Rusafa or Al-Rasafa () is one of the nine administrative districts in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, on the eastern side of the River Tigris (on the west side of which is Al- Karkh). It is one of the old quarters of Baghdad, situated in the heart of the city, The Rasafa side is one of the main parts of the city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Along with Karkh, it forms the essential components of the city, with the Tigris River flowing between them. The Rasafa side is known for its numerous cultural and historical landmarks, including the Old City, the Republic Bridge, and various markets and residential areas. and is home to a number of public squares housing important monumental artworks.

Description

This district is an older area on the eastern side of Baghdad; its central

commercial area Commercial area, commercial district or commercial zone in a city is an area, district, or neighborhoods primarily composed of commerce, commercial buildings, such as a strip mall, business parks, office parks, downtown, central business distric ...

, a centre of markets considered one of the four old central business districts of

(Karkh, Rusafa, Adhamiyah and Kadhimiya). It includes many urban features which have become landmarks including Firdos Square and Liberation Square, the biggest landmark in

and one of the most visited. It has also been home to a number of monumental artworks including the ''Monument to the Unknown Soldier'' (1959–2002) designed by local architect, Rifat Chadirji; a statue of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

(2002–2003) by local sculptor Khalid Ezzat, which was replaced by ''Freedom'' by local sculptor Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri, all located in Firdos Square. The Freedom Monument (''Nasb al-Hurriyah''), a work by architect Rifat Chadirji and sculptor Jawad Saleem is Baghdad's most iconic work, and is situated in Liberation Square. The sculpture of ''Shahriyar and Scheherazade'' by sculptor Mohammed Ghani Hikmat, situated on the banks of the Tigris River near Abu Nuwas Street, is another example of Iraqi art featured in the area. Neighbourhoods of Rusafa district include Bab Al-Moatham and Al-Sa'adoon.

Mausoleum of Abdul-Qadir Gilani

Another prominent shrine in this district is

that ''That'' is an English language word used for several grammar, grammatical purposes. These include use as an adjective, conjunction (grammar), conjunction, pronoun, adverb and intensifier; it has distance from the speaker, as opposed to words li ...

of the Hanbali

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

, Abdul Qadir Gilani, who founded the Qadiriyya order. The complex consist of a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, mausoleum, and the library known as Qadiriyya Library, which contains various books for Islam.

Mausoluem of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

The Mausoleum of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Arabic: ضريح الإمام أحمد بن حنبل) contains the purported grave of

Ahmad ibn Hanbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam. T ...

, founder of the

Hanbali The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradit ...

school of thought. The present structure is a 1998 reconstruction of an earlier Ottoman-period structure, the Aref Agha Mosque. It is visited by pilgrims worldwide, similar to the aforementioned mausoleum of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. Since 2003, the site has been under the management of the Sunni Endowment Office of Iraq.

Meir Taweig Synagogue

Meir Taweig Synagogue, also known as Meir Taweig Abraham Synagogue is a large compound in Bataween, which consists of a synagogue, a Jewish school and a library. It is the only active synagogue in Baghdad, where remaining Jews manage.

References

External links

Public Domain army.mil shots of "Clearing Rusafa"

Imam Ahmad Mosque

* مسجد أحمد بن حنبل (in Arabic)
Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal , Makam of Imam Hanbal
(YouTube)
صلاة الجمعة من جامع احمد بن حنبل – بغداد

مرقد إلامام احمد بن حمبل في #بغداد
{{Administrative districts in Baghdad Al-Rusafah, Baghdad Neighborhoods in Baghdad Administrative districts in Baghdad