Plural Heritage of Baghdad

Iraq represents one of the richest diverse communities that some of which go back to the early settlements of Mesopotamia. These communities embrace various cultural, socialrituals and diverse religious beliefs and thinking schools that were always intertwinedin the urban, social–cultural-spatial structures in the city.

This project does not attempt to deny the current unstable situation that is threatening Baghdad’s community and its social-cultural environment since 2003 or discusses the complex relationship between religions,minorities and conflicts that are most stressed by media and political discourses. Instead, it aims to highlight how religious diversity can emphasize heritage and cultural unity by recalling people’s narratives that embrace the shared history, rituals, and local traditions. The project highlights the other face of multi-religion and culturalism as a tool for peacebuilding and overcomes conflict in Iraq.

The project explores and analyses the relationships between religion, community, and heritage, without producing an inclusive review of existing literature focusing on these terms, or on the understanding of violence triggers in the city. The aim is to identify the shared features of religions, as well as the common rituals, traditions, and practices that the Baghdadi’s community share interest in.

This research provides a strategy for protecting and preserving the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of minority groups. The project brought together academics, architects and students, heritage professionals, policy-makers, religious and minority groups leaders, media and the civil society in an effort to raise awareness and advance a pluralist collective Iraqi identity.