Ashaar Baghdad

Ashaar Baghdad (English: Baghdad's Poetry) is a public monument in Baghdad, created by the sculptor, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat (1929-2011) and inaugurated in 2013. It appears as a golden globe, bearing Arabic letters that have been squeezed together and distorted to form the spherical shape. It is an unusual example of hurufiyya-inspired sculpture.

Ashaar Baghdad
نصب أشعار بغداد
Ashaar Baghdad, (Baghdad’s Poetry)
LocationAl Dallal Square, Al Karakh neighbourhood, Baghdad,
DesignerMohammed Ghani Hikmat
Beginning date2010
Completion date2013
Dedicated toBaghdad

Background

In 2010, the Mayor of Baghdad commissioned the sculptor, Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, to complete a series of four monuments as part of a Baghdad Culture program. The artist began work on four new sculptures to be erected in various locations around Baghdad. However, this would be his final project, for the sculptor died before it was completed. Ghani's son oversaw the completion of the project.[1] All four works blended Iraqi tradition with modern techniques and materials.

The first to be completed was Al Fanous El Sehri (Magic Lantern) inaugurated in 2011. The remaining three works, Ashaar Baghdad (Baghdad's Poetry), a fountain fearuting Arabic script; Timthal Baghdad, (Baghdad's Statue) a column featuring the city as a beautiful girl, wearing traditional Abassid costume.[2] and Enkath El Iraq (Saving Iraq's Culture), a Sumerian cylindrical seal in the hands of an Iraqi citizen;[3] were all inaugurated in 2013.[4]

Mohammed Ghani Hikmat was known for his public works, now on display throughout Baghdad's urban spaces, and also for smaller statues carved in wood, depicting the everyday life of Baghdad's people.[5] His most well-known works include a pair of statues of Queen Scheherazade and King Shahryar, located on the banks of the Tigris River, near Abu Nuwas Street[6] and the Fountain of Kahramana in Baghdad's central business district.[7] The choice of location for his works, was important to Ghani, who wanted the sculptures to be accessible to all. He avoided public squares and gardens, but instead wanted his works to be situated in the streets and on the side of buildings.[8]

Description

Ashaar Baghdad, (Baghdad’s Poetry) is a fountain of 5 metres in height situated in Al Dallal Square, Al Karakh neighbourhood, Baghdad, near the Beiruti Café and was inaugurated in 2013[9]

The structure has a spherical shape and features Arabic script that has been squeezed and distorted to form the golden orb. The sphere floats in the middle of a water fountain near the Beiruti cafe Near Karkh, which is the northern tip of Baghdad.[10] The script is taken from a poem, Baghdad, the most powerful of you, that glorifies the city, written by the post-war Iraqi poet, Mustafa Jamal al Din (b. 1927), which Ghani had found written on the poet's tombstone. The script reads:

"Baghdad no matter what happens to you, you will flower again."[11]

The monument is an important example of hurufiyya-inspired sculpture. Although, hurufiyya is most often associated with painting and book art, it also included ceramicists and sculptors.[12]

Unlike many other public monuments in Baghdad, Ashaar Baghdad survived the looting and vandalism that occurred following the US-led invasion of 2003.

Specifications
  • Monument type: Fountain [13]
  • Materials: Bronze
  • Height: 3 metres plus a base of 2 metres (Total = 5 metres)
  • Location: Al Dallal Square, Al Karakh neighbourhood, Baghdad, near the Beiruti Café (Al Maqha Al Beiruti), at the northern tip of Baghdad[14]
  • Date Opened: 2013
  • Designer and builder: Mohammed Ghani Hikmat
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See also

References
  1. Floyd, T., "Mohammed Ghani Hikmat," [Biographical Notes], Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  2. Arraf, J., "Renowned Iraqi sculptor has vision for Baghdad to 'flower again'," CS Monitor, 16 February 2011; Online:
  3. Arraf, J., "Renowned Iraqi sculptor has vision for Baghdad to 'flower again'," CS Monitor, 16 February 2011; Online:
  4. Dawood, M., "Mohamed Ghani Hikmat brings life back to the squares of Baghdad Months after the Departure of the "Sheikh of the Sculptors," Alrai Media, January, 2012, Online: (translated from Arabic)
  5. Floyd, T., "Mohammed Ghani Hikmat," [Biographical Notes], Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online:
  6. Schmidt, M.S., "Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, Iraqi Sculptor, Dies at 82", New York Times, 21 September 2011 Online:
  7. Antoon, S., "Living With Death in Baghdad", New York Times, 20 July 2016 Online:
  8. Jairath. S., "Baghdad will Remain Baghdad" Mohammed Ghani and his Tales of One Thousand and One Nights", Meanjin Vol 74, Issue 3, 2015
  9. "Official Inauguration of Three Sculptures in Iraq Baghdad," Alsamuria News, 13 February 2013 Online:
  10. Dawood, M., "Mohamed Ghani Hikmat brings life back to the squares of Baghdad Months after the Departure of the "Sheikh of the Sculptors," Alrai Media, January, 2012, Online: (translated from Arabic)
  11. Jairath. S., "Baghdad will Remain Baghdad" Mohammed Ghani and his Tales of One Thousand and One Nights", Meanjin Vol 74, Issue 3, 2015
  12. Flood, F.B. and Necipoglu, G. (eds), A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, Wiley, 2017, p. 1294; Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, pp 165-66; Dadi, I., "Ibrahim El Salahi and Calligraphic Modernism in a Comparative Perspective," South Atlantic Quarterly. Vol. 109, No. 3, 2010, pp 555-576, DOI: 10.1215/00382876-2010-006
  13. Jairath. S., "Baghdad will Remain Baghdad" Mohammed Ghani and his Tales of One Thousand and One Nights", Meanjin Vol 74, Issue 3, 2015
  14. "Official Inauguration of Three Sculptures in Iraq Baghdad," Alsamuria News, 13 February 2013 Online:

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