Firdos Square

Firdaus Square, or Firdos Square (; transliterated: Sahat al-Firdaus), is a public open space in Baghdad, Iraq. It is named after the Arabic word Firdows, which literally means "paradise". It is the location of two of the best-known hotels, the Palestine Hotel and the Sheraton Ishtar, which are both also the tallest buildings in Baghdad. The square was the site of the statue of Saddam Hussein that was torn down by U.S. coalition forces in a widely-televised event during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A green, abstract sculpture by Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri now stands on the site of the former statue.

Statue destruction

In April 2002, a statue was erected in honour of the 65th birthday of Saddam Hussein.

The statue was pulled down by American forces during the Iraq War in 2003, in front of a crowd of around a hundred Iraqis. The event was widely televised, and some of this footage was criticized for exaggerating the size of the crowd. Robert Fisk described it as "the most staged photo opportunity since Iwo Jima"., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 30, 2003

The site of statue now houses a green, abstract sculpture intended to symbolize "freedom", designed by sculptor Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri.

2005 protest

On April 9, 2005, the second anniversary of the invasion of Baghdad, the square was the center of...
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