The Nationality Department

The Nationality Directorate is one of the governmental departments affiliated with the Ministry of Interior. It is responsible for issuing official documents to citizens, such as the Iraqi nationality certificate and the civil status ID.

Citizens would visit this directorate to complete their official paperwork be it obtaining a nationality certificate for the first time, registering a birth, or documenting a marriage.

In front of these buildings, one would often find the “‘Ardhhalchi” (petition writer), a person specialized in writing formal requests and petitions, especially for those who were illiterate or unable to navigate bureaucratic language. Sitting on a simple chair before a small table, equipped with a typewriter, the ‘Ardhhalchi was always ready to draft official documents with precision and in a proper administrative tone.

The petition writer became an essential figure in Baghdad’s administrative and social landscape facilitating government procedures and becoming a well-known, respected personality within the community.

With the advancement of technology and the rise of print shops and computers, this profession significantly declined. Yet some petition writers still carry on the tradition outside courthouses or in popular markets, particularly in rural areas and old neighborhoods preserving a piece of Iraq’s administrative and social heritage.