Al Mutanabi Street, Baghdad, February 2009
Named for a revered poet, Baghdad’s Al Mutanabi Street had been a sanctuary for books and writers through decades of tyranny and war. Two years ago, insurgents attacked this bookish enclave with a devastating car bombing. It was an especially heart-breaking moment in one of the darkest phases of the Iraq War.
But now, as security has improved, after a long, halting struggle, there is once again life on the street. The New York Times‘ indispensable Baghdad bureau covered the official “reopening” of the book market in December of last year. A number of the booksellers and their shops are gone forever, but there is once again a place for browsing, drinking tea, smoking, and arguing in Baghdad. This photo essay from the Sacramento Bee documents the state of things now.
It’s a bit like watching the first shoots of spring flowers emerging. There’s been so much destruction and fear, one can only hope–for all our sakes–that a gentle place like a bookshop can grow and flourish in Iraq. It seems surreal, but maybe some day there will be more tourists like this guy walking the street.
But unspeakable violence is never far away in Iraq, and it sounds like some of the worst elements may be attempting to regroup as American power and attention begins to drift away. Are the forces of peace and renewal strong enough now?
I haven’t found an organization that accepts donations directed to Mutanabi Street [suggestions welcome!], but the new university in Kurdistan is in need of books.
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