- Blinken condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves
- Toyota returns to Formula One as Haas partner
- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
- Fry homers as Guardians down Tigers to stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Japan PM presses China's Li on airspace intrusion
- In Trump 'Truths,' conspiracies, attacks -- and doubts about the election
- How Sebastian Stan found a 'relatable' Trump for 'The Apprentice' biopic
- Panama's water wheel trash collector keeps plastic at bay
- It's still 'the economy, stupid,' says US political guru Carville
- Five key dates in the history of the America's Cup
- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
An Iraqi professor leading a group of students on a walking tour of Baghdad's historic centre invites them to stop and admire a centuries-old stone wall erected to shield the city from Mongol invaders.
Such a tour would have been unthinkable in the Iraqi capital through much of recent decades due to the country's successive wars, which saw Baghdad pounded from the air, targeted by suicide bombers and hit with car bomb attacks.
"Several caliphs worked on it," tour leader and professor Muaffaq al-Tai, 83, told the group as they passed under an impressive brick dome, smart phones and cameras in hand.
Braving an autumn heatwave, one of the tour organisers, Abdullah Imad, relished being able to help offer a deeper understanding of his hometown's history.
"Before, there were security events... interest was limited, almost non-existent," said architecture student Imad, 23.
"Now interest is growing... Stability has gradually returned to Baghdad," he told AFP.
"We want to show the public what Baghdad has to offer in terms of Islamic architecture, its value and identity."
Baghdad, founded in 762 AD by Abbasid caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur along the Tigris River, has long been a key hub in Arab and Islamic society.
In the 20th century, it thrived as a modern Arab city with top universities, a vibrant cultural scene and excellent healthcare.
However, decades of war and oppression from the late 1970s, including sectarian violence after the 2003 US-led invasion and the rise of the Islamic State group in 2014, led to significant decline.
- 'Sites worth visiting' -
A fragile stability has emerged since the defeat of IS in 2017 that has allowed a greater focus on Baghdad's infrastructure and cultural scene.
Around 30 students and amateur photographers strolled through downtown, passing an 800-year-old Abbasid palace with an inner courtyard adorned with brick facades, arches and arabesque reliefs.
They also visited Bab al-Wastani, or the Central Gate, built around the 12th century, featuring battlements and flanked by thick walls.
Fatima al-Moqdad, a 28-year-old architect, said the renewed interest in Iraq's heritage is "a source of hope for a positive change in our identity, and our heritage and its preservation".
"When young people surf the internet, they see how other nations look after their heritage. They want and deserve the same," she added.
"To be a tourist, you don't necessarily have to go abroad."
In Baghdad, home to nine million people, tuk-tuks, motorcycles and yellow cabs compete for space with porters pushing carts piled high with goods.
They push their way through the fish stalls, sunglasses vendors and counterfeit sneaker stands that have taken over the pavements of the historic centre.
On the eastern bank of the Tigris, brutalist buildings from the 1960s stand alongside elaborate facades from the 1920s, decorated with flowery mouldings and sagging wrought-iron balconies.
Around 2,400 buildings are registered in the historic centre, but around 15 percent have been destroyed or altered, according to the municipality.
Many of the properties once belonged to Jewish families or other Iraqis driven out during one of the country's many upheavals.
The waves of emigration also resulted in a brain drain, depriving Iraq of expertise particularly in architectural restoration.
- Restoration drive -
The municipality, in partnership with an association of private banks, has taken on two major restoration projects, including Al-Mutanabi Street, famous for its many bookshops.
They are also restoring another street that houses the old Serail, or Ottoman Empire's seat of government.
The restoration has primarily involved repaving sidewalks, updating lighting and cleaning up facades.
Mohammed al-Soufi, an architect overseeing the restoration, noted the "aesthetic value of the brick buildings", dating from the 19th century and the 1920s and 1930s.
Among the many challenges in restoring the area is the difficulty in obtaining permission from the original owners, many of whom no longer live in Iraq, as well as a lack of funding.
The Baghdad municipality's next focus will be Al-Rashid Street, inaugurated in 1916.
"It's the soul of old Baghdad, its identity," said the municipality's head of communications Mohammed al-Rubaye.
But the once-vital artery now houses mostly warehouses, industrial machinery and motor oil stores. Authorities plan to move these activities to the outskirts.
"We're not telling people to leave. We're telling them to stay, but let's turn the wholesale warehouses into stores, cafes, cinemas and cultural and heritage sites," Rubaye said.
M.Thompson--AMWN