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An IWPR workshop targeting Iraqi women, October 2011, Baghdad. (Photo: IWPR)
IWPR Courses Inspire New Generation of Iraqi Women
Farah Ali
23 Dec 11
Workshop participants start producing public-service advertising for local media.

Iraqi women from a variety of backgrounds have launched their first advertising campaign just weeks after attending a specialist IWPR training workshop.

The remnants of a statue of Saddam Hussein, famously pulled down on April 9, 2003, have become one of Baghdad’s landmarks. The statue stood in Firdos square in front of the14 July mosque. Firdos square has served as one of the primary locations for protests over a plethora of issues in recent years. (Photo: Hazim al-Sharaa/IWPR)
Baghdad - Eight Years After Saddam
IWPR contributors
15 Apr 11
Progress has been slow, with the country strill riven by social, economic and security problems.

Male followers of the Qadriya sect engage in traditional acts of worship in Barzinja, a small mountainous village, east of Sulaimaniyah city in Iraqi Kurdistan. Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Gilani founded the sect in Baghdad in the late 11th century. Photo by Kamaran Najm/Metrography.
Sufi Gather in Iraqi Kurdistan
Metrography
7 May 10
Thousands of followers of an ancient Sufi sect gathered for a traditional religious ceremony on April 30 in Barzinja, a small, mountainous village in Iraqi Kurdistan.

During the ceremony of the Kasnazani order of the Sufi Qadriya sect, men pierce their tongues and cut themselves with swords as part of an ancient ritual.
 

Hundreds of Yezidi gather at the sacred Lalish Temple in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan near the city of Mosul on April 14, as they wait for the sun to set to begin New Year's celebrations. The Yezidi, a religious minority found in northern Iraq, call their New Year celebration Chwar Shema Sur, or Red Wednesday. The Yezidi are the descendants of Zoroastrians, and have been often targeted in the past for their beliefs.
Iraq's Yezidi Celebrate New Year
Kamaran Najm
22 Apr 10

The Yezidi of northern Iraq ushered in a New Year as the sun set on April 14. The ancient religion's Chwar Shema Sur, or Red Wednesday, celebration kicked off with traditional music, dancing and the colouring of eggs. An estimated 450,000 Yezidi live in the northern Iraq provinces of Duhok and Nineveh, according to the Yezidi Supreme Spiritual Council, and in the past they have faced fierce persecution for their beliefs.

Families set up picnics on Qandil mountain in Sulaimaniyah province during the Nawrooz holiday on March 22, when the picnicking season begins in Iraqi Kurdistan. A Kurdish flag blows in the background.
Taking it Easy in Iraqi Kurdistan
Jamal Penjweny
10 Apr 10

Spring in Iraqi Kurdistan is considered the season of renewal and celebration. As the snow melts and flowers bloom, Kurds from as far away as Iran and Turkey descend on the mountainous region to picnic.

At the gates of Fallujah, a man rides past blast walls in his horse and cart - the preferred mode of transport for those who cannot afford cars or pick-up trucks. The city’s economy has not recovered since 2004, when its streets were the scene of battles between United States-led forces and Sunni Arab insurgents.
Fallujah: Scant Signs of Recovery
Jamal Penjweny
1 Apr 10
Six years after United-States forces laid siege to the city, it remains scarred by the conflict. Many bomb-damaged buildings are uninhabitable and public utilities are in need of renovation.
An Iraqi soldier stands guard outside a polling station March 7 in Baghdad. A series of attacks killed at least 37 people on voting day, making the capital’s official 53 per cent turnout one of the lowest in Iraq. Photo by Metrography.
Images of Iraq's Election
Metrography
13 Mar 10
Photographs by Metrography for IWPR

A campaign poster in Karbala reads “No place for Baathists”. Shia parties are campaigning on anti-Baathist agendas in an effort to win over voters who were persecuted under Saddam Hussein’s regime. Photo by Metrography.
Iraqi Election Campaign Snapshots
Metrography
18 Feb 10
Campaigning in Iraq’s election kicked off last week amid debate about the country’s future and whether its Baathist history continues to permeate politics.

Chamchamal police chief Dara Abdullah stands in front of police headquarters to greet a high-level delegation of security officials. Security forces were sent to the restive town following a spate of unsolved murders.
Kurdistan's Wild West
Jamal Penjweny
10 Feb 10

With a reputation for lawlessness, the town of Chamchamal has long been considered Iraqi Kurdistan's "Wild West'.

Kurdish security forces move to pacify demonstrators in the town of Pirmagrun on December 23, following a day of rioting that left dozens of people wounded. By nightfall, hundreds of riot police and troops had entered the town in armoured personnel carriers followed by ambulances. The security forces announced their arrival by firing automatic weapons in the air, eyewitnesses said.
Focus on Kurdish Riots
Kamaran Najm
24 Dec 09
Photographs by Kamaran Najm/Metrography for IWPR.