NAME 5 BEST PLACES YOU VISITED IN IRAQ AND TELL US WHY YOU WERE IMPRESSED BY EACH.
Al Mutanabi street: It’s a historic area in Baghdad, with street vendors selling books and it’s so alive. At the end of the street there’s a statue of Al mutanabi and along the way.. you just hear people reciting poetry, telling you about Al mutanabi. It’s as if he’s still alive in his books and in those who learnt his poetry.
Babel: wow! You really do feel like you are in the heart of ancient civilization, gorgeous architecture, you are taken back in time. There’s a palace, a beautiful maze a blue gate which I loved! and just great energy in the soace.
The marshes of Iraq or “Al ahwar” which is south of Iraq and a 4 hour drive. You take a boat, a bbq and your own fish and go through the marshes. People herd buffalos and fish and grow rice. You then stop at one of the beautifully built palm houses and eat by the water and drink tea with loads of sugar.
Shahbandar cafe : one of the oldest cafes in in Iraq since 1917, it used to be a press house and is now a cultural hub.
Al shaheed monument: a monument dedicated to martyrs designed by sculptor and architect ismail al Turk. He used the dome as his icon, and split it in half symbolizing the souls of the martyrs coming out of the dome.
AS A COLOR MARKETING EXPERT, DID YOUR TRIP TO IRAQ LEAD TO ANY UNEXPECTED COLOR INSIGHTS OR REVELATIONS? WERE THERE MOMENTS WHEN YOU THOUGHT, ‘THIS IS A COLOR STORY WAITING TO BE TOLD’? CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?
Very much! It’s a story of contrasts between the old and the new, the ancient stunning structures and the zaha hadid building! The old stone of reddish yellow and the beautifully ornated blue of the gate of Babel. I was very inspired with the mosque in Karbala which had a combination of blue, emerald green, yellow and bronze which when the sun hits turns into a masterpiece. If Iraq had a colour, I’d choose teal.
IN IRAQ, DID YOU COME ACROSS ANY UNIQUE LOCAL COLOR INFLUENCES THAT SPARKLED YOUR CREATIVITY AS A COLOR MARKETING MANAGER? ANY PARTICULAR SHADES OR COMBINATIONS THAT CAUGHT YOUR EYE?
yes! It would be teal, turquoise, yellow and reddish yellow from clay. Whether it was the dome colours, the ornated mosques, the ancient walls at Babel or in the museum. I absolutely loved the colour combination! (Two photos attached for reference)
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DISH? TELL US ALL ABOUT IT!
Definitely masgoof! Masgoof is a fish that is grown in sweet water, then split in half placed on a rod in the middle of a huge fire pit with specifically apricot tree wood. My favorite part was squeezing orange on top and eating with your hands Ofcourse.
NAME ONE PERSON YOU MET IN IRAQ WHO CHANGED THE WAY YOU SEE LIFE.
I don’t know if it was a person, or just the country itself and most of the people I met. Iraq in general solidified my view that you shouldn’t believe what people tell you about a country until you visit it! That you should do your own research and judge based on your own experience. I honestly wasn’t expecting the development, the civilization, the depth, the education and just how much knowledge I found in this country which is very much still alive. I truly believe that every country has something to offer, and there’s also beauty if you want to see it.
IF YOU WERE TO TITLE YOUR TRIP TO IRAQ IN A FEW WORDS, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
I was mostly impressed by the depth of the people, the importance of literature, reading and knowledge. So I will refer to words by Al Mutanabi.
I am the one whose literature can be seen (even) by the blind,
The steed, the night and the desert all know me,
And whose words are heard (even) by the deaf,
As do the sword, the spear.
ALSO READ: JOURNEY THROUGH BALI’S HUES: A COLORFUL EXPEDITION WITH RANA KHADRA.
