen of our bus.
Alleyways through Old Mosul. Strings of streetlights are hung to provide light at night for the few remaining inhabitants following the destruction by ISIS which ended in 2017.
The battle scarred and bombed out old City of Mosul. Very few people can continue to live in their old houses. These alleyways, the only means of getting in and out of Old Mosul where made lethal by ISIS snipers.
A Vendor plies his trade through one of the alleyways that run between the houses in Old Mosul, now in ruins.
There are very few shops left in Old Mosul.
A Vendor selling vegetables in Old Mosul.
The bombed houses of Old Mosul reveal their interior colour schemes to the world.
Some of the ruined houses of Old Mosul still show the blackened evident of the fires from the bombs.
People hid in their basements for safety while the buildings were bombed around them.
Some of the decorations survived in the ruins of Old Mosul..
The people of Old Mosul, unable to escape hid in their basements for safety while the buildings were bombed above and around them.
Restoration work being done on one of the churches of Mosul after they suffered major damage during the occupation of Mosul by ISIS.
Al-Tahira Church in Mosul, damaged by ISIS is being restored.
A building remains standing in Old Mosul while all around is reduced to rubble.
Some of the ruined buildings and homes of Old Mosul have been cleared of landmines and casualties and declared safe although uninhabitable.
A home in Old Mosul declared safe after being cleared of landmines and unexploded bombs but remains uninhabitable.
Pockmarked by bullet holes, a former home is declared safe after being cleared of landmines. Many of the ruined buildings are bricked up waiting for restoration at some time in the future perhaps?
Some of the ruined buildings and homes in Old Mosul have been cleared of landmines and casualties and declared safe although uninhabitable.
Murals have appeared amongst the ruins in Old Mosul, giving testament to the heartache of war.
Uplifting murals have appeared amongst the ruins in Old Mosul.
Beautiful old doorways, often leading nowhere but into rubble.
Old doorways in Mosul.