A man wearing a red and white checkboard keffiyeh.


From left is Muqtada al-Sadr (the Iraqi Shia cleric), Masoud Barzani (former President of Iraqi Kurdistan), Saddam Hussein (no introduction needed), Abd al-Karim Qasim (an Iraqi Army brigadier who seized power in the 14 July Revolution in 1958 after the overthrow of the monarchy) and Mustafa Barzani (Kurdish nationalist leader).


سيدتين


We then wandered out into the busy Al Rasheed Street, one of the main streets in downtown Baghdad.


Another great place to mingle with the locals.


Shopping for olives.


Pomegranate.


Stopping to pick up a few souvenirs.


Walking along Mutanabbi Street, a street filled with bookstores and outdoor book stalls and named after the 10th-century classical Iraqi poet Al-Mutanabbi.


An Arabic translation of the book "Debriefing The President" by John Nixon for sale.


As it was Thursday afternoon (and the last day of the week), the cafés and kebab shops had closed early, so we stopped to feast at a local baklava stall instead for a sweet midday snack.


We then retreated to the nearby Shabandar Café, one of the most famous cafes in Baghdad. The café was founded in 1917 in the building of a former printing press. The current owner of the café shop since 1963 is Haj Mohammed Al-Khashali and there were numerous photo's of him on the wall from over the years.


Enjoying some super sugary tea. In 2007, March 5th, the café was attacked by a car bomb, killing more than 100 people including five sons of the owner Haj Mohammed Al-Khashali. It was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 2014.