Iraq: Baghdad – Al-Shaheed Monument
Al-Shaheed Monument aka Martyrs’ Monument is one of the most beautiful monuments not just in Iraq, but all over the world. The monument opened in 1983 and was dedicated to the Iraqis who died in the Iran-Iraq War (the war took half a million lives and resulted in a zero-gain stalemate after first Iraq invaded Iran and then Iran turned the cards around and pushed and invaded Iraq, just to be eventually pushed back to the original status quo. This was also a dirty proxy way with USA and USSR on the Iraqi side and China, Syria, and Libya on the Iranian side). The monument consists of two 40m high split turquoise-tiled domes with two halves facing each other. It’s truly awe-inspiring. The central monument sits on an island on an artificial lake on a wide-open space, adding to the scale and grandeur.
