Shafaq News
Baghdad, the capital of Iraq and long a cradle of civilization, stands
as both a witness to history and a survivor of its storms. Founded in 762 CE
during the height of the Abbasid Caliphate, the city once symbolized a golden
age of knowledge, culture, and power.
Today, scarred by decades of conflict, political upheaval, and economic
hardship, Baghdad remains Iraq’s political, cultural, and intellectual heart,
where ancient legacy and modern struggle exist side by side.
The People of Baghdad
Baghdad’s demographic landscape reflects centuries of migration,
settlement, and transformation. Once the historic center of Islamic
scholarship, the city remains Iraq’s most populous urban area, with an
estimated 8.5 million residents.
Arabs constitute the majority, but sectarian identity continues to
influence the capital’s social structure. According to the Iraqi Ministry of
Planning’s 2024 estimates, 80 to 82 percent of Baghdad’s residents are Shiite
Muslims, while Sunnis account for approximately 17 to 19 percent. This
distribution is reflected geographically: districts such as Al-Sadr City,
Al-Kadhimiya, and Al-Hurriya are predominantly Shiite, while areas like
Al-Adhamiyah, Al-Dora, and parts of Al-Ghazaliya are largely Sunni.
Sectarian divisions intensified after the 2003 US-led invasion. The
ensuing conflict triggered widespread displacement and redrew the city’s
demographic boundaries. Urban sociologist Dr. Leila Hassan described the shift
as rapid and transformative. “Entire districts shifted demographically in a
matter of months. The city’s social fabric was ripped apart and re-stitched
along sharper lines of identity,” she stated. Between 2006 and 2008, the
International Organization for Migration recorded more than 1.5 million
internally displaced people, many of them fleeing sectarian violence within
Baghdad.
Ethnic diversity remains a prominent feature of the capital. Kurdish
communities are well-established in neighbourhoods such as New Baghdad and
Karrada. Many Kurdish families settled in the city during the Ba’athist period,
drawn by educational and economic opportunities or seeking refuge from unrest
in northern Iraq. Turkmen—mostly Shiite with a smaller Sunni presence—reside
across several areas of Baghdad, maintaining cultural continuity through family
networks and local organizations.
Christian populations, including Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syriacs, and
Armenians, once played a significant role in Baghdad’s social fabric.
Communities flourished in districts like Karrada and Mansour, but decades of
instability have led to a steep decline. From over 50,000 in the late 1990s,
Baghdad’s Christian population has fallen to fewer than 10,000, largely due to
targeted violence and waves of emigration. The Armenian community, once
centered in Camp Sarah, has also seen a reduction in numbers, although churches
and cultural institutions remain active.
Other religious minorities, though diminished in size, continue to exist
within the capital. The Sabeans-Mandeans—an ancient Gnostic sect—number only a
few hundred, with many employed in skilled trades or the professional sector.
The Yazidi population, though historically limited in Baghdad, has grown since
2014, as survivors of ISIS’s attacks sought safety in the city.
Baghdad’s linguistic environment also reflects its multicultural
heritage. The dominant dialect is Baghdadi Arabic, which carries traces of
Persian, Turkish, and Aramaic influence. Within households and community
centers, languages such as Kurdish (mainly Sorani), Syriac, Armenian, and
Persian are still spoken. Institutions like the Iraqi Kurdish Cultural Center
continue to offer programs in language and cultural preservation.
“Baghdad is not just a city, it’s a linguistic archive, a living museum
of Iraq’s multi-ethnic soul. But like many museums, parts of it are fading,”
commented Dr. Hussein al-Taie, an anthropologist at the University of Baghdad.
The Political Capital
Baghdad remains the country’s political center. The capital’s symbolic
heart, the Green Zone, encapsulates the country’s paradox: a fortified enclave
of government institutions and foreign embassies, isolated by concrete walls
and checkpoints, set apart from the chaos beyond.
“The Green Zone is a republic within a republic,” political analyst
Hisham al-Hashemi observed before his assassination in 2020.
Since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003, Baghdad has experienced continual
power struggles involving political factions, sectarian blocs, and regional
powers. The 2005 sectarian-based power-sharing model, designed to stabilize the
post-invasion state, has entrenched patronage networks and weakened
institutions instead.
Transparency International ranked Iraq 154th out of 180 in its 2023
Corruption Perceptions Index. According to Parliament’s Integrity Committee,
roughly $239 billion in public funds have been misappropriated since 2003.
“Our state is run like a bazaar,” said former Electricity Minister Luay
al-Khatteeb. “Everything is for sale, from contracts to public office.”
Adding to this complex landscape is the expanded presence of
paramilitary groups in the capital. Over 40 factions operate under the Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF). Though formally part of the state security
structure, some groups function independently, manning checkpoints, managing
detention centers, and controlling localized services.
Yet amid power consolidation and institutional erosion, Baghdad has
emerged as the beating heart of civic resistance. In 2019, the Tishreen
Uprising brought tens of thousands to the streets, demanding jobs, political
accountability, and better services. Over 600 people were killed and more than
20,000 injured, many in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.
Protesters transformed the square into a defiant encampment complete
with kitchens, clinics, and libraries. Walls and underpasses became canvases of
resistance. “Every wall in Tahrir told a story,” said muralist Safa Mosafer.
“We wrote the future in paint and blood.”
The Economic Pulse
Baghdad’s economic landscape is dominated by a bloated public sector.
More than 60% of Iraq’s workforce is employed by the government, often in
overlapping or redundant positions. In 2024, salaries for public sector workers
consumed over 41% of the federal budget, limiting fiscal space for investment
in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
The private sector, meanwhile, remains underdeveloped. Complex
regulations, widespread corruption, and a lack of investor confidence have
stifled business activity. Iraq ranked 172nd out of 190 countries in the World
Bank’s 2024 ease of doing business index, underscoring the bureaucratic hurdles
facing entrepreneurs.
With limited access to formal employment, many Baghdad residents depend
on the informal economy to survive. The Iraqi Federation of Industries
estimates that informal activity, ranging from street vending to unregistered
businesses, accounts for around 45% of the capital’s economic activity. Markets
such as Al-Shorja and Bab al-Muadham are crowded with vendors navigating daily
uncertainty.
“If I don’t sell tea here, my family doesn’t eat,” said Ahmed, 27, who
works near Tahrir Square. “There are no jobs, no support, this is all we have.”
Youth unemployment also remains a critical issue. Nationally, over 36%
of Iraqis aged 15 to 24 are jobless. In Baghdad, the figure is believed to be
higher, particularly among university graduates. Government statistics show
that 61% of graduates are either unemployed or underemployed.
The lack of opportunities has prompted many to leave. In 2023, more than
29,000 Iraqis applied for asylum in Europe, a large number of them from
Baghdad.
For families remaining in the city, remittances from abroad have become
an important source of income. Iraqis living overseas sent home $9.1 billion in
2024, a 12% increase from the previous year, according to the Central Bank of
Iraq. In eastern and southern Baghdad, such transfers often offer more
financial stability than state salaries or social assistance.
The city’s real estate market has also undergone a dramatic shift. Once
driven by post-war reconstruction, the sector is now dominated by speculative
investment and opaque land deals. Transparency International Iraq estimates
that up to 30% of Baghdad’s public land has been illegally seized or sold
through fraudulent contracts since 2019.
Land mafias comprising politically connected business figures are
accused of manipulating land ownership and project development. Meanwhile,
gentrification is transforming areas such as Al-Mansour, Jadriya, and parts of
Karrada. Gulf-based developers and other international firms have invested
heavily in high-end residential and commercial projects, driving up property
prices.
As wealthier residents move in, lower-income communities are
increasingly pushed to the city’s periphery, neighbourhoods like Sadr City,
Al-Shaab, and Al-Hurriya, where public services are limited.
“Baghdad is turning into two cities,” said urban economist Dr. Saba
Al-Ani. “One that is modern, secure, and wealthy, and another that is
overcrowded, underserved, and deteriorating.”
Where Culture Lives
Among the city’s most prominent heritage sites is Al-Mustansiriyah
School, founded in 1227 during the Abbasid era. Situated along the Tigris
River, the institution once stood among the Islamic world’s leading centres of
learning, offering education in medicine, astronomy, law, and mathematics.
According to Iraq’s General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage, the school
now receives more than 150,000 visitors annually, including students and
participants in cultural festivals.
Al-Mutanabbi Street continues to function as a central hub for Baghdad’s
literary and artistic life. Named after the 10th-century poet al-Mutanabbi, the
street draws large crowds every Friday. Book vendors line the sidewalks while
cafés host exhibitions and poetry readings. “This is the place where ideas
breathe,” observed Haydar al-Taie, a philosophy graduate from the University of
Baghdad. Severely damaged in a 2007 bombing, the street was later restored and
has regained its role as a cultural gathering point.
Interest has also increased in the Baghdad Tower, a 205-meter structure
that reopened after years of closure due to damage sustained during the 2003
invasion. The tower, which includes a revolving restaurant and observation
deck, offers panoramic views of the city. The Ministry of Tourism and
Antiquities reports that domestic visits to the tower and nearby parks rose by
nearly 18% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
In the same area, Al-Zawraa Park—the city’s largest public green
space—offers amusement rides and access to the Baghdad Zoo. Once home to more
than 600 animals, the zoo saw its population fall to under 50 during the 2003
conflict. Years of recovery have helped raise the number of animals to over
200. “For many families, it’s more than just a park,” reflected zoo director
Abu Kareem. “It’s a space to breathe again.”
The Iraqi Museum remains a key destination for those interested in
Mesopotamian history. Housing over 170,000 artifacts, the museum reopened in
2015 after a major looting in 2003, during which more than 15,000 items were
stolen. Over 7,000 of those have since been recovered. Among the museum’s
highlights are pieces from Ur, Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer, including the
iconic Uruk Vase. The Ministry of Culture recorded more than 200,000 visitors
in 2023.
Religious landmarks continue to draw visitors as well. Kadhimiya, an
administrative district of Baghdad most famously known as a holy city for
Twelver Shia Muslims, is distinguished by the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque, a highly
revered shrine containing the tombs of two significant Shia Imams.
In Adhamiyah, the Abu Hanifa Mosque commemorates Abu Hanifa al-Nu‘man,
the 8th-century scholar and founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic
jurisprudence. Known for its Ottoman-style architecture, the mosque underwent
recent restoration supported by Iraq’s Sunni Endowment and the Turkish
Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).
Despite ongoing challenges, tourism officials say Baghdad is seeing a
modest increase in domestic and regional interest. The Ministry of Tourism has
identified more than 10 restoration and infrastructure projects launched since
2023 to support heritage sites and improve access.
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff
