This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Baghdad. Its existence goes back to the Saddam Hussein Presidency of the 1970s and 1980s during a beautification project throughout the city. Completed during the Iran-Iraq war in 1983, it pays tribute to the fallen Iraqi troops during that war. It's also known as the Martyrs' Memorial. Look for the eternal flame in-between a split, green, raindrop-shaped dome made of steel. The monument itself sits on a large, circular platform in a man-made lake.
Some of the popular attractions on-site are a museum, a library and a lecture hall. An exhibition gallery also exists that features Iraqi art work. You can find the Shaheed Monument a couple of miles east of the central Jumhuriya Bridge. This famous bridge was built over the Tigris River.
If you want to enjoy the history of Iraq from centuries before the Saddam Hussein regime, you should visit the National Museum of Iraq. Here, you can see rare relics from the Mesopotamian Era in 28 galleries. First opened in the 1920s, it closed for a time during the tumult of the American occupation due to fear of destruction from U.S. bombing raids. Thieves also looted the museum in 2003 and took many priceless artifacts. It re-opened in 2010. It contains a marble head made during the ancient Sumarian culture. As of 2008, the museum also features treasures taken out of tombs located in the ancient city of Ur, as well as Nimrod.
For a place that might be more pleasing to kids visiting Baghdad for the first time, the Baghdad Zoo is a fun location. Open again in 2010, it was more or less destroyed during a bombing raid during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. However, it was rebuilt by coalition forces and U.S. zoo organizations in 2003. Located in the Al Zawraa Garden where Saddam Hussein's old palaces were, the zoo holds hundreds of animals. This includes wild lions and tigers, reptiles and exotic birds. Even a few endangered species dot the grounds.
This haunting arch was built by Saddam Hussein after the Iran-Iraq war. The "Triumphal Arch" is actually two 24-ton metal swords crossing one another on each side. Giant replicas of Saddam Hussein's own hands hold the swords. The swords are made out of melted metal from the guns used by killed Iraqi soldiers.
You can find the Hand of Victory arch in central Baghdad near the entrance to an expansive parade ground that looks over the city's main highway. In 2007, U.S. forces almost dismantled the arch, but it was halted due to internal criticism.
