Baghdad Clock

The Baghdad Clock is located in the Celebration Square area in the heart of the capital. It is a tall tower topped with a massive four-faced clock, resting on an octagonal base that houses a heritage museum within.

The idea of establishing the clock dates back to 1986, when the Presidential Office launched a competition to design a central clock in commemoration of the martyrs of the Iran-Iraq War. The winning design was submitted by architect Muhammad Dhia Al Barak and his wife, Nasreen Al Qaisi. Construction began in 1989 and was completed and officially inaugurated in 1994 by cadres of the Military Industrialization Authority (which was later dissolved in 2003).

The clock represents an important urban landmark, as it was linked to global time and served as Iraq’s official time reference, adopted by government offices, airports, and radio and television stations.

The building is notable for its use of 7,000 square meters of Italian marble for the flooring, an equal amount of granite to clad the façades, and smooth glass surfaces stretching from the top of the tower to its base without joints giving it a fluid and streamlined architectural form.

The Victory Museum located at the base once displayed luxurious gifts presented to the Iraqi president at the time from around the world, such as swords and daggers inlaid with gold and precious stones, rare clocks, and antiques.

However, during the invasion of Baghdad in 2003, the tower and museum were subjected to aerial bombing that destroyed large parts of it. Its contents were looted, though some were later restored after being held by U.S. forces, and the structure was renovated by Iraqi authorities.

After the invasion, the clock site was temporarily used as the headquarters of the court trying the former president and his aides, before being rehabilitated once again standing today as a witness to a turbulent history that intertwined art, authority, and cultural symbolism.