Interestingly, to maintain Baghdad’s architectural style, and despite the popularity of the “cobond” technique, the municipality of Baghdad banned its use on ministry buildings, government offices and buildings overlooking main streets.
Criticism of this phenomenon is increasing in the media and in cultural circles. The editor of Iraq’s Al-Sabah newspaper, Qasim Mozan, told Al-Monitor, “Baghdad suffers from visual chaos.” He described his city as “one that, until very recently, was among the most beautiful in the Orient, where Western and Muslim classical architectural art co-mingled.”
Mozan attributed the visual chaos to “random construction and the failure to implement technical controls and provisions, preventing the destruction of heritage landmarks.”
In an interview with Al-Monitor, journalist Salam Zeidan blamed the demise of heritage landmarks in Iraqi cities on “the municipality of Baghdad and the Ministry of Tourism, which lack a clear plan for building the capital and maintaining its heritage. The heritage of Iraq, and Baghdad in particular, is subjected to neglect and destruction.”
In this regard, engineer and author Lamis Kadhum told Al-Monitor, “Baghdad suffers from visual pollution.” He indicated the presence of “poor architectural management, chaotic building practices and a lack of coordination in the use of colors on buildings, and in streets and parks.” He added, “Dirt and electrical wires that extend aboveground contribute to this pollution.”
Many of those concerned with Baghdad’s heritage and architecture believe that thousands of heritage landmarks are threatened by practices that can only be abated through effective governmental measures and penalties against those who violate laws and regulations that protect Iraq’s historical cultural icons.
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