The Center for the Revival of Scientific Arab Heritage at the University of Baghdad, in cooperation with the Baghdad Municipality and the UNESCO Creative City of Literature, organized a dialogical symposium entitled “Glimpses from the History of Baghdad” on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 10:00 am where sited on Bait Alhikma with the presence of a number of professors and researchers. The seminar opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran, then the Iraqi national anthem, and the recitation of Al-Fatiha for the souls of martyrs, followed by a speech by Dr. Alaa Nafae Jasim, director of the center. The first research was presented by Dr. Saadi Ibrahim Aldaraji, a lecturer at the Center for the Revival of Heritage, entitled “Examples of Tombs and Epigraphic Evidence in the Ancient Cemeteries of Baghdad: An Archaeological Study.” who speaks about how the cemeteries of Baghdad constitute a wealth in the fields of architecture and arts, containing remains related to tombs and graves distributed in its eastern and western sides, most notably: Al-Ghazali Cemetery, the cemetery adjacent to the Qadiriya Sufi Lodge, the Rose Cemetery (Sheikh Omar al-Suhrawardi), and the Reed Cemetery (Abu Hanifa)
A city called Baghdad existed in spirit before its actual construction. After being built, some areas maintained their status while others emerged. Specifically on its western side (Karkh) and eastern side (Rusafa), where we focused our research on the churches and monasteries of different Christian denominations within Baghdad, in addition to shedding light on their social, economic, and cultural role, albeit very limited and more focused on monasteries than churches. In addition to being places of worship, they simultaneously achieve goals that positively impact the surrounding social environment they harmoniously coexist with in peace and security. We also touched upon the reasons for the increase in Christians numbers in the western side (Karkh) compared to the eastern side (Rusafa). The research concluded with a speech by Dr. Lua Shaker Khattar, a lecturer at the Heritage Revival Center, titled “Baghdad’s Ancient Markets Between Heritage and Modernity.” She spoke about peoples’ pride in their legacy and urban landmarks, most notably the markets that played a major role in Baghdad’s history – the best testament to the development and progress of societies. These markets are important in shaping cultural and heritage landmarks and memories. She mentioned the most prominent markets: Souq Al-Sarai, Souq Al-Shorja, Souq Al-Safaafir, Souq Al-Ghazl, and Souq Al-Haraj.
