Naji Jawad Watches ( Gift Hall )

In one corner of the gift hall at the Baghdad Museum stands a collection of antique clocks, bearing silent witness to a “bygone era".

These historic timepieces were donated to the museum in 1975 by “Naji Jawad Al Sa‘ati”, the Iraqi writer, lawyer, and traveler, born in 1922 in the Sabbabigh Al Al neighborhood of Baghdad.

Naji was raised in a family known for the craft of clock repair, a heritage that earned him the title “Al Sa‘ati” (the Clockmaker).

Yet his influence extended far beyond the bounds of his trade, reaching into the realms of thought, literature, and heritage. He left behind a rich legacy of books and articles that immortalized the features of old Iraqi society.

Naji Jawad’s clocks are not mere instruments for measuring time; they are fragments of Iraq’s memory, pulsing with literary spirit and cultural soul crafted by a man who believed that objects, like words, can preserve stories.