Iraq Restores Historic Ottoman Site
The Iraqi government is paying more attention to the country’s heritage sites, such as the old Ottoman headquarters of Qishla in Baghdad, writes Omar al-Shaher.
At the restoration site of the Ottoman governor’s headquarters, known as Qishla, near the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraqi journalist Imad al-Khafaji said, “I feel, as the work proceeds, that we are builders.”
A few months ago, the Iraqi government launched a campaign to restore the building of Qishla, built by the Ottomans in Baghdad in 1855 to serve as the headquarters of their forces. During the 1920s, it was transformed into a serail. Nowadays, it is known as the “old Green Zone,” in reference to the "Green Zone" in Baghdad where many government facilities are located.
